Of all the things Asbury Park would have to worry about.. this is not one

A council woman wants to do something that hasn't been done in 40 years: Enforce a ban on people walking around Asbury Park's boardwalk wearing a bathing suit--suits that even 40 years ago had more 'clad' that the semi-clad nature of skimpy swimwear these days.

Those who have been to Asbury Park may wonder why the ban would be needed. The town was once a bastion of family friendly activity and beauty.. riots, racial tension, fires, and fear led to a darker age for Asbury Park starting in the 1970s and extending even into the 21st Century.

On a trip there in 2005, I personally saw a town striving for a new identity, but sheltered on the perimeter by abandoned buildings, moss-covered relics of the past, and few people on the beach .. I don't think I recall whether I saw bathing suits or not. However there was something very interesting and historic with the area.. something that drew me in.. Something that made me want to give the city in Monmouth County a chance. I would dare say most people who visit Asbury Park as a tourist get a double-pronged feeling: One partially of fear depending on your surroundings and another of awe as you look at the big picture. A visit to the Stone Pony to see someone who may be the next up and coming Someone helps, too.. The Boss played there, after all. As did lots of others..

Recently, a push has been made by residents of Asbury Park to bring dignity and tourists back to the town that once was. Instead of living in the past, some have abandoned the old days and in tribute to the past tried to soar above and beyond them, leading the city into a better place. And it's working. There is a rebirth of dining and bars.. more stores and higher end markets. It has not been easy for those trying..


Which is why of all the things to be concerned with in Asbury Park, it's quite surprising that Louise Murray wants to enforce the 40 year old ban on bathing attire. 

CBS in New York reports on what the ban actually says: 

No person clad in bathing attire shall be on the boardwalk or the public sidewalks adjacent thereto

 Murray is 74. She told WCBS 880 that she recalls rules of the beach: You couldn't go on the boardwalk unless you covered up and had on shoes.  But the town is coming back.

Perhaps $2,000 fines and 90 days in jail won't help the town recover from its ills of yesteryear but they are the rules of the game and repercussions of the bikini ban.

The state of New Jersey is cutting services. The city of Asbury Park is, too. Though some old friends of the archaic bathing suit ban say they want a return to the modesty that was the Eisenhower era, few think it will occur. The skimpier the better. Or sometimes worse, depending on who is donning the beach-but-not-boardwalk-friendly attire.