Meet This Month’s Featured Place:
Asbury, Park, NJ
Jessie Husband's map of ASBURY PARK, NJ
Did You Know? Asbury Park Helped Shape the Jersey Shore Sound
Long before Bruce Springsteen became The Boss, Asbury Park was already making a name for itself as a music town. Venues like the legendary Stone Pony, which opened in 1974, helped put the city on the musical map. Springsteen, Southside Johnny, and countless other musicians have ties to its stages.
A Little Town With a Whole Lot of Pride 🌈
Asbury Park has long been one of the Jersey Shore's most LGBTQ+ friendly destinations. With its welcoming community, vibrant nightlife, and colorful personality, it's a place where people have come to celebrate being themselves for decades.
The city is also home to the annual Jersey Pride celebration, one of New Jersey's largest LGBTQ+ Pride events, bringing thousands of people together for a parade, festival, music, and plenty of rainbow-colored fun.
Music, art, individuality, and a whole lot of Pride. Sounds pretty Asbury Park to me!
Meet Tillie, Asbury Park's Famous Grinning Face
That giant, slightly mischievous smiling face? That's Tillie! Originally painted on the Palace Amusements building in the 1950s, Tillie became one of Asbury Park's most recognizable symbols.
But here's where things get interesting. Who actually owns Tillie? Apparently, nobody has a clear answer!
Over the years, different artists and businesses have tried to claim rights to the famous face, but the original design's copyright ownership remains a bit of a mystery. That hasn't stopped Tillie from appearing on everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs.
And while the legal details are complicated, one thing seems pretty clear: Asbury Park considers Tillie its own.
The Little Details Make the Place
This is what I love about drawing places like Asbury Park. It's not just the beach or the boardwalk. It's the music history, the familiar landmarks, the colorful murals, and all those little details that make a town feel like itself.
Every illustrated map gives me an excuse to dig into a place's history and discover something new. And Asbury Park definitely has no shortage of stories worth drawing.
Have a place you would like me to feature?
Thank you for reading!
- Jessie Husband