The Morning News: Silvio on Jersey

Quote of the Day:

Steven Van Zandt plays Silvio Dante in "The Sopranos" and was a member of Bruce Springsteen's legendary E Street Band. Along with 10 other key members of the cast of "The Sopranos," he was profiled and quoted in the New York Times in a walk-up to the finale tomorrow night. The best line: "I am having the experience two times in my life of doing something that makes New Jersey fashionable. What are the odds on that?"

--Incidentally, lots of travelers have been shocked over the years to visit Asbury Park, based on the memorable 1973 Springsteen album cover that used a vintage postcard, and find that it is rundown, with a forlorn boardwalk. But gentrification is gaining speed, led by a vibrant gay community that's mostly migrated down from New York City, 60 miles away. (I interviewed Madam Marie once, and she was a total old grouch).

The great Jersey boardwalk towns are, of course, Wildwood, near the southern tip of the Jersey shore, and Seaside Heights, roughly mid-coast. As to Atlantic City, where the boardwalk was invented, the Boardwalk is now mostly a seven-mile-long promenade in front of a wall of casinos. It's still worth a stroll if you've never been, but it's kind of sad to see how almost all of the landmarks and history have been obliterated. If you do take that stroll, stop by the Atlantic City Historical Museum on the old Garden Pier, toward the northern end of the Boardwalk, for a look at some artifacts and photos of the Boardwalk past.

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