Jersey-girl Tours

During my week on the Jersey shore for my niece's wedding, I have a little time to get together with Tina, a friend I met in Cuba a few years ago. Tina lives in New Jersey and what better place to meet but Long Branch. As luck would have it our timing is perfect and we meet at Pier Village. Tina knows the area inside and out since she's been a resident here for who knows how long. We start at "The Avenue" with a cocktail and a few appetizers and decide we will make our way around town sipping and tasting as we go.

The Avenue:

A restaurant, ...the ambiance of a Parisienne brasserie with high ceilings, marble tile, excellent service...located on the boardwalk...overlooking the beautiful beach. . A few glasses of wine and a shared crab salad and onion tart provide an excellent start to our reunion. We reminisce about our trip to Cuba, weddings, France and Tina's new book.

Touring

We hop in the car, and with Tina as our tour guide, head further down the shore. We pass through Deal, a very, very beautiful and wealthy area with homes and gardens that take your breath away. Allenhurst is next..same is true here ...all I can say is "big money". We keep going thru more towns and the scenery is beautiful, of course, with the ocean yards away. We discuss Tina's new book ...and Rick, being Rick (instead of waiting for the book to be finished) digs for information. He's already a fan...as am I. Tina..we can't wait. We make our way to Asbury where we stop for refreshment. We sit out on the rooftop bar of the Watermark, sipping our drinks, overlooking the beach, Boardwalk, and "The Stone Pony" (of Bruce Springsteen fame). We continue down the shore to a town where I picture myself living: Avon-by-the-Sea, quaint houses, porches with awnings ...a stones throw from the beach. The Main Street lined with bistros, boutiques and art galleries. (It's really nice to dream). The conversation leads back to food, of course, so we decide we are all in for some good Cuban food. Tina has a hot tip from friends about the Cuban Cafe. Well, this was definitely the right choice..."muy excellante"!

Tina

As I mentioned before, we met Tina on an educational tour we took to Cuba in the fall of 2014 before President Obama "opened the gates", so to speak. Small changes have been made but certainly not enough and definitely not fast enough to improve the living conditions for the beautiful people who occupy that island. Anyway, back to Tina. We discovered we had quite a bit in common, travelling, cooking.....food, as well as a great sense of adventure and a weird sense of humor. Tina is a published writer "Hardscrabble Way" , among others, and the motivation behind this blog. I always enjoyed writing but like everything else, life gets in the way and I didn't take the time to write. What better souvenier of our travels around the world than recording the details that make each trip so memorable....so, I'm making the time and loving every minute of it. Tina is working on a new book, (it's a secret right now...I cannot tell) but will make mention of it, once published...you can be sure. Tina had an interesting experience...well, more than one, for sure, but this one concerns her book "Hardscrabble Way". She told me she had pictured Gwyneth Paltrow as the lead character in her book. As luck would have it...who do you think is in NYC doing a book signing? Gwyneth Paltrow....oh yes she is! And who do you think grabbed a copy of her book and ran to NYC to do a little networking? Tina Gordon...oh yes she did! Tina gave Gwyneth the details and now Gwyneth has a copy of the book! We may be seeing it on the big screen...who knows! Thanks, Tina, for inspiring me...I love your stories, hearing about your experiences and following you around the world through your blog. So glad we got to cross paths...so....when are we getting together in NYC? Let's make it soon!

Wish we had more time to spend in Jersey...lots to see. Thanks for the tour and we'll definitely be back!