Asbury Park, New Jersey: Where to eat, hang out and stay

Mention Asbury Park, and most people associate the Jersey Shore beach town with one person — Bruce Springsteen. The Boss may have gotten his start at its famed Stone Pony club, but there is much more to the city than its music heritage.

Dubbed the Brooklyn of the Jersey Shore, Asbury Park attracts a mix of families, hipsters and the LGBT crowd. The town is in the midst of a renaissance, thanks in part to the new Asbury Hotel — the first hotel to open there in 50 years — and a revitalized beach boardwalk includes chic design stores wedged up against old-school booths selling fried Oreos.

As summer winds down and the crowds thin out, now is the perfect time to hop on NJ Transit for the 90-minute train ride to explore Asbury Park.