partytime

New Jersey is famous for it's diners. Not the actual people who dine out, but the place we go to eat...

there are approximately 525 diners in New Jersey...and they basically all have the same thing in common....

they all make basic foods well, like club sandwiches, eggs, burgers, simple salads, mashed potatoes, tuna fish, and pancakes. But it also must offer every conceivable dish under the sun, from moussaka to pastrami reubens. It doesn't matter if 99 % of ordered items come from 1% of the menu; a diner must always be ready for the customer who doesn't realize he could get a better Penne a la Vodka almost anywhere else!!

A group of us met up at

(for anyone wanting to visit JB's....it's in Freehold - that's Monmouth County, at the exact intersection of routes 537 & 524) and it's a fun 50's style.

and has the traditional cakes and desserts in the glass case

the Jukebox

the tributes to Elvis

the obligitory QQ (historic) car parked outside

the toys

and good diner food !!

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from there we all drove over to the wonderful quaint beach town of Ocean Grove

for a Neil Sedaka concert at The Great Auditorium

The Great Auditorium of Ocean Grove, NJ, is considered to be the most impressive and largest enclosed auditorium in New Jersey, and is the center of activity in Ocean Grove since 1894. It is used for Sunday services in the summer and showcases are held for well-known preachers and evangelists known throughout the world. Concerts, exhibitions, and other entertainment are also held in the Great Auditorium of Ocean Grove.

The place filled up like crazy !

and my word...... he was FAAAAAAABULOUS !!!

his voice is 10 times better now then when he was younger. Still rich and crystal clear. he sang all his hits and then some. If he comes your way...DONT MISS IT !! We loved it. Standing ovation from the whole crowd!!

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Still partying...next day...

with a whole different group of friends we attended our friends sons wedding...

Gorgeous Chuppah (wedding canopy)

and me..who doesn't drink

but thinks nothing of signing into a spoon...!!

and enjoys watching the bride and groom get lifted on the chairs while everyone dances around them

on a 'crafty' note...I flipped over the way the table numbers were 'framed'

the waiters sure collected them fast after the meal....they must have seen that look in my eye..."Would anyone miss this lovely frame if it somehow fell into my itsy bitsy purse"??!!??!!

no,no..I'm a good girl...!

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and tonight The Lenster and I concluded our party cycle with a terrific concert at our clubhouse called "The Ladies of the Phantom"

Three magnificent sopranoes who have all played "Christine" from "Phantom of the Opera" (at various times and in various productions all over the country & Canada) gave a 90 minute concert of all types of theater music...

another full house and standing ovation

I'm partied out now !!!

It's TV time on the couch for me !!

Comments

[Barbara L]

There's nothing better than a Jersey diner!! Just not the same anywhere else and they used to be mostly Greek also. Now I'm homesick!

[Kathy Gledsdale]

Wow what a great few days!

[Martha Richardson]

Love this post! The thing I miss the most, since moving to NC, are the diners in Buffalo, NY. The majority of them are owned by the Greeks who settled there so long ago...the food is always the best and the atmosphere is fabulous. The very 1st thing I do when I go home is to eat all the fabulous food that you simply can not get here!

[joZarty]

I'm worn out but loved every minute, from the diner to the opera in one post! woo hoo! Thanks for the tour.
Do you, like me, ever wonder, now you've retired, how ever you ever managed to get out to do a day's formal work??!! Making the most of it now for sure!
JoZarty x

[Kathyk]

I'm all partied out too and I was just reading about your antics ..... I'd have wanted that table centre too!

Enjoy the rest .... what's next?

Kathyk