Vacations Blog

As I write this, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are belting out full albums in Madison Square Garden, New York City – The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle on Saturday, and The River on Sunday. Meanwhile, 90 minutes away in his hometown of Freehold, NJ, people are gearing up for the influx of fans and groupies.

Whenever The Boss is ’Working on a Dream’ in the vicinity, his admirers not only purchase E Street Band & Bruce Springsteen tickets, but also bus tickets for the Jersey Shore.

Being so close calls for a pilgrimage to Springsteen-ville in Freehold and Asbury Park, and a chance to check out all the names and places which appear so frequently in his lyrics.

I was born right here on Randolph St. in Freehold
Here, right behind that big red maple in Freehold
Well, I went to school right here, got laid, and had my first beer in Freehold
Well, my folks both lived and worked right here in Freehold
I remember running up the street past the convent and church here in Freehold
Chased my daddy down in these bars, first fell in love with this guitar here in Freehold  - Freehold lyrics, by Bruce Springsteen

If you happen to be a concert travel addict on one of the buses heading for Springsteen-ville, listed below are all the places connected to The Boss which you shouldn’t miss.

Freehold:-

1. 87 Randolph St – Bruce Springsteen’s first home, where he lived until he was six. 

2. 39 1/2 Institute St. – His next home, where there’s a famous tree which was part of a photo-shoot for The Boss’ greatest album – ‘Born in the U.S.A.’

3. 68 South St. – Third home, until 1969.

4. St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, 51 Lincoln Place – Springsteen’s school, until 8th grade.

5. Freehold High School, 2 Robertsville Road – The school he graduated from.

6. Vinyard Park – Park built in 2002 on the site of the former home of Tex and Marion Vinyard. Tex was manager of The Boss’ first band – The Castilles, and their home was a haven for budding local musicians and bands, including Springsteen.

7. Federici’s Pizza, 14 East Main St – One of his old haunts.

8. Born to Run FireTruck – Springsteen donated $100k which ended up being used for a Firetruck, which has ‘Born to Run’ emblazoned on the side. The truck is based in the dept.’s West Main St. HQ.

Asbury Park:-

1. Asbury Park Boardwalk – Springsteen’s first album ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.’ was based on a tourist brochure he saw being sold on the Boardwalk.

2. Corner of 10th Avenue and E Street – One of the most famous stops on the Springsteen-ville tour. This is the street whose name is used by their band – The E Street Band.

3. 7 1/2 West End Court – Springsteen’s residence for a couple of years, where he wrote Born to Run, Thunder Road and Backstreets.

4. Convention Hall, Ocean and Fifth avenues – Legendary venue for concerts by such greats as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

5. Paramount Theatre, corner of Ocean and Fifth avenues – Has seen many Springsteen shows and rehearsals.  

6. The Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave – Famed nightclub where Springsteen has made many appearances over the years.

7. Sound of Asbury Park monument, boardwalk at Fifth Avenue – Has a plaque listing famous musicians, including Springsteen, who were introduced to the world via Asbury Park.

8. The Circuit, Kingsley Street and Ocean Avenue – The Circuit is mentioned in multiple songs, including Sandy and Born to Run.

9. Madam Marie’s fortune-telling booth, boardwalk at Fourth Avenue – Marie Costello’s fortune-telling booth on the Asbury Park boardwalk, made famous by The Boss getting her busted by cops in his lyrics for 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).

Bruce Springsteen photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy Shore Fire Media; Stone Pony photo by Stinkie_Pinkie; Asbury Park Convention Hall photo by Sister72