Guess what?

Still raining, and Harry's still not here. The doctor said today that he hasn't begun to drop yet. Still slated to be induced on the 22nd if he doesn't show up by then.

So sitting in the waiting room this morning, i picked up a copy of Smithsonian Magazine, and read a great article about Urban Explorers in New York City. A great article, so I ended up spending a better part of the day poring over a website referenced in the article.

One of the most interesting sections on the site, was a feature about the old Asbury Park Casino. Interesting because I can specifically remember passing by that structure as a kid while we were walking the boardwalk in New Jersey. We used to visit my mom's mother in Ocean Grove, NJ and would always hit the Perkins Pancake House for lunch. It was always a bit of a wait, as we usually were there right around the time for Sunday Brunch. I vividly remember, seeing the huge glass facade and the remnants of bumper cars and such hidden behind wire-grate fencing.

It's always stuck in my mind as a place I'd like to sometime see more of, to see what lies behind, and what remains. I get like that sometimes... wondering about really random things. Like who were the guys who installed the "casino" sign above the entrance. Who were their parents' friends' teachers? I told you - RANDOM.

Even more random, that I came across those pictures. Who knew. Seeing that place again jogs more memories. My brother's picture in the Ocean Grove newspaper as he imitated a soldier storming a beachfront. Silver Dollar Pancakes at the aforementioned Perkins' Pancake House.

So apparently it's all dead now. Real dead. It's too bad. It'll be interesting to see what Harry comes up with as his "childhood memories" that he gets to ask me about when he's my age.

"Hey... wasn't that the place that we used to... "

Sure is.