Jersey Girl

This is me trying to look cool -- and like I really am not too old to get the now historic '70s music scene. This is the Stone Pony -- a venue that looms large in the life of Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey's favorite son. Springsteen is New Jersey's biggest fan and the state, particularly Asbury Park, hearts him right back and then some. Stone Pony staffer Joanna White told me, "He sat down and chatted with me and I couldn't believe it. I was sweating. He's really real people." The Asbury Park boardwalk -- right across the street from the Stone Pony -- is undergoing a major renovation and is going to be one of the hippest spots on the Jersey shore. One of its charms was always the egalitarian nature of the place. It will be interesting to see if it can retain its connection with the common man when it's all decked out in high style.