First Class
Pickled Pink!
HOlIdAy GREETINGS FROM ASBuRy PARk
Asbury Park, N.J., might be best known
as the spot where Bruce Springsteen
grew up, but this Jersey Shore town also
puts on a holiday spectacular along its
mile-long boardwalk that makes it worth
braving the cold.
Events kick off Nov. 26 with Turquoise
Friday, featuring complimentary cider
and hot chocolate and sales from Asbury
Park’s row of boardwalk shops. On the
27th, a tree-lighting ceremony inside the
boardwalk’s Grand Arcade (1300 Ocean
Ave.) is followed by a roller derby match
with the take-no-prisoners Jersey Shore
Roller Girls at the Convention Hall, which
is attached to the Grand Arcade.
A must-do while you’re strolling
the boards: Channel your inner pinball
wizard at the Silverball Museum Arcade
(1000 Ocean Ave.), a pinball museum
featuring games from the 1930s to the
1990s. For a flat fee ($7.50 for a half-
hour, $10 for an hour, $20 for the day)
you can play as many games as you
want, no quarters required.
Love pickles? Then head to the small
town of Rosendale in Ulster County,
N. Y., where Cathy and Bill Brooks
founded their annual pickle fest after a
friend said she wanted to have a pickle
party. The Brookses, who debuted
their event in the late ’90s, thought
they would introduce people to what
they describe as “a whole new realm
of pickles, things pickled, pickling
spices—all things pickled.”
Housed in the town’s recreation
center, the festival takes place the Sun-
day before Thanksgiving. Enter a pickle
juice-drinking contest or try your hand
at a pickle toss. Or, simply browse the
13,000 square feet of vendors selling
pickle products. There also is an inter-
national flavor that highlights pickling
from other countries.
If you yourself pickle, enter your
goods into one of the contests. If you
are there to eat, you won’t be disappointed. But you have to arrive early
to score some of the pickle pie that
comes from Kentucky and sells out
fast. Nov. 21. Rosendale Recreation
Center, 1055 Route 32, Rosendale, N. Y.;
picklefest.com
CLOTHING 2.0
It was just a matter of time before clothing caught
up to the high-tech world in which we now live. Here
are a few items you should add to your wardrobe to
make your life easier. The Scottevest soft shell jacket
is a waterproof, windproof jacket with 19 pockets to
help you transport your many gadgets. And although
the jacket is heavy enough to keep you warm,
you can still see your device displays through
the thin clear-touch fabric, meaning you don’t
have to strip to browse your iPod’s playlist.
($175, scottevest.com). If you need to
pocket your gadgets but don’t want to be
underdressed, fear not. Mohan’s
Custom Tailors has the suit for you.
The “techie suit” allows you to discreetly carry all your gadgets—
phone, MP3 player, even your iPad.
( mohantailors.com). Can’t find a Wi-Fi
hot spot? ThinkGeek’s black cotton
T-shirt can suss out signals all over the
world. ($29.99, thinkgeek.com).
