It’s no secret that New Jersey catches its fair share of slack. Be it from bratty Manhattanites or snarky New Englanders, it’s often stereotyped as a sub-par state with a mafia-fed underbelly. However, one thing New Jersey could never be knocked for is a rock 'n' roll deficiency.

From E Street rocker Bruce Springsteen, to punk priestess Patti Smith, New Jersey has produced countless acts that have gone on to take the music industry by storm. It’s latest offspring: Nicole Atkins, a Jersey Shore native whose heavily-lauded debut album, Neptune City, is named after her Garden State birthplace. Already the star of her own American Express commercial, the 27-year-old is well on her way to joining the ranks of Jersey’s great rockers. Here, she treats psychoPEDIA to a tour of her Neptune City (and Asbury Park) stomping grounds – expect Springsteen psychopaths, the world’s best pizza, and where to find the Boss himself.

Tell me about Neptune City.
I grew up in Neptune City and currently live in Asbury Park. All of the towns in our area are like five miles long. In the summertime it’s really lively; it’s a beach town. But when the tourists leave, it’s deserted. It’s kind of retro, very blue-collar, everything looks like it’s straight from the '70s.

What’s the best thing about living in Neptune City?
You can walk five blocks to the beach, have the best pizza in the world and get to New York or Philly in under an hour. It’s not a bunch of chains and strip malls; there are family-run shops and restaurants, good music venues.

And the worst thing?
Probably the Jersey asshole attitude.

How do you combat it?
Cultivate your own Jersey attitude.

So you have one?
Yeah. It only comes out when it needs to. We call it ‘going Neptune on you.’

So where’s the ‘best pizza in the world’?
Pete and Elda's. It’s this cracker-thin pizza. If you eat an extra, extra large by yourself you get a T-shirt with a fat guy on it.

Have you eaten one?
Once. I was in the bathroom the whole night [laughs].

What about the best places to see live music?
We have the Stone Pony, which is legendary for spawning acts like Patti Smith, Ronnie Spector, Bruce Springsteen. And the best one: Asbury Lanes. It’s a retro bowling alley from the '60s; in the middle of the lanes there’s a stage that bands play on. You can drink $2 Pabst, and they have a really good sushi bar inside. It’s like the most bad-ass place ever. It’s always packed with artists, DJs and musicians.

Any up-and-coming local bands of note?
There’s The Parlor Mob, they have a record coming out on Road Runner Records. It’s the most bad-ass shit ever. Sikamor Rooney – super bratty glam rock. And the best acoustic player is Scott Liss.

Any great date spots?
Market in the Middle, they change their menu nightly. All their produce is locally grown, and their meat is free range and organic. The place is set up with local paintings and they’ll have jazz bands play. The woman that owns it does a newsletter every week with events going on in the neighborhood and local charities to get involved with. That’s a great date place. Also, if you want a good Italian date place, in Bradley Beach there’s Giamano's. They use all local and organic vegetables, and have lots of vegetarian selections. Upstairs there’s a cigar bar and a lounge; if you’re going to impress someone, go there.

What about nightlife?
Brickwall Tavern – that’s just pretty much the drunk bar. It’s like our cheers. They have amazing organic wines and beers on tap. Georgie's at the Tracks is a gay bar, but everybody goes there Friday and Saturday night for karaoke. There are tons of transvestites singing show tunes. We go there, get shit-faced and sing.

What’s your signature show tune?
“Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Whores. Oh, and there’s a great gay bar called Paradise. It’s one of the only places you can go dancing to '80s songs. It’s a very mixed crowd. Back when all of the race riots happened in the '60s and '70s the town pretty much bottomed out. Then in the '90s a bunch of people from the gay community put a lot of money into building the town back up. It’s a mixed town but very supportive.

What about breakfast spots for the morning after?
For a weekday there is this little restaurant called the Cracker Barrel, which is not part of the chain. They have the best breakfast sandwich – pork roll, egg and cheese with ketchup. It’s a New Jersey staple. And, the Chat and Nibble is great for weekend brunch; the owner cusses at people. It’s karaoke brunch and bring-your-own-booze.

Best off-the-beaten-path shopping:
Allan and Suzi is this amazing vintage couture shop. They have another one on Amsterdam and 80th [in NYC]. You can go there and get a vintage Chanel dress for pennies; they have girls and guys clothes on consignment, things from young designers, and jewelry from the '30s and '40s.

Best people-watching?
Paradise on the weekends… the Stone Pony is also funny for all the Bruce Springsteen psychopaths who come with their mullets.

Where should people stay should they want to see Neptune City for themselves?
My favorite hotel is the Berkeley Carteret. Johnny Cash owned a room in it for decades. It’s super '70s and all of the views look out onto the ocean. There’s a Johnny Cash suite. It’s really inexpensive too.

Neptune City’s best-kept secret:
Me [laughs]. No, I’m kidding. America's Cup, which has hands-down the best coffee I’ve ever had. And Bilow's Wines & Liquors – a bar in a liquor store. It’s a serious old-man bar. My friends and I go there; they have 2 for 1 burgers, 2 for 1 pizza. And Bruce Springsteen goes to the local bar where my friends work… I probably shouldn’t tell you which one; let’s just say it’s a bar in Red Bank. You can throw down with so many heroes and go undiscovered doing it.

~Alisa Gould-Simon


Go There:
Chat & Nibble, 932 Asbury Ave, Abury Park NJ, (732) 775-5100
America's Cup, 633 Cookman Ave, Asbury Park NJ, (732) 988-2000
Bilow Wines & Liquors, 310 Sylvania Ave, Neptune NJ, (732) 776-7466
Berkeley Carteret, 1401 Ocean Ave, Asbury NJ