On a recent Saturday night at the bar Paradise in Asbury Park, the bass thump, thump, thumped, as the latest dance single by Ariana Grande emanated from the sound system. The dance floor was packed — it usually is — with men and women, ranging in age from early 20s to late 50s, sporting jeans and T’s and muscle-baring tanks.
The scene was full of bright lights and vivid colors; disco balls bounced prisms across the dance floor. By 11 p.m., the party felt like it was only just getting started.
“I met my wife here 13 years ago. We met here right here in this club,” said Betty Moore, one of the bar’s patrons, as she surveyed the festive scene. All these years later, Moore still loves to soak up the atmosphere and kick back at Paradise — all the more so during Pride Month.