AL?? Where are you buddy??

[FlyinGN]

Have not seen ya post in a while. Hope all is well bud! Summers here!! YEAAAA

[AnthonyV]

I'm hoping that sad, unfortunate, and sudden news of the Captains Table demise hasn't done Al in....I know it really did put a lot of people here in a serious "funk."

I don't think Al will be gone for much longer...Things like this take time I'm sure. Hell, I nearly cried when I found out about the demolition of the Captains Table. Worse yet, I could hear the actual "execution" itself from a few blocks away! Then of course there was the downing of the Sands.

[MMM]

I was wondering what happened to Al too. Hope he's OK.

I don't think I would have want to heard/saw the Captain's Table coming down - that had to be tough, Anthony...

[FlyinGN]

wonder where the shark sign is??

[Al Alven]

I’m sorry, guys… I didn’t even notice this post until recently. It’s really nice and quite flattering to hear that you guys were concerned about me. I’ve received a number of e-mails asking if I was still alive recently.

As I mentioned in another post, a number of personal and professional obligations have essential kept me from posting much lately. I can’t tell you guys how much I miss the day-to-day enjoyment of discussing the Wildwoods with everyone. I have to admit, for me, it is equal parts fun (talking and reminiscing) and therapeutic (serving as an outlet for my frustration over what’s going on down there).

But, overall, it is the connection I have made with all of your guys, my fellow posters, that I am most thankful for. I probably took this board for granted for a while, but trust me, having been away for a while now, I can’t tell you how important it is to me and how much I miss it.

[Al Alven]

FlyinGN said:

wonder where the shark sign is??

A quick little story…<br>
Anthony mentioned the Captain’s Table earlier and, yes, the news of its impending demolition certainly did hit me hard. Most difficult was having to pass the bad news on to my brother, who, like Frank, has long had a very personal connection to this landmark.

Last Wednesday night, I got home from work at about 9:30, to find my brother sitting on my couch watching TV. He had this devious look on his face, and I knew he was up to no good. I asked him “What did you do, and will you be arrested for it?” He replied that he hadn’t done anything… yet.

He then revealed a detailed, intricate plot to drive down to the Crest after midnight, dismantle the Captain’s Table sign (shark and all), throw it in the back of his truck, and drive back up to Philly, where he would keep it in a public storage locker for the time being. He was only joking… I think. With him, you never know.

Anyway, I had to break the news to him that the ‘Table had already been demolished, and that he missed his chance. I can’t describe the sullen expression that immediately came over him. It was a sad moment. He then literally jumped up and said, “Let’s go. I need to pay my last respects.” I continued to figure that he was just joking, but we proceeded out to his car and, yep, staring at about 10 p.m., we drove to the Crest.

It was pretty surreal down there. I had never before wandered the deserted streets of the Wildwood past the midnight hour in late May. Ocean Ave., despite recent depletions via several motel demolitions, still looks beautiful at night with all of the neon.

We finally arrived at the former site of the Captain’s Table around 1 a.m. We stood there for a few minutes, just staring. A cop came by, just to ask us what the heck we were doing. I explained the situation as best I could, as my brother just kind of stood there, incredulous to the world, surveying the destruction. He held a little memorial service in his mind, he later told me.

On our way back up through the Crest, we passed the former site of the Satellite Motel on Atlantic Ave, and I just felt like crying. The reality of what is happening (and what has been happening) in the Wildwoods has long been evident, but the fact that the island is changing almost beyond recognition just seemed to hit me all at once at that moment.

I guess there’s no going back now. It’s sad, but the Wildwood we all know is disappearing. There’s no sense in trying to deny it. We just have to hold on to what’s left and hope (against rational thinking, perhaps), that the future holds some sort of renaissance for the true spirit of the island.

[FlyinGN]

Al.. I almost fel like not going back until all the :'(carnage is over.. Its THAT bad..

[Al Alven]

I know what you mean, Frank. I really do.

There are times, especially that moment when you hear that another longtime favorite is being slated for demolition, where you just get so emotional, you don’t know what to do.

Whatever happens, whatever the Wildwoods become, I will always do my best to continue calling the island my home away from home. Through better or worse, I guess.

One thing is for sure. I want to be front and center if/when this mass condo phase turns out to be a big flop. I want to be there in the offseason, when the bulldozers take down these bland, cookie-cutter zombie buildings en masse.

I want to be there for a “Doo Wop” renaissance, if there ever is one.

Everyone knows I’m an optimistic person by nature, sometimes, admittedly, to a fault. But, I’ll continue to keep hope alive for the preservation and restoration of the island’s character at some point.

Perhaps I’m just fooling myself, but, well, there just hasn’t been much positive news coming out of the Wildwoods lately, so this is the way I’m coping.

I don’t know what else to do.

[FlyinGN]

The feeling is sorta kinda like a very sick and dying loved one.. You want to remember them as they were.. not as they are.. and it pains so much to see them in such sad shape..

Thats how I feel..