To spot the Metropolitan Hotel, just look for a large, weathered white building with peeling stucco, an old metal marquee boldly spelling out “Metropolitan Hotel,” and a wide, rectangular entrance right in front of you on Asbury Avenue.
Now, imagine it’s the roaring 1920s along the Jersey Shore, jazz music floating through the air, flappers laughing, and the Metropolitan Hotel’s grand Spanish Revival facade practically sparkling in the sunlight. Back in the day, this 180-room beauty was the talk of the town-guests swept up its two-story porticos, past those elegant Doric columns, and onto enclosed porches that promised cool seaside breezes. But as decades rolled on and the city’s fortunes shifted, so did the Metropolitan’s luck. By 1989, its doors slammed shut, the once-proud balustrades sagged, and restoration became only a dream. Funny enough, the owners in ’87 made a cool 2.25 million selling this gem, but two years later, bankruptcy knocked at the door! Investors came and went, plans changed, but, alas, the city had other ideas. Finally, in 2008, the wrecking ball arrived, and the Metropolitan faded into memory. Still, you can almost feel the hotel’s old heartbeat in the ground beneath your feet-just don’t check in, or you might end up paying by the ghost!
