That’s a question asked about Red Bank in a provocative blog post by Colleen Curry, a lifelong borough resident and newly minted Villanova alum.
On her blog, Chef? Writer? Red Head, Curry — a former redbankgreen intern — challenges the endlessly recited mantra that Red Bank is a “hip” town, at least as it applies to her cohort.
She writes that except for the bar scene, there’s little evidence of twentysomethings participating in the cultural offerings around town.
Excerpt:
I am twenty-two. IÂ’m a recent college grad, I like bars, music, meeting interesting people, doing fun outdoorsy events, cheap or free activites, and hanging out with other 22-year-olds. I surf the web, Tweet about my days, and read blogs (oh, and write one). These things are in no way extraordinary.
And yet, I feel completely out of place in Red Bank. For years now, even, I have felt like I am on the edge of the Red Bank mileu. I keep reading and hearing that Red Bank is a hip downtown– with free concerts, creative people, cutting edge theater, big-name artists at local venues. But every time I’ve tried to check these things out, I’ve been a total outcast.
Curry writes that though she “loves” Red Bank for its downtown, riverfront and festivals, “right now, I want to get out, and it is for this reason alone: I feel like I am the only young person in a town of 12,000… Red Bank has stuff going on, but itÂ’s stalled. Complacent, stagnant.”
Curry tells us the piece “seems to have touched a nerve,” generating a lot more feedback than she’s expected — all of it via Twitter, naturally. One commenter, who describes herself as a 29-year-old who married into a Red Bank family, wrote that “every event I am invited to or attend is positively swarming with cableknit sweaters and Lilly Pulitzer dresses. Argh argh argh.”
“People my age or close to it have agreed with me, [retailer’s name deleted] yelled at me that red bank is not boring, some people blame me for not seeking out more people my age,” Curry tells redbankgreen via Facebook chat.
As for the paucity of early-20s in town, she says, “It’s strange. I know they exist because I see them at bars every single night, but I can’t figure out what everyone’s doing when they’re not there.”
Have at it, folks.
