
“Lightning In a Bottle”- A Love Letter to the original Asbury Lanes
*Featuring Book Signing and Print Sale by Mike McLaughlin
Currently on View until February 8th, 2026
“Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes” is more than a photobook — it is a testament to one of Asbury Park’s most iconic eras. For over a decade, photographer Mike McLaughlin served as the unofficial “keeper of the Asbury Lanes’ memories,” instinctively documenting the music, the misfits, the staff, the artists, and the rare magic that lived inside the Lanes’ walls. His camera became an extension of him, allowing him to preserve a community and a creative universe that no longer exists. Through more than 100,000 images captured over 11 years, McLaughlin offers a visual archive of a beloved cultural landmark — a collective fever dream shared by those who called the Lanes home.
Mike McLaughlin is a documentary and fine-art photographer whose immersive storytelling has shaped Asbury Park’s cultural memory for decades. His work spans music, documentary, portraiture, and night photography, with a focus on belonging, community, and lived experience. His long-term dedication to Asbury Lanes remains one of the most significant photographic archives of Asbury Park’s creative history.


