Outside Bally's Wild West with Caesars towering up behind.

9/1/05 - When people think of Atlantic City, there are several things that come to mind - gambling, the beach and monopoly. However, Atlantic City - commonly called AC by New Jerseyans, is so much more. I have to be honest, AC isn't one of the places that I have explored much lately. I was there quite a few times in 1999 and 2000, but lately I've only gone there for meetings, and then headed home. I decided it was time to do a write-up on Atlantic City, because so many people, including Jean from Absecon Lighthouse, were telling me how much AC has changed and improved. I must say when I was there in the spring, the place was loaded with cranes, building and making improvements all over the city.

Well today I had a meeting with the Atlantic City Tourism Council and I decided to take this opportunity to check out some key tourist venues, other than the casinos, and do a bit of walking and explore a bit. My time was limited though so I had to make the most of it since it was just one day and on top of that I had a meeting at 5:30pm. As it was I only got to explore the northern part of the island (yes, Atlantic City is located on an island, Absecon Island to be exact). So again, my friend Laura joined me and we headed down south.

Arriving in Atlantic City

Atlantic City is where Monopoly was born and you can see Monopoly icons all over the city.

If this is your first time to AC, then I would highly recommend, getting off at the Visitors Center on the Atlantic City Expressway. Make sure you are in the left hand lane, since it's built between the east and west bound lanes. This is a modern structure and here you can find various brochures, get an idea of what is going on during the week and talk to knowledgeable employees who will help make your stay more enjoyable.

The view of the city is quite beautiful as you cross over the bridge, with Borgata and the Atlantic City Sheraton and Convention Center to the left and then the newly remodeled Tropicana in the distance to the south. The majority of casinos are along the boardwalk straight ahead, but now many have taken up residence in the Marina district, the newest being The Borgata. With the opening of the Borgata, it has truly forced the other casinos out of their malaise and into a building boom.

Usually when I go into AC, I park at Bally's, but this time, since we were going to have the AC meeting at Trump Plaza's Beach Bar, we decided to park at Ceasars, which is just straight ahead from the Expressway and between Trump Plaza and Bally's. This area is really convient for parking, because it puts you pretty much in the center of the Boardwalk.

Hard Rock Cafe

Inside the Atlantic City Hard Rock Cafe

Our first stop was to meet up with Linda and have lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. Also meeting with us was Sharon with the Steel Pier. I met Linda at the 2005 Governors Conference on Tourism, but at that time she worked for Passport: Voyages of Discovery and has just recently moved over to Hard Rock Cafe. Wherever I go, I go to the Hard Rock Cafe, not necessarily for the food, but more for the atmosphere. Hard Rock Cafe is a themed restaurant, although it did not start out that way, but as an American restaurant in London (sorry, you'll have to go to a Hard Rock Cafe and read the menu to get the full and interesting history of the restaurant). The Hard Rock Cafe is basically a Rock and Roll museum and should not be missed by any music lover. The walls are covered with signed guitars, signed gold and platinum records, outfits of musicians, and so much more. Each Hard Rock has their own displays, but they do move around every 5 years. One of the unique things in the AC Hard Rock is the NJ section, which includes displays honoring Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and many other famous New Jerseyans.

Passport: Voyages of Discovery and Outlet District

Outside Passport: Voyages of Discovery, surrounded by outside dining in the plaza.

After lunch, Laura and I headed over to Passport: Voyages of Discovery which is on Michigan Ave, just a block east of the Atlantic City Sheraton and Convention Center. We walked back toward Caesars and headed into the new outlet district. This is a beautifully rebuilt area of the city with fountains, flowers and overall great landscaping. Oh yeah and a lot of outlet stores where you can shop. Tucked in the back on the plaza, away from the street, is Voyages of Discovery. Here you can enjoy a virtual reality movie, with numerous special affects to make it all come alive. The movies are shown on a wrap around large screen and the audience members sit in flight simulator cars, which hold about ten to fourteen people. The movie we chose to see was Time Elevator, which is about 30 - 45 minutes long. At first you sit in a waiting area where they do a short introduction and then are escorted into the real adventure. Once the movie starts the fun begins, with the cars moving with the action of the movie. If you suffer from motion sickness or are pregnant, they have stationary seats at the bottom. As the movie goes on, the audience is sprayed with mist, experience puffs of air and more, all to give more life to the action. I highly recommend this, but sadly, because of it's location, I think people don't know about it; there were only two other people in there with us.

To Walk or Take a Jitney

The blue Jitneys run throughout Atlantic City and are an easy and fun way to get around.

After enjoying Voyages of Discovery (we had debated in taking in the other movie, but had to head out to our next destination), we started our walk to Absecon Lighthouse which is between Rhode Island Ave and Vermont Ave, just a few blocks from the Boardwalk. It was about a 15 block walk along Atlantic Ave, which isn't bad, because the blocks are not that long. If you don't want to walk, make sure you take the Jitny, one of the small blue buses. they run all over the city and are very convenient, not to mention that the drivers are very friendly and knowledgeable about Atlantic City.

Going on our walk, we could see that much still needs to be done to improve certain areas of the city, however we could definitely see the work being done. In time the city will be fully recovered and be a vacationers paradise. While walking we saw trees being planted all over the city along the sidewalks and many small improvements, such as gardens and park benches for sitting. One key aspect of any city is to make it enjoyable to walk and AC is definitely working toward that goal and much more.

Absecon Lighthouse

Absecon Lighthouse, the largest lighthouse in NJ and the third in the US with 228 steps to the top.

Upon getting to the Absecon Lighthouse, I talked to Jean, another member of the AC Tourism Council. The lighthouse has been fully restored, with a very nice museum located in the rebuilt lighthouse keepers house. For those wishing to drive, there is also a parking lot in the rear off of Vermont Ave. The grounds are great and make for a great picnic location out there under the lighthouse. I have to say, there is a huge difference in this area, from the time I was there in 2000. There are new apartments and condos, so many improvements and it's only just begun. If you haven't been to AC in a while, then you really haven't been there. I was greatly impressed by the work being done.

After exploring a bit of the museum, we headed up to the top of the lighthouse. Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest in NJ and the third tallest in the US. Up at the top, we met George who was extremely friendly. We talked to him for quite a long time, while he gave us the history of the area. He grew up in this neighborhood and told all about the changes happening. The views from the top are spectacular with Brigantine to the north, the ocean to the east, with the casinos south along the Boardwalk and the marina district and bay to the west. The Lighthouse is definitely another must see.




Steel Pier and Garden Pier

Statue of Washington Crossing the Delaware, with the Steel Pier in the background.

Well it was getting late and Laura and I had to head off to my meeting. Sadly we didn't get to visit the Steel Pier or the Atlantic City Arts Center. The Steel Pier is a huge amusement pier, with roller coasters, flume ride and many other amusement parks rides for kids of all ages, not to mention classic boardwalk games. This is the historic pier where in the early 1900's they had the diving horse. So much of Atlantic City's history took place on the Steel Pier and is definitely not something to be missed.

If you are interested in the the history of Atlantic City, from the diving horse and the Steel Pier, to Miss America and Mr Peanut, then make sure you check out the Atlantic City Historical Museum and Cultural Center, which is built on Garden Pier at New Jersey Ave & Boardwalk. Also on Garden Pier is the Atlantic City Arts Center, where they have ever changing art exhibits which showcase artwork associated with the Jersey Shore. The Garden Pier is aptly named, here is contained a plaza between the two attractions and a garden, where you can rest on one of the many benches or just look out at the ocean from the end of the pier. It's a great place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk.

The New Beach Bars and Growth of Atlantic City

Trump's Beach Bar, one of the many beach bars that have now popped up along th boardwalk.

The tourism council meeting was being held at Trump Plaza's Beach Bar, so now it was time to head back down toward Michigan Ave once again. This is one of the many new things that have opened up in Atlantic City in the last couple of years, and something that was long overdue - beach bars and outdoor nightclubs. Here they have bands play and bars, so you can enjoy the sun and surf while enjoying music and a drink. The majority of casinos now have these located on the beach. Come on - this is the ocean, not a desert like Las Vegas- take advantage of it. Here there is a lot more than just gambling. Here there is a lot more history, the beach and ocean, fishing, and in general so much to do to relax. One of the great things too - is that AC is truly a family destination, with the Steel Pier, the many Boardwalk pizzerias, cotton candy, the rolling chairs, the shops, baseball and hockey, not to mention the world class restaurants and the remodeled casinos.

Just like New Jersey, Atlantic City has something for everyone.


Robert Rosetta
President & Founder
AboutNewJersey.com