Atlantic City, New Jersey
I left for a dimsum brunch this morning at 9:30ish. After brunch, I got “kidnapped” (my brother says it’s not kidnapping if I agree to it, it’s a picnic with gambling) and spirited away to Atlantic City, New Jersey. At least they let me ride in the back seat, not the trunk.
Jersey Shore Jen writes about the effect of the current economy on the casinos and AC in general from time to time on her blog. Yeah, I read it, and I skim the news stories about it that come to my attention, but I guess it doesn’t really sink in. Actually visiting, though, is a different story. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve only been there before twice in my life, but both times were around this time of year, maybe 8 or 9 years ago. It was a far different AC then, from what I can recall. It hummed with life and smelled of money.
This time? The place is looking rough. On the way into the Showboat Atlantic City valet parking dropoff, there’s an 8″x14″ (give or take) piece of the acorn fanciness missing right at eye level, and one of the columns has been hit with something. The corner is all bashed in and it hasn’t been repaired. The construction stands silent (it’s Sunday, but from what I’ve read, the project is on hold anyway, I think). The Taj needs a new paint job and even the elephant is peeling on the south side, along with many spots on the building and the stairs further south of these photos. It goes beyond physical appearances, though. Most of the retail shops we saw were looking pretty desperate. At Resorts, we visited the Boardwalk Perks coffee shop, where the woman tried to explain to us that a cafe au lait was a “coffee with flavor”. We visited one of the shops afterward, and when we asked for the price on an item and then declined to purchase, the shopkeeper immediately started bargaining. We ended up purchasing it for almost 20% off. Back at the Showboat, there’s a jewelry store on the way out for valet pickup where “everything is 80% off”.
Even beyond the physical appearance and the signs of retail distress, though, there’s a depressing air about the place. The people working the casinos look how I feel – like they’re wondering what comes next, and when the other shoe will drop. I’m not the biggest fan of casinos in the world, but I do recognize that some people like ‘em, and that they’re an escape. None of them looked like much of an escape today.
