Atlantic City

Many times, I visit the locations I do because of a travel industry conference or event happening there.  In the case of Atlantic City, it was never on my radar before I signed up to attend a trade show there in October 2010.  I knew Atlantic City had a long past going back to the 1800′s, and I knew the board game Monopoly was based on the streets of the city, but that was about it.  After this visit, it’s still not on my radar to recommend to people who are in Missouri – Las Vegas is closer, has better amenities, and is a much better value for the money.

THE FLIGHT

I flew AirTran from St. Louis, Missouri to Atlanta, Georgia, where I caught a connecting flight into Atlantic City.  No problems with the flights; I managed to avoid tornadic storms the whole way but others were not quite so lucky.  A colleague of mine who lives in Ohio was supposed to arrive in Atlantic City around 11 PM that night, but her flight did not arrive until 1 or 2 AM because of the storms we had that day.  According to the weather forecasts the previous day, there was supposed to be some patches of bad weather, but it turned out to be more severe than forecast.  An important reminder to be flexible during travel days, and do everything you can to plan for different scenarios!

This was my first flight experience with AirTran, and I enjoyed it. The staff I encountered were friendly, which was uncommon for me. The ticket agents, gate agents, and flight attendants were all in good moods and passed it along. On most airlines I’m used to at least one person in the chain being surly or rude or SOMETHING, so this was enjoyable for me. The planes were clean and comfortable, and I would have no issues flying them again.  I met up with my travel companions in Atlanta, and we continued on to Atlantic City the rest of the way.  At the airport, we shared a taxi ($27 one way between the airport and Atlantic City hotels) and repeated that on the return. A shuttle service was also available at $13 per person one way, which would have been a better value had I not been part of a group.

THE CITY

Plainly put, Atlantic City has seen much better days. Mere steps away from the glamour and glitz of the casino resorts are boarded up buildings, live nude peep shows, and numerous cash for gold outlets. The Boardwalk itself is nice, but chock full of tacky souvenir shops, massage parlors (no, I didn’t check and see if they were massage parlors or “MASSAGE” parlors * wink wink *). The city appears dirty, depressed, and something to be endured on the way to the casino resort area. The casinos themselves are numerous, and many feature big name entertainers in one or two night appearances. Travel time between the airport and the casino “strip” was roughly 20 minutes each way, mostly expressway routes, so it was not a bad ride.

THE HOTEL

I stayed at the Trump Taj Mahal Resort & Casino, located right on the Boardwalk at Virginia Ave. This hotel, as expected, was a testament to Donald Trump’s ego and desire for things to be “the best” and yet falling far short of “the best” in so many ways. The lobby décor was full of marble, dark wood, sparkling chandeliers, and gold-framed mirrors. (They did have nice fresh flowers, replaced daily. That helped offset the kitschy glamour.) The hotel was built in 1990, and included one tower (the Taj Tower). The newer tower (Chairman’s Tower) was erected in 2006, and the difference between the two is markedly obvious. The Taj Tower does not seem like it has been updated since the 90’s, with rooms with dull pink doors, beige linen and dated décor in the rooms, and hallway wallpaper that is reminiscent of that in the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining.” The Chairman’s Tower, in comparison, is designed and decorated using contemporary design features, such as a focus wall painted a different color than the others in the room. The colors are warmer, more pleasing, and they’re NOT beige (unless you count the marble in the bathroom). Also different: the bathrooms in the Chairman’s Tower are more separated.  They featured a double sink area with plenty of counter space and a glass-enclosed shower room, with the toilet itself in a separate room within the bathroom.  The Taj Tower bathrooms had a vanity area, but the toilet was in the same room as the shower, and the shower was more traditional in design. It is well worth the extra cost to stay in a Chairman’s Tower room if possible, but if one isn’t too picky about accommodations the Taj Tower is suitable.

The hotel has a variety of eateries, most with monosyllabic lowercase names like “burger”, “plate”, and “candy.” Finer dining is available at Il Durino (Italian) and The Rim Noodle Bar. There’s also a Hard Rock Café on site, and I saw signs for a buffet of some kind but never saw where it actually was. A nightclub (Ego) was open evenings, and featured scantily clad dancing girls (some who looked rather bored – such a turn off!) and overlooked the table games area of the casino. The casino itself was large, with separate rooms for poker and baccarat. (Fun fact: the poker room at the Taj is the second largest in Atlantic City behind the Borgata Casino, and was featured in the movie “Rounders”.) It wasn’t as crowded as I expected it to be, as it was laid out decently to allow for good traffic flow. I attempted to use a complimentary casino card with $50.00 slot credit available, but the credit mysteriously disappeared when I attempted to use it. Hmmm, sneaky!

One aspect of the Taj I enjoyed was the fact it was right on the Boardwalk. In fact, the Boardwalk entrance is directly opposite the entrance to Steel Pier, one of Atlantic City’s famous amusement park style piers. Steel Pier was closed for the winter, but it looked like it would be a lot of fun, although it seemed to be crammed full of rides and such and gave me the impression it would also be unpleasantly crowded.

Would I send someone to the Trump Taj Mahal? Only if they were the sort that liked extravagance and glitz, or Donald Trump’s hair. I feel there are better quality hotels on the Boardwalk (Caesar’s Palace and Bally’s, for starters), and if being on the Boardwalk was not a requirement, the Borgata is one of the better resorts in the area. While I felt the staff was pleasant, and did their best to maintain the property well, the theme of the hotel was awkward and dated.

THE FOOD

While in Atlantic City, I took many meals either at the hotel restaurants or at the convention site. At the hotel, I had dinner at “plate”, which was their ‘basic’ dinner restaurant with a varied menu.  I had a cheeseburger with french fries (original, I know) and drank a diet soda.  It was a good burger, but I felt it was overpriced.  The decor in the restaurant was contemporary and edgy, and I liked dining there.  I never went back, mostly because of the price.

I also ate at the Hard Rock Cafe onsite.  I’ve been to several Hard Rock Cafe’s, and have always enjoyed my time.  However, the one in Atlantic City was smaller than I expected, and the noise level from the music and other tables was unpleasantly loud.  I had a difficult time hearing my tablemates (we had a round table for six).  Yet, the food was good, and again, overpriced, and the decor was the expected memorabilia which was fun to look at and be a little awed by.

In Atlantic City itself, I dined at The Irish Pub, a restaurant & inn just off the Boardwalk at St. James’ Place, and one that is easy to miss.  I had first learned about it when doing pre-trip research, and their website had their full menu with prices on it, and my mouth watered at the descriptions.   I was thrilled with the place – it was just what I expected from an Irish pub: low ceiling lending itself to a cozy atmosphere, wood paneled everything from wainscotting to the heavy wooden tables, and the very nice wooden bar.  The lighting wasn’t too bright, and the walls featured photos and memorabilia of famous Irishmen and women as well as the country itself.  The fare was typical pub fare, and I had another cheeseburger washed down with a nice pint of Guinness.  It was a very pleasing meal.

Last, but not least, I dined at the Atlantic City Bar & Grill, recommended to me by a bellhop at the Taj Mahal.   My group and I were looking for something simple, and affordable, and within walking distance of the hotel.  This was a typical bar with a side room that had a few tables, and while the place looked decent I didn’t expect the food to be good.  It was delicious in that comfort food way, and it did not hurt the pocketbook either.

I was glad to have had the chance to visit Atlantic City, and while I had some good experiences, I admit I am in no hurry to return.

THE PHOTOS