Let me show you Atlantic City!

If you have not visited Atlantic City yet, make sure you read this article as it will guide you through the hottest spots in town. Atlantic City is a great getaway place that is not too far from NYC.

Next Stop Atlantic City
One of the best kept secrets of the North East lies only two hours and twenty minutes away from NYC. This getaway is called Atlantic City, a narrow, 48-block strip of land surrounded by water on three sides. The first of its dozen casinos opened in 1978, an official attempt to revitalize a crumbling city by the sea. For years it was suffering with many large city problems, especially poverty and crime. In an effort to invigorate the city in 1976, New Jersey voters agreed to approve casino gambling. Now, A.C. is drawing many N.Y.U. students.

“I went there for my 21st birthday in 2006 and noticed it had changed a lot. There were a lot more young people there, since poker had recently become a lot more popular among our generation. Still, if you leave the boardwalk, A.C can seem like a pretty seedy and dangerous place,” says Melissa Brody, NYU senior and a big fan of A.C. Brody, from Queens has been a regular visitor since she discovered the gambling haven in 2005.

According to the Atlantic City Tourism Bureau, the number of visitors over the years have stayed in the range of 34,000. However, the people it attracts has greatly shifted. Atlantic City is slowly transforming into a hotspot for young people, quite the change from the abundance of shady types and seniors who previously flooded the slot machines. The influx of younger gamblers has driven down the median age of Atlantic city, and driven up the arrivals of trendy new places.

“The difference of before and after is surreal. There are so many younger kids and students now.” says NYU junior Agustin Manalo, majoring in Urban Design and Architecture.

What To Do:

For a laid back night, there is The House of Blues, which has drawn performers such as Dolly Parton and Devo. Hipsters tend to stop at Liquid Bar at Trump Plaza for a glass of champagne before hitting up 40/40 Club, co-owned by Jay-Z. An upscale sports bar and lounge with four VIP rooms, cigar lounge and 30 Plasma Screens makes this the place to see and be seen.

Another must-see location is the Atlantic City Convention Center, which regularly hosts movie premiers, conventions and shows. Erected at a cost of $268 million, the building is the largest and most expensive public project in the city’s history. For more information on any A.C destinations, log on to www.clubzone.com, and click Atlantic City.

Getting There:

Greyhound and Academy Bus Lines provide scheduled services from the Port Authority terminal at 41st street and 8th Avenue. Round-trip tickets start from $30. For more information, call (800)231-2222 .
If you’re driving, the major interstate highway connects the Garden State Parkway South to Exit 38 to the Atlantic City Expressway. There are also air services from Newark to Atlantic City

Where To Stay:

In an attempt to regain its glory behind the shadow of Vegas, the Borgata Hotel Casino opened on the boardwalk in 2003. With more than 2,000 rooms and a total cost of $1 billion, the Borgata brought Vegas style luxury to the East coast. The arrival of the Quarter at Tropicana in 2004 brought a new selection of restaurants, clubs, and shops, along with the big spenders to enjoy it.

For more affordable options, there is the Super 8 Motel, conveniently located ½ block from the boardwalk, and costs $49 a night. The Howard Johnson Hotel, only steps away from the Boardwalk and next to the Hilton Casino, offers a range of prices depending on the season. Throughout most of the year, prices range between $55-$69 a night, but in the summer, prices skyrocket to triple that amount.


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