The resurgence of Atlantic City
I didn’t decide, out of nowhere, to go to Atlantic City on a December weekend. My son Nick called and asked if I could ride with him to a friend’s bachelor party a few hours out of town. Before I heard about the site of the celebration, I said, “Sure.” I immaturely thought to myself, “What a wonderful parent I am. Spending bonding time in the car with my twenty four year old.” When he said that we would be driving to Atlantic City, I had that feeling that is hard to describe. All I could think about was the ocean, outlet stores, restaurants on the pier, poker, bike riding and a cigar. Yes, I did it all that. What a great parent I am!
During my first morning there I saw something truly amazing. Amidst the pathology, chaos and violence in the world, I saw an optimistic bright light nearby at about 8:15 a.m. It was not the neon glare from the casino marquis, or the potent zillion watt bulbs over the craps table or the brilliant morning sun reflecting off the ocean. The bright light was coming from piles of winter clothes on card tables near one of the street entrances to the boardwalk. The bright light came from generosity, compassion and caring. One of the organizers, a woman named Josie, said that their church (FreshStart. Church) had organized the activity to give impoverished and homeless people free winter clothes before the cold weather approached the city.
I don’t know why, but I felt that this gesture might be a positive sign and predictor of good things to come in Atlantic City. I talked to servers, local poker players, security guards and other workers about plans and projects in the city. More than one employee told me about the recent economic investments locally. Despite the negative information in the media for the past several months, many other workers expressed an unusual optimism about their financial destiny.
I contacted the mayor’s office and they sent me this statement from Mayor Guardian. “Over the past four years, we planted many seeds in Atlantic City that are starting to bear fruit today. Whether it was Stockton University or South Jersey Gas locating to Atlantic City, or the future of Hard Rock International taking root, we have much to look forward to. Convention business is up nearly 20 percent year over year. Revenues for the Atlantic City Convention Center continue to increase year- over-year. The sports market continues to be one of the shining market segments for Atlantic City as we have seen significant increases and sporting events, sports conventions and sports champion- ships. People come from all over the world to experience our fun casino gaming, our fine dining, and first-rate entertainment. Not to mention our world famous boardwalk and our beautiful free beaches. Once our entire boardwalk is connected next year, it which will allow for the South Inlet to be some of the most prized real estate locations on the East Coast. We have new housing being built and smaller entrepreneurial ventures being pursued all over the City. There is so much going in Atlantic City these days that I truly believe Atlantic City’s best days are still ahead.”
On Sunday, before we left I rented a bike and rode on the boardwalk in the rain. There were very few other people meandering on the boardwalk in the early morning so I felt alone. It was wonderful.
After my ride, just before checking out of the hotel, I recalled reading some information on the city’s website. “From Atlantic City’s humble beginnings as the summer home of the Lenni-Lenape Indians to the vision of creating a tourist attraction in 1854 by Dr. Jonathan Pitney, a local physician, Atlantic City boasts a rich and varied history.” I believe that Atlantic City will truly be a “Boardwalk Empire” again and much sooner than we think.