Weekend wishes & Atlantic City dreams
Dear readers,
TGIF! I apologize for the lack of posting this week. For some reason, 4-day work weeks always seem to progress at the speed of molasses, despite how many tasks you may have on your plate. These first few days of September have already proven to me that Fall is, in fact, here. From the subtle chill in the air to the fact that every bike is now occupied at my 6am spinning class, I'm slowly being forced to come to terms with the end of this three-month-long 'easy breezy paralysis.' And, clearly, everyone else is, too.
But before I kick Fall in to high gear, I wanted to send you all off with a wrap-up of my Labor Day weekend adventure in Atlantic City, NJ. That, plus a couple of my personal tips, should you find yourself out there any time in the future.
Best wishes for a lovely weekend! *And don't forget that Sunday marks the ten-year anniversary of September 11th.*
Atlantic City, NJ
Transportation
We chose to take an Academy bus from Port Authority, which dropped us at the first stop: the Trump Plaza (resort). Door to door, the trip time was approximately 2-hours and 15-minutes.
A roundtrip ticket will run you $36, plus you receive a $25 casino voucher! Talk about a deal!
Make sure to arrive one-hour before your bus' departure time, so that you can purchase a ticket and be guaranteed a seat. Tickets can also be purchased online.
Bring hand sanitizer: there is not a sink/soap in the bus' restroom and, more often than not, there is no hand sanitizer, either. Ew!
Getting around "town": cabs are readily available, but make sure to have cash on-hand.
Hotel
We stayed at The Water Club at Borgata. Shut up. The rates here are pricey but, luckily, we were able to cram four girls in to one room.
The only reason that I would stay here again, aside from the fact that our room was gorgeous and very well thought/laid-out: this "portion" of the hotel has an outdoor pool; the Borgata does NOT.
Bottom line: stay at The Water Club in the summer - stay at the Borgata in the colder months, as they have an indoor pool complex.
Speaking of the outdoor pool at The Water Club: the policies and layout are simply RIDICULOUS. Are you ready for this? 1) On the day that you check-in to the hotel, you are not allowed access to the pool until 3pm on weekdays/4pm on weekends. 2) There is only one entrance to the pool. 3) The actual "pools" are relatively tiny, especially for the size of the hotel. This includes the amount of surface area surrounding the pool and the number of chaise lounges. 4) If you want to score a chaise lounge, wake up at 6:30/7am and head to the pool to mark your territory. Drape a towel over your desired chair + leave another piece of collateral (magazine, water bottle), and then return to bed until you're ready for sun exposure. 5) Make sure to choose a chaise lounge by the pool CLOSEST TO THE BAR - NOT the pool closest to the entrance. This area clouds over at 3pm, sharp. Trust me.
Room-service menu highlights: cheeseburger + fries
Pool menu highlights: scrambled-egg breakfast sandwich + rosemary potatoes
Old Homestead Steakhouse: they make a mean steak + tasty bread basket. The side dishes were atrocious, as were the desserts. Stick with the beef.
DO NOT waste your time eating at the Sunroom. The service sucked to the point that it overshadowed the 'mediocre at best' food.
Tips
Come to Atlantic City with cash (try to avoid using the ATM machines in the casinos, which charge incredibly inflated fees) - not enough to where you feel uncomfortable, but at least $100.
Bring non-perishable snacks from home so that you don't have to purchase them at the hotel (granola bars, nut mixes, etc.). Great for when you get poolside munchies!
If an event sounds like it's too good to be true, it probably is (*cough, cough* DJ Pauly D). My friends and I bought tickets to see DJ Pauly D perform at The Pool After Dark, only to be extremely disappointed when his diva ass didn't show up until 5-hours after he was slated to arrive. Fail!
Stay away from guys who get their eyebrows waxed and wear more hair gel than, well, DJ Pauly D.
…
Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle