Girls' Day Out

One of my favorite activities is lunch out with friends. Occasionally, we head to a local casino near the Philly airport. They have a neat bar/restaurant with a wall of windows overlooking the horse racing track and the Delaware River. We play the slots for a while and have lunch with a great view. We don't do professional sports events, and we consider it costs about the same as a sports event--it's entertainment. The parking is free and the cost of food is more reasonable than in a sports stadium. 

Occasionally, we win and a friend had a big win on the last visit which was fun for everyone. I think I'm ahead as long as I play the slots on the casino's nickel. We get Total Rewards player's cards and build comps which are valid in other casinos around the U.S. We played for several hours and talked about the kids, grandchildren, or whatever. Longtime friends can find a lot to talk about.

Last fall, we were gambling at the slots when the earthquake hit the east coast. It was a puzzling event to experience in a huge building. I could feel the floor vibrating under my feet and there was a lot of noise not exclusively coming from the casino. Everyone knew something unusual was happening but I don't know if anyone ran for the exit. Later we heard that it was an earthquake which didn't disturb us much at the time because this region isn't known for earthquakes. It was interesting that we were in a casino when such an event occurred; unfortunately, it didn't shake loose any slots. Maybe we were just lucky the building didn't fall on us. 

Gambling is just another social event we can enjoy as a group. I enjoy gambling and I try to experience the casinos around the world whenever I happen to see one. I've gambled in Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, Cripple Creek, Colorado, Delaware, Pennsylvania, islands in the Caribbean, cruise ships, and the casino in Monte Carlo. It has changed a lot since James Bond's days. I haven't seen the casinos in Macau but I could put that on my bucket list. Anything in the Far East sounds so exotic. It loses a lot when there isn't a group to giggle and cheer when someone hits a bonus round on a penny slot machine. It is an occasion to get together and enjoy socializing.  As I looked around the casino and the buffet on one trip, it was obviously a group experience for other ladies too. For those of us who don't play cards, Bunco, bridge, golf, or tennis, a casino is a good alternative to shopping trips or lectures. We like museums, but casinos are more fun.

August in Atlantic City

We day trippers in my region find this month to be a great time to drive east to the coast and Atlantic City is the closest shore point but not as the crow flies. Southern New Jersey is expressway-challenged in the east to west directions so we Pennsylvania natives cross the nearest bridge over the Delaware River and head south-east on the Atlantic City Expressway. When traffic is good, which isn't guaranteed in the summer, it takes about an hour to drive to the coast.

 

Atlantic City offers beautiful, wide, well-tended beaches and is one of the few free beaches in New Jersey (Some charge for beach tags). The Atlantic Ocean has beautiful surf and nice crashing waves at times, for anyone addicted to the sounds of the shore. We like to look at beaches but find the boardwalk and the mall to be fun also. Atlantic City is very crowded during the summer with tourists on the boardwalk, in the casinos, on the beach and in the mall.

 

The three floor mall that stretches far into the ocean on a pier located across the boardwalk from Caesar's Hotel/Casino contains some unique shops(LeSportsac) and restaurants(Phillips Seafood). Along one side of the mall are floor to ceiling windows to overlook the ocean and the boardwalk. 







Visitors can have a sanitized beach experience in air conditioned, bug-free comfort by sitting in the Adirondack chairs and sinking their bare feet into the sand. Restaurants are located behind this area so diners can enjoy their lunch and the ocean at the same time.

 

Entertainment is as close as the end of this mall/pier with an outside deck to view the ocean and the rows of casinos. Also at the end of the pier is an indoor dancing fountain show stretching three floors up, complete with colored lights and lively music for about seven minutes beginning every hour. Restaurants also line the boardwalk and our favorite is Pickles, open only in the summer. They serve bowls of assorted pickles for appetizers, and ten-inch tall slices of cakes for dessert. Who cares about the main course!

 

The casinos are a big draw for tourists, and a small part of the Atlantic City experience for us. We like to spend a half hour to an hour on a few of our favorite slots. There are so many different casinos and interesting sights, it is just part of the variety of the day. The music from the beach bars drifts up to the boardwalk and the long walk up and down the boardwalk is a never ending parade of people just walking and enjoying the weather. That is about all of the activity we can pack into a day but not the end of the many activities available with beaches and communities stretching north and south. It is never boring at the Jersey Shore.