Atlantic City: "My city of ruins"

Many moons ago, this Jersey Shore gambling destination was "the place" to vacation on the beach or just enjoy a fun getaway evening.

The beaches and boardwalk catered to families of all types. And with no competition (within 1,000 miles), the casinos made a killing year-round on seniors, serious gamblers and everyone in between.

Today, Atlantic City is a decrepit dump. Sadly, it's been this way for the better part of two decades, and it just continues to sink further into an abyss with little hope of being saved.

Last night, I made my annual pilgrimage there. As we made our way to the Borgata (the only glamorous, modern casino left), an unfortunate wrong turn reintroduced us to the 95 percent of Atlantic City that lives in complete poverty and crime. That was an eye opener.

Instead of being regentrified to leverage valuable land, these slums have now taken over the narrow strip of casinos that used to stand out so prominently. Now most of these casinos have become outdated and simply fail to offer an appealing ambiance.

Even worse, Atlantic City faces competition from almost every direction. Countless Indian tribes have become smart businessmen, opening up the hottest gambling attractions from Connecticut to upstate New York and Delaware. Places like Mohegan Sun understand how to build mega complexes offering premium services in a safe environment. They are stealing significant market share every year from Atlantic City.

Frankly, Atlantic City's downfall makes little sense.  No other East Coast destination has such a perfect formula for success -- beautiful beaches, great golf courses, famous casinos and some of the most talented promoters in the world (such as The Donald).

So, what happened? My guess is that corruption (on so many levels) is the main culprit. It's been a constant plague on this city by the sea.  In the next 20 years, this evil will make AC irrelevant to most consumers.

I've heard that some of the casinos are gearing up for a major marketing push to entice a higher-caliber consumer to vacation in Atlantic City. Good luck. No Donald Trump billboards, dancing girls ad campaign or star-studded shows can stop its downfall now.

Comments

[RepMan]

You forgot to mention what made Atlantic City great- the world famous Steel Pier, salt water taffy, the diving bell and diving horse- not to mention the Miss America pageant. Maybe AC needs to forget casinos and go back to the future with a revival of what made it great in the past?

[bomberpete]

Ed,

I agree that for most A.C. visitors, going to anything but the Borgata and some spots on the Boardwalk is a really depressing experience. The decay on Pacific Avenue reminds me of what several now-gentrified NYC neighborhoods were like in the late-1980s.

But there are some promising things happening there too. The Convention Center has seriously upgraded its facilities in the past few years and is getting an NJ Transit NYC train connection next year. The surrounding hotels/restaurants/shopping is emerging as a decent in-between option to the expensive Borgata and skeevy, falling-down Boardwalk hotels. It's long overdue, but the Steel Pier is getting some serious rebuilding. And finally, the Northeast section is getting an infusion of capital for mixed-use development that attract the kind of frequent-visitors that led to the Vegas-style condo boom (albeit on a much-smaller scale).

A.C. really squandered the last 30 years on upgrading its housing and infrastructure, hindered by corruption, short-term greed, lack of a cohesive public/private initiative and by ignoring the emerging competition (now including Philadelphia). It really should be world-class and it isn't. But it's also not entirely fair to portray A.C. as all gloom & doom.

[Chris]

You clearly are not tuned in to what is really going on in AC. Although there are still some less than desirable sections as you discovered from your wrong turn, there are now multimillion homes in areas that just a few years ago were the city's worst slums. Savvy investors are coming in droves and buying up every inch.

There is a fundamental change occuring and it is happening rapidly. The success of the Borgata demonstrated that there is pent-up demand at the luxury end of the market. AC is a town in transition and within a few years it will indeed once again become a fashionable destination with several new casinos, boutique hotels and a renewed energy more like Vegas or South Beach.

Consider this, AC already attracts the same number of visitors as Las Vegas! AC realizes that is can no longer survive on the elderly day tripper market. The focus is 100% aimed at a younger, hipper, wealthier crowd.

Right now there is at least $10 billion of new investment currently going into AC. Within three years, AC will be the "hot" spot on the East Coast. In spite of some growing pains and a lack of political leadership, the future of Atlantic City is bright; very bright!

[med supply guy]

ed- i normally agree with and like your posts but you are a bit off on this one. read the news about all the money being poured into remaking the casinos and take a look at the new stores/shopping centers opening there. AC will be back and better than ever in the next 5 years...

[Steve Zweig]

I'll admit in advance that I haven't been to AC for nearly a year now, so if my experience has been superseded, well good! I'd love for AC to be on the upswing, since it's good for the whole state.

That said, my last trip there was very depressing. I went to the convention center for an industry trade show. While there were some new stores *right* around the center, once you went more than 2 or so blocks away, the city went downhill very fast. It quickly became run down and seedy, overrun by liquor stores, pawnshops, and various porn venues (adult videos, exotic dancing, etc.) and, quite honestly, didn't feel particularly safe, even during daylight, and even for 6' guy in good shape.

I had to park around 8 - 10 blocks from the convention center, and even that close was not someplace I'm in a hurry to get back to.

So reading the other comments, I hope that things are on an upswing; I'll say, though, they've got to swing up pretty far, given how low they were starting from.

Steve Zweig

[ed]

Guys,

I've heard that AC was going to be "transormed" a number of times and it's still a dump. I'm from the show me state (uh, that's New Jersey) and will believe it when I see it.

The same promises were made about cities like Bridgeport, Waterbury, Newark, Camden, etc.

I went to the AC Convention Center (just like Steve did) 3 months ago for a boxing fight. It was the most run down, depressing arena in the country.

I think there's just too much crime (lot's of murder), political corrumption and the competition is coming on way too fast...for AC to ever make a real come back.

So, I'm not a believer. But, if in the end I'm wrong, I'll admit it.