Memories of Last Year Come 'Flooding' Back

Last year I was in New York during Hurricane Irene. It was at the time hyped to be one of the biggest storms to hit NYC in decades. Luckily enough it didn't turn out as badly as was expected. I went out during the high tide to capture some of the storm surge along the banks of the Hudson River around SoHo. I was interviewed by a German and Canadian tv crew while I was out. While it could have been a terrible tradegy, the experience was actually quite fun and exciting for me.

Hope everyone in Sandy's way is staying safe especially those in Atlantic City. The photos of the Casino and Boardwalk zone streets completely covered in water are amazing.

Australian Abroad Day Trip - New Brunswick

Once again through Megabus I was able to get a $2.50 round trip bus ticket to New Brunswick in New Jersey. New Brunswick is the home of New Jersey's State University, Rutgers University. It is very much a college town with lots of Frat houses and school buildings. I walked over to see their football stadium, High Point Solutions Stadium, which was surprisingly open when I was there. The University was opened in 1776 and has many of its original buildings still standing. The weather was amazing while I was there and I would definitely recommend it as a day trip from NYC. 

Australian Abroad vs Food: New Brunswick

On my day trip to New Brunswick, New Jersey I went to two restaurants featured on Man Vs Food. The first was the RU Hungry grease truck. RU stands for Rutgers University. I ordered the Fat Darrell, which was created by a student at the university. It is fried chicken strips, fried mozzarella sticks, fries, lettuce and tomato with marinara sauce on a roll. It was insanely delicious and one of the best rolls I have ever eaten.

The second restaurant was Stuff Yer Face. This restaurant is where the famous chef Mario Batali got his start. In his honour I ordered the Batali Bolo which is Batali's son's favourite. It is essentially a lasagna in a Stromboli with ricotta and mozzarella cheese with tomato sauce. 

Boardwalk Empire. Atlantic City

We arrived into Atlantic City around 5pm on Sunday. What I noticed first was that there were many abandoned building lots so close to the shore. You would think that prime real estate would be sought after but it shows how the economic downturn has affected Atlantic City.

We stayed at the Marriot Courtyard Atlantic City which was one block from the boardwalk. The hotel is rated number 4 on Tripadvisor for Atlantic City. The rooms were spacious with modern ammenities. There are no supposedly ocean facing rooms as they all face perpendicular to the ocean. However from our room on the 16th floor we could easily see the beach as well as the rest of AC. The rooms have full cable, which was great for killing time before dinner. From the hotel you can easily walk to Resorts Casino and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino.

For dinner we ventured to Resorts Casino for their all you can eat crab and prawn buffet. For $30 it is great value and you certainly get your money's worth.

Then it was onto the casino floor where we preceded to lose money on roulette. The only plus is that drinks are comped while you are playing so we enjoyed a couple of Malibu Bay Breezes.

The following day we spent our time exploring the boardwalk and laying on the beach. There are lots of discount stores selling souvenirs as well as beach gear. All up it was a great weekend away and a wonderful short trip from New York.

It's a Jersey Thing: The Jersey Shore

Last Sunday we ventured down to Seaside Heights on the Jersey Shore. Seaside Heights is the popular summer vacation spot made even more famous by the MTV reality show Jersey Shore being filmed there. Below is the Shore Store where the cast work during filming as well as live in the house behind.

To get down to Seaside we took the train from Manhattan's Penn Station to Newark Penn Station and then took a New Jersey Transit bus to Tom's River. Once in Tom's River we caught a local taxi to the beach. All up it took around 3 hours in transit from start to finish and cost approximately $30.

For lunch we went to a Man Vs Food featured pizzeria on the boardwalk called Maruca's. The pizza was one of the most sweetest and amazing pizzas I have tried. They swirl the sauce on after the cheese to give it a unique flavour. And they certainly aren't small slices!

Afterwards we walked a long the boardwalk and looked at the rides and amuzements that line the area. We stopped in at a bar called Aztec's which was also featured on the Jersey Shore. Here we spent a few hours sitting in the sun and people watching. The highlight of the day was listening to the locals speak with their native New Juuerrseyy accents, which was hilarious as you had heard it on tv so many times but never in real life.

After Aztec's it was off to Atlantic City for some gambling and seafood buffet!

Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore

This weekend I will be heading down to Seaside Heights on the Jersey Shore followed by a night at Atlantic City. I'll travel down by bus as it is only 2 hours from Manhattan. Really looking forward to catching some sun, having a gamble at the Casinos and maybe even seeing some of the cast of the Jersey Shore in their natural habitat.

I have chosen to stay at the Marriott Courtyard Atlantic City. It was chosen because it was rated highly on Tripadvisor and is very close to the Boardwalk without all of the hassles of thousands of tourists at night.

Please click the link for more details on the Marriot Atlantic City Hotel.