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!

Check out my new Downtown NYC Mix 3!

A random selection of tracks for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think!
http://www.mixcloud.com/AustralianAbroad/downtown-nyc-mix-3/

The Lobster Joint

While out in Brooklyn I went to visit the Lobster Joint at 1073 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint. During happy hour they have $1 oysters, $4 oyster shooters and $4 beers. I ordered half a dozen oysters, an oyster shooter and a pint of Lobster ale. I also ordered the wonderful lobster claw bloody mary. The cocktail was not on special, but at $9 it is still great value. As you can see from the pictures the claw is huge and the drink also comes with a slice of pickle. The Lobster Joint is a must visit if you're in the area.

Just Blaze at Warm Up at PS1

Today I am off to Long Island City in Queens to the Warm Up event at PS1. PS1 is an old school converted by MoMA into a contemporary art museum. During Summer they hold events out in the outdoor area. Today's DJs include:
Just Blaze
Nick Catchdubs
Danny Brown
The Stallions (Lovefingers & Lee Douglas)
BAIO

Also on today is the free Blues BBQ event at Hudson River Park. There will be live Blues music and a variety of BBQ foods for sale.

Should be a wonderful Saturday.

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. 

McCarren Park Pool

As part of my summer adventures I travelled to Greenpoint, Brooklyn to visit the newly renovated McCarren Park public pool. The pool is larger than normal olympic swimming pools at over 50metres long. It can hold a total of 5000 people at a time. There was luckily no line up when I arrived on Tuesday afternoon around 1pm. You must bring a lock which I wasn't aware of so I needed to go to a local deli to pick one up. All of your posessions must be put into a locker including your shirt as only your towel, sunglasses and sunscreen are allowed on the pool deck. Around the pool is concrete, which can be uncomfotable to lay on but I was able to snare one of the limited deck chairs. The pool is extremely clean and at a great temperature. I will most certainly be back next week.

Review of Gansevoort Park Avenue

I stayed at the Gramercy Park Avenue for two nights last weekend. We stayed in a superior king room. The room has a large bedroom with flat screen tv and wonderful mini bar. The bathroom features a oversized bath and wash basin. One of the highlights is the rooftop pool. It is great to relax by and have some cocktails and snacks. My tip is to arrive early so you can get a spot on the 29th St side so you have the sun on you for the longest time.

The Summer of George Begins

Given I have had two winters in a row with the North American Winter of 2011/2012 followed by the Australian Winter of 2012, I have decided to make an effort over the next two weeks to enjoy the rest of the US Summer as much as possible. The summer's unofficial end is Labor Day on Monday the 3rd of September.

Today begins the summer activities with a visit to the Gansevoort Park Avenue Rooftop Pool. We are staying here for two nights and will take advantage of their pool today and tomorrow.

Other summer activities include trips to Jersey Shore (Seaside Heights), Atlantic City, Montauk, Rockaway Beach, Fire Island- Kismet beach, Jones Beach, the pool at McCarren Park, the pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the pool at King and Grove Brooklyn and the pool at SoHo house.

Hopefully I will have a lovely tan by the end of the two weeks.

Australian Abroad

I can already tell easyJet will not be good for my Parisian bank account!

Bringing my Style A-Game to Paris.

Last year when I visited Paris for 5 days I really tried to style it up to follow in the Parisian's footsteps. The city and its people have such great style. Below is a pic from my last trip there.

GQ has shot some street style pics from Paris recently. The wonderful images can be found here. Maybe over the next year I might get photographed!

Learning French in Paris

I really hope I dont forget how to speak English while I am learning to speak French in Paris. Like that time I forgot how to drive after taking that home wine making course....

My Tripadvisor Review Has Been Published: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60827-d103900-r131322615-Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden-Brooklyn_New_York.html