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!