$10. That was all I intended to spend.

     Atlantic City is a very different experience than Las Vegas. I don’t know if it was because I visited on a Tuesday, or because it was winter, but Atlantic City seemed like Rome during its decline in the face of Christianity. Why don’t we talk about the place first before any criticisms shall we?

Click on my pictures to get some real pictures of my trip.

     Atlantic City is what you expect of a place with casinos. There are high-rise hotels decorated in lights. The casino areas are heavily decorated according to the theme of the hotel. Expensive bars litter the casino floor and sexy waitresses carry drinks out to gambling patrons. Any restaurants you see along the walkways are fancy in appearance. Of course, there are reward cards available so that slot machine players can earn points and enhance their image to the hotel.

     Atlantic City is a place to shop. Stores such as Coach and LeSportsac are inside the hotels. An entire block in front of the hotels boasts other stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Applebees, Ralph Lauren, and the Dress Barn. Because Atlantic City is along the water, a long, sandy beach borders one side and is littered with arcades, food stalls, and souvenir shops. Today, this area was mostly empty as strong winds from the water battered anybody brave enough to go outside.

     I stuck to my $10 and quickly lost it all at the Ceasar’s casino. So I put another $10 in.

     But the Atlantic City I saw was nowhere near as exciting as Las Vegas. It seemed that the main features here was gamble, shop, and eat. Where were all the things for the under-21 crowd to do? Theme parks? Glitzy arcades? Resort pools? The clubs in Las Vegas are notorious for having celebrities party it up. Cirque du Soleil shows and magic acts are the norm in most hotels there. Atlantic City barely made a crack in those two categories. Another huge difference is the lack of advertisements in Atlantic City. I was used to all the posters, moving screens, and taxis advertising the next sexy car show (“Headlights and tailpipes”), club, or Asian restaurant (“We have nice dumplings”) that was the base of Sin City.

     Wow, I’m such a high-roller. I blew all my money on the penny and nickel machines… But wait, my story doesn’t stop there. Before I left Atlantic City I put another $5 in the penny slots… and in one turn won $25. Although I had to leave, I got such a high from that– awesome, awesome feeling– and that is the stuff that turns people into addicts.