NY Times article

In Atlantic City, Construction Momentum Stalls

New York Times By AMY CORTESE

Published: May 16, 2009

Excerpts:

After a trying winter, [Pinnacle%26#39;s CEO] said, “everyone is anxiously waiting to see how the summer goes.” That’s when the bulk of the city’s visitors come to spend money.

...

The real key to Atlantic City’s success, however, will be attracting a broader audience interested in more than gambling, the way Las Vegas has done. Area boosters are cheering for the Revel development.

“Everybody is excited about Revel,” said Mr. Vasser, of the city’s convention and visitors authority. “In this economy, it’s nice to have something to point to that says we’re still moving.”

...

“The question is, when you wake up the second day, after gambling for the evening, what do you do?”

For the full article:

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NY Times article

gamble more.

NY Times article

“The question is, when you wake up the second day, after gambling for the evening, what do you do?”

As much as I love AC, if they have not answered this question in the last 10-15 when Vegas exploded; will they ever answer it?

Revel isn%26#39;t very promising either,with 40% of the project lay-off and trying to have money to finish the outside!!!

There%26#39;s plenty to do in this area besides gamble. Rship has a great canned posted that he lists many attractions. Are we past the period of time where people go to Atlantic City to enjoy the free beach and ocean. One of the problems that people don%26#39;t realize is that Atlantic City is actually a small town. I remember hearing a person complain on a local radio show that they were here for a convention and had to get a room right outside Atlantic City about 8 miles from the convention center. They compared their convention to the one they had in Chicago and they had a room in Chicago. The radio host asked how far of a drive it was from their room in Chicago to the convention center there and they said 10 miles. They didn%26#39;t care it was a longer drive because they were in the same city! When I look at this area for things to do I also consider the immediate area. Smithville, Ocean City, even Wildwood and Cape May are in easy driving distance.

Now it might be true that most of the activities are seasonal but that%26#39;s no unique to AC. I do feel the one thing AC could improve on is the lack of mid-week entertainment.

AC needs more areas like the Walk. AC has an image issue with that when you leave your hotel you do not feel safe walking around. The Boardwalk , yes but the other side, no. Also it is a very seedy looking area outside of The Walk. Add to it, the seediness is what people see when they enter AC.

AC has relied on just gambling for way too long. It needs a fresh coat of paint, if you understand me.

The time to apply that ';fresh coat of paint'; was in flush times, not now when people are cutting back on casino trips and the casinos are hurting. I think AC shot themself in the foot (maybe the heart) by coasting on gambling revenue only for so long.

A darn shame, as they DID have time to push through improvements when gambling was approved (but not yet implemented) in Pennsylvania about 4 or 5 years ago. Bad decisions by both the casinos and (particularly) the politicians in AC.

I want to believe that AC will rebuild itself but it will take a very long time, probably 10 years or so to get out of the economic crisis and for new construction projects to actually take place.

“The question is, when you wake up the second day, after gambling for the evening, what do you do?”

I don%26#39;t know, what do people in Ocean City and Wildwood do?

Clean up the beaches, market them, and maybe things will start looking up. AC needs to shed its ghetto image.

a 10 year funk is on the way.it wouldnt have been if taxes would have been cut by a trillion for a year.the economy would already be ramping up.instead spend 8 trillion the country doesnt have and then hit us up later for it..some hope.

I think one of the image problems AC has it that it didn%26#39;t market itself as a seaside resort at the same time it opened the casinos. So, people looking for a beach town don%26#39;t think of AC - they think of Ocean City, Cape May and the Wildwoods. And this is AC%26#39;s fault, because the beaches were always an after thought. It was only when the beach bars opened a few years ago that the casinos paid any attention to the beaches. Beach access from the casino hotels is poor - who wants to stroll through a casino in a wet bathing suit lugging beach chairs and screaming kids? There are no lockers or changing facilities handy to the beach as there are in Point Pleasant and other towns. AC wanted to be a gambling destination only, as it had no competition and I guess never foresaw having any. It will take a pile of money, serious work on the infrastructure and the beaches, and an amazing public relations campaign to change the image. The people who run the town are also a major part of the problem. The downtown area is just sad, empty, and scary looking. Some of the major streets have potholes the size of a small swimming pool. In flush times, nothing was done. Why not?

ACM

sebum