It Was 30 Years Ago Today . . .
Monday, May 26th, 2008Gambling came to the boards 30 years ago today. It was to revitalize Atlantic City.
I grew up in Cape May, about an hour south of AC. There was much buzz in 1978 when Resorts International opened. My parents (I suspect mostly my father) wanted to take in the fun. We did not go opening weekend, but I recall standing on line sometime during the summer.
Yes, we stood on line to throw money away in a casino. Unbelievable!
The casino scene was a lot different when Resorts was the only game in town. Gentlemen needed a jacket to enter. I do not recall a tie being required, but I am sure my father and I had one on.
Just as it is today, minors were not permitted on the floor. But as a young teenager, I made it in. My father was in a wheelchair. He explained that I was his attendant while my mother trailed behind acting as though she did not know us. I do not recall if my sister was with us or not (You are absent from many of my childhood memories. I do not know why that is, but so many of these events I cannot picture you present.).
This was definitely my first experience with a casino. I was fascinated with the sights. I recall my parents informing me there would be no windows or clocks in there. That was true. The rug was red and the lights were bolder than any arcade I had ever visited.
Dad played Blackjack. I do not recall the outcome. He wasn’t a big gambler, but as I recall, he did pretty well on the cruise we took. Hmmm . . . that was probably about the same time as our visit to Atlantic City.
Anyhow, 30 years later Atlantic City is still full of slums. Sure, the marina is better off. There is The Walk. There are many new casinos and building continues. But travel two blocks west of the casinos and I suspect no one reading this blog would be comfortable roaming around alone. Atlantic City is a poster of the haves and the have nots. After 30 years, it wasn’t supposed to be so pronounced.
This is my log for the 
While we began our tour near here, we walked by with nary a thought as we attended to other things. But after a long, hot excursion down the boards, I referred to my notes before we left to head home. There was still the Statue of Liberty. We went and found this cache without issue. For a micro in a heavily populated area, it worked surprisingly better than most. Beetle and I snaked around after the find to enjoy the view of the beach. Daddy enjoyed the view a little bit more, I suspect than the little girl.
Anyhow, we looked and did not see the Statue of Liberty. I even asked someof the rolling chair guys sitting around. They had no idea what I was talking about. Looking now at the cache gallery, I suspect that this was a temporary exhibit. It was positioned not too far from Garden Pier and I was definitely there and did not miss something that pronounced.
Daddy and Beetle’s Heat Exhaustion in A.C. Tour proved to be a wonderful experience. We cached all the way to the resort, cached once we got there, ate, and then re-positioned to begin this journey. With all the other things we did on the boardwalk, this journey ended up being long, hot, and exhausting. We loved every minute of it.
At Texas Avenue, the cell phone rang. As I watched my three-year old yap, drink her lemonade, and be as comfortable as can be, it occurred to me that life has changed quite a bit since I was a boy.