Atlantic City

I've only been down to Atlantic City a handful of times in my decade+ in the Tristate area, but the city never fails to amuse me. On one hand, you have the typical New Jersey shoreline, with a wide boardwalk for strolling and shopping and eating fried foods that are hazardous to your health. The beach is sandy, and surprisingly free. But turn 180 degrees, and you're greeted with a long stretch of casinos!

The casinos along the beach are mostly older, so there's a slightly faded vibe to the area. There have been some recent updates, including a large shopping mall right on the waterfront, so a rather eclectic tourist population was present. All this made for some very interesting people-watching!

A reverse view of the beach, and the casinos beyond them.

An amusement park located off a pier on the beach.

Sitting under an umbrella for a beachfront breakfast. Notice the hungry
seagulls perching nearby, just waiting to snatch anything that is left
unattended.

Closeup of a themed casino façade. It slightly reminds me of Disney
World! Except, you know, with gambling.

We stayed at Caesar's. While nowhere
near the size of its Vegas counterpart, the
hotel was large and comfortable.

When at the beach, boardwalk snacks are sure to follow. I'm not a huge
fan of salt-water taffy, so I got another sickeningly sweet treat instead.

Fudge. Gooey in texture and made with the double whammy of sugar
syrup and chocolate, a little bit goes a long way.

For a fancy dinner, we ended up at one of
the newer casinos, the Revel. Its high-end
restaurant, Azure, featured my favorite
protein: seafood.

A fuzzy shot of my entree, a seafood risotto. It was cooked perfectly
al dente, with a rich tomato-seafood base.