On any given day the casinos are filled with many different types of people from the fanny pack clad tourists with cameras glued to their hands, of which I am one sans fanny pack, to the blue haired old women playing the penny and nickel slots. Mingling amid the tourists and elderly are the serious gamblers, people who haunt the casinos night and day in hopes of winning a fortune.
The atmosphere can be both jubilant and filled with desperation. Fortunes can be lost in an instant, but they can be won too. It all depends on the roll of the dice or the deal of the deck.
I am not a big gambler, but I love going to the casinos to people watch and take in the atmosphere. I don't make special trips to the casinos, but if I'm in AC I'll usually go and gamble $5.00 in the slot machines. I never win, but $5.00 can last for a couple of hours since I walk around and try my hand at different machines. I have only visited the casinos on the boardwalk, but I find them all the same. Caesars and Trump Plaza both have an atmosphere of understated elegance with their plush carpet, marble floors, and huge crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, but there is nothing to distinguish them from each other. However, Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino and The Tropicana have themes and decorations that add to their allure.
As you walk along the boardwalk outside of Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino there are various storefronts depicting old western general stores and saloons. Animated waterfalls, mines, a "49er" panning for gold, and a running stream greet you when you enter from the boardwalk.
The atmosphere is carnival like with the kitschy decorations that sit on top of the various slot machines such as a man in a wooden bath tub pictured below.
My camera is permanetly glued to my hand as I walk around and subtly snap pictures, with is not allowed and there have been several times where security has reprimanded me.
While Bally's tackily decorated casino floor impressed me, The Tropicana's exotic, old Havana themed, three-story shopping area, The Quarter, left me in awe. Upon leaving the dingy, smoke filled casino section of The Tropicana I did not expect the pop music to turn to Latin salsa rhythm and the threadbare carpet to turn to faux brown bricks. Palm trees placed discreetly in corners and the ceiling resembling the sky, complete with clouds, give the illusion of walking in a Cuban town and made me feel like I was outside. There are several mosaic fountains nestled amid the eateries and shop lined halls that add to the sultry atmosphere. I have never shopped in a place like this before and, while I did not buy anything, I did enjoy walking around The Quarter and listening to the music.
Not only do Bally’s and The Tropicana stand out among the bland casinos that fill AC, but they are in a central location. They are within walking distance of the AC Outlets and the Piers Shops at Caesar. Every casino offers the same games, shopping, and excellent service so you might as well go to the ones with interesting décor and unique themes.
Links:
Shops in Tropicana's The Quarter
I love Wild Wild West because it is so kitsch. I would rather spend money on a place that looks like a second rate theme park than a second rate dance club( pretty much what the rest of A.C. looks like). When people talk about going to the shore I never understand why they go anywhere but atlantic City. It has pretty much everything the other shore point has and more, plus that extra sketchy element that makes things fun.
ReplyDeleteWild Wild West has the best buffet in Atlantic City. Yee-ha!
ReplyDeletethis seems like a place that will stay in business because of word-of-mouth. The word of mouth may not always be positive, but this seems like a place where my friends would say, "you hafta see this place, to believe it."
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