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Atlantic City - even the murals in the bathrooms are sleazy...

After visiting Atlantic City on Halloween and Christmas, I decided to continue the trend of spending each holiday in that shithole of a place. And what could be a more important day than the Saturday after Martin Luther King Day? This sure sounds like someone with a gambling problem looking for any excuse to cover up their random trips to AC. But, I had a very valid reason for going this time – a friend’s birthday.

I had some out-of-state family business to take care of in the days prior to this one. Yet, a mere couple hours after getting off the plane in Newark, I was on the Garden State Parkway heading towards AC. Okay, maybe I do have a gambling problem.

Soon after arriving at Caesars, we walked around the Pier, which is high-end version of the typical Jersey mall – only this one is built right above the ocean. In addition, the Pier is somewhat well known for its dancing fountains, which is a (very) poor man’s version of those found at the Bellagio in Vegas. Only in the Armpit of America can a stupid fountain in the shape of a toilet (seriously, it is) be a major tourist attraction.

Following birthday cupcakes and cookies in our hotel room, it was time to hit the casino. After putting $20 in a nickel slot and playing for 10 minutes, I was only down four bucks, which is better than I usually do. Anyway, it was then time to go to the bar. On this night, we went to Game On, an ESPN-owned sports bar on the aforementioned Pier.

This was only my second time at Game On, but it is probably my favorite place to hang out at Atlantic City. Though I’m admittedly not a huge sports fan, those that are can be entertained by countless TVs all around the place showing every game imaginable. And those mechanical bull aficionados, like me, will be happy to know that you can ride one for only $2. In addition to the two bucks, you have to sign a waiver saying you won’t hold the place accountable if you die. But those 5 seconds you’re on the bull before getting thrown off and having everyone laugh at you is definitely worth it.

Another draw is the bathroom. Upon entering, you’ll meet that lovely lady in the picture at the top of this entry. In addition, the spaces right above the urinals have little TVs built right into the wall!

So anyway, after hanging out and dancing and drinking large amounts of vodka, it was time to gamble some more. I lost about $40, which is pretty good for me. Around 2:30, a few of us decided to get some food, as the rest went back to the room. After eating at Café Roma, which is a pretty fancy name for what amounts to an overpriced diner, it was time for bed.

There were 7 of us in the room, and the girlfriend and I were relegated to sleeping on an air mattress on the floor. But that was the least of our problems. A certain member of our group was snoring pretty loudly. Now I’ve had more than my fair share of “Let’s cram as many people as we can into one hotel room!” nights, where you have to deal with everyone’s breathing patterns, but I never heard anything like this. (No offense to the offender or his girlfriend!) After about 3 hours of tossing and turning, the woman and I decided to leave, despite being hung over.

At this point, I realized that I’m getting too old for these hotel parties. I’m not as old as Grandpa Mike from “Jersey Shore,” but crowding everyone into a hotel room and getting drunk off my ass is starting to lose its appeal.

Anyway, we made our way through the surprisingly crowded lobby and back onto the Atlantic City Expressway and then onto the Parkway. Though I didn’t win anything and didn’t get much sleep, it was still a lot of fun – probably one of the best times I’ve had in AC. Fortunately, Groundhog Day, Presidents Day, and Valentine’s Day are just around the corner, so I have even more excuses to return.

This entry was posted on January 25, 2010 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Atlantic City, Bars, Personal. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Atlantic City, Bars, Caesar's, drunk, Garden State Parkway, Jersey Shore, Personal, the pier