Atlantic city Travel Guide
Tags: Public Transit / Atlantic City / Train Travel / Drinking / ACES / → All Tags
The Moving Cocktail Bar Is Now Open With ACES 'Pour Tour'
As city dwellers the world over know, public transit means never having to say "No thanks, I'm driving." (Disclaimer: be responsible, kids!) The new Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) train is taking this line of reasoning a step forward with Friday night drinking specials for four weeks starting Oct. 30.
The ACE Pour Tour runs between Penn Station and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal Friday nights on the #7165 train departing at 8:21PM. The 2-hour 40-minute ride will feature a new drink special every week through November 20: Enjoy Oktoberfest ales like Victory Festbier from Pennsylvania this Friday, the 30th, or get your $29 ticket now for "One Sweet Ride," featuring chocolate "martinis" and other dessert-y libations.
These drinks aren't free, but bartenders aboard the train will show you how to make them and hand you a recipe card along with your glass. Time your cocktail hour correctly and you will arrive in AC primed to play games!
Related Stories:
· Pour Tour '09 (click top right hand corner) [ACESTrain.com]
· Skip the Parking Fees: Catch the ACES Train to Your AC Hotel [HC]
· ACES Stands For A Better Way to Get to Atlantic City [Jaunted]
[Photo: ACES]
Tags: Travel Snapshot / Greyhound / Bus Travel / Atlantic City Travel / → All Tags
Inside One Of Greyhound's New WiFi-Equipped Buses
This last weekend, while randomly hopping down to Atlantic City for the day, we did not expect to be treated to the plushness of one of Greyhound's new buses. We say "plushness" meaning it's pretty nice for a bus, you know.
According to the Greyhound website, the premium coaches—outfitted with free WiFi, outlets, more leg room, and fresh interiors—are only found on their NYC to Montreal, Toronto and Boston and DC to New York, Boston and Montreal routes. We got lucky and spent the 4-hour-long, one-way trip (thanks, Saturday traffic) charging our phones and napping. We now see potential for Greyhound to equal the amenities of Megabus and Boltbus, but they'd have to do it fleet-wide and therein lies the rub.
Related Stories:
· Will You Ever Go Back To Greyhound? [Jaunted]
· Greyhound Blows Out 95 Candles On Their Birthday Cake [Jaunted]
· Greyhound Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Jaunted]
Tags: Atlantic City Travel / New Jersey Travel / Wedding Travel / → All Tags
Do More Than Gamble And Eat In Atlantic City; Get Married!
People don't head to the sparkly strip of boardwalk light in Atlantic City, NJ just for a weekend of gambling and buffet-noshing; no, they even hold weddings, family reunions and—conferences—there. But sadly, most of the venues for these get-togethers fail to take advantage of the awesome shore views, leaving you feel slightly claustrophobic especially if the weather is nice.
To remedy this, Atlantic City has begun constructing a new event space on top of their premier shopping mall: The Pier Shops at Caesar'. It's a must-visit while in AC simply for its panorama views, the atrium fountain performances, and the adirondack-equipped relax areas on the third floor, complete with sand in which to wiggle your toes. But come December when the new venue, called One Atlantic opens on its roof, it'll finally give weddings and others AC events the ocean backdrop without having to trek down to the crowded beachfront.
Tags: ACES / Atlantic City / Train Travel / Food Travel / Travel Deals / → All Tags
Atlantic City Express Train (ACES) Extends Summer Fare Deal
If ACES’ sleek new trains and cheap summer fares haven’t convinced you to jaunt to Atlantic City yet, the train line is giving you another few weeks to try it out. The NYC-AC express train, which launched in February and slashed its prices by about 40 percent in June, is extending its “All Afford” promotion for the rest of the month.
All coach-class tickets are $29, while first-class seats are $54 for the duration of the promotion, which runs through July 31. Foodie types will be pleased to see that’s just long enough to catch the July 30 start of the Atlantic City Wine & Food Festival, when Emeril, Tom Colicchio, and the rest of the chef-lebrity crew will be hanging around Harrah’s for a few days.
If that’s not doing it for you, check out ACES’ new twitter feed, which has been busy hyping any and every reason they can think of to lure you down the shore.
Related Stories:
· ACES [Official Site]
· Atlantic City's ACES Train Cries 'All Afford' For Summer Travel [Jaunted]
· ACES Stands for 'A Better Way to Get to Atlantic City' [Jaunted]
[Photo: ACES]
Tags: Train Travel / Atlantic City / Travel Deals / Summer Travel / ACES / → All Tags
Atlantic City's ACES Train Cries 'All Afford' For Summer Travel
By now we really don't need to tell you how much the casinos have suffered during the recession; like us, you've probably received far too many "special weekend escape" mailings and suffered through the commercials promoting your local gambling mecca (Foxwoods--we're talking about you). It's no wonder then that Atlantic City is jumping aboard their own train to funnel in the cash this summer.
From June 1 thru July 5, AC's new ACES train direct service to and from New York City will run a summer special of $29 coach seats, each way. This saves about $20 per ticket, with which you could spoil yourself and upgrade for $25 to first class.
The deal, aimed at bringing staycationing New Yorkers down the shore to spend a few dollars, is appropriately named "All Afford!" Face it folks: it's either this train with food and beverage service included, or climbing aboard a dirty bus armed with KFC. We've done plenty of the latter, so perhaps it's time to suck it up, take the train, and leave the hand-i-wipes at home.
Related Stories:
· ACES Train [Official Site]
· ACES Stands For 'A Better Way to Get to Atlantic City' [Jaunted]
· Train TravelCoverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ACES}
Tags: New Routes / AirTran / Atlantic City / Airline News / Gambling / ATL / ACY / → All Tags
AirTran Doubles Down With New Atlantic City Route
The impending arrival of warmer temperatures and sunny days on the east coast combined with the people's need to budget vacations better this summer means that previously underestimated destinations like Atlantic City may be getting some answers to their recession prayers.
Luckily for the struggling casinos and massive hotels that dot the boardwalk, the first wave of relief will arrive on June 11 when AirTran Airways begins direct service between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Atlantic City International twice daily. As the 59th destination for the carrier, AC will now have all kinds of options for budget airline connections, including the option to make it a blowout week by flying between Las Vegas and Atlantic City via Atlanta, if your slots finger stays sharp.
With AC desperate to funnel anyone with some jingling pocket change into their casinos, the AirTran introductory fares on this route begin at a suggestive $69 each way. Pair this with a cheap room at one of the older casinos and don't loose too many Benjamins, and you've got the cost of a vacation in Vegas beat by a couple hundred dollars. Good old AirTran—always flying to the sunniest spots with the flashiest coin.
Related Stories:
· Airtran rolls the dice on Atlantic City [Today in the Sky]
· AirTran Airways Hits the Jackpot with New Service in Atlantic City, N.J. [FOX Business]
· New Routes Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: gTarded]
Tags: Train Travel / ACES / Train Ride Reviews / → All Tags
ACES Stands for 'A Better Way to Get to Atlantic City'
When we mentioned to that we were zipping down from NYC to Atlantic City for the weekend—without the benefit of our own car--a few of our friends practically choked on their recession-priced happy hour beers. Why on earth would we gamble away our Friday afternoon (and potentially our sanity) just to cram in with the grannies on the Port Authority bus? Didn’t we understand how many hours we would potentially spend in traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike?
That’s when we casually mentioned—oh, you didn’t already know?—that there’s a brand new train that runs directly from Penn Station all the way to Atlantic City.
Tags: Train Travel / Surviving Atlantic City / Gambling / ACES / → All Tags
Atlantic City Gives Trains Another Try
As we mentioned this weekend, Atlantic City hasn't been breaking any attendance records lately. We have to say, there's one good reason why Vegas-on-the-turnpike has never really turned that corner from senior citizens long weekend getaway to A-list resort town: There's just no great, affordable way to get there.
But East Coasters looking for a gambling fix can kiss the Greyhound goodbye, as AC is set to finally introduce regular train service to and from New York.
The town has had train service to New York before--but never any that made a profit and stuck around. Starting February 6, the new train will offer round-trip service between New York's Penn Station and AC for the pretty reasonable price of $50 each way. First-class tickets go for $75, and the Borgata, Caesars and Harrah's will each offer shuttle service from the train stop.
It's a long-awaited upgrade for sure, but is it enough to make anyone actually go?
Related Stories:
· By rail from NYC to Atlantic City [Detroit Free Press]
· Atlantic City in Freefall: How to Get People Gambling Again [Jaunted]
· Atlantic City Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: oliverN5]
Tags: The Hills / Television Travel / Audrina Partridge / Lauren Conrad / The Hills Travel / → All Tags
ZOMG! Audrina Confirms Hills Season 5 On East Coast Jaunt
Two weeks ago on "The Hills," Audrina dropped the bombshell that she was moving out of the house she shared with LC and Lo. Today's news from the show's token brunette? Despite rumors to the contrary, "The Hills" is moving ahead with an unprecedented fifth season.
Audrina took a break from making paid appearances at Las Vegas clubs to... make a paid appearance at Harrah's in Atlantic City over the weekend, where she told People magazine, "We have fun with each other and we've stuck it out this long. We might as well do another [season]." Certainly that had nothing to do with the rumored $35,000 that Audrina makes for each episode, right?
Here are our fresh predictions for Season 5: Spencer will relax his hold on Heidi only long enough for her to get comfortable, before yanking the leash again; Audrina won't be able to live with or without Justinbobby and Lauren will regress to season 1 and date Jason Wahler again. What are yours?
Related Stories:
· Last Week's Hills: Whitney Port, Modelizer [Jaunted]
· We're On Hiatus, She's My Bestie [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Celebrity-Gossip.net]
Tags: Summer Travel / Hotels / TV Travel / Television Travel / Celeb Travel / Real Housewives of Orange County / → All Tags
Nowness Travel: Atlantic City for Non-Gamblers?
The Washington Post travel section visited Atlantic City this weekend and filed quite the report on the city's recently amped-up efforts to attract the under-75, non-gaming crowd:
Two recent additions to the hotel landscape, Harrah's Resort's Waterfront Tower and Borgata's Water Club, have separated themselves from the casino ruckus, providing a pair of tranquil planets within the gambling universe.
It also helps that both hotels are away from the Boardwalk, in the more secluded marina area, which cuts down on drop-in traffic.
Tags: Gambling / Surviving Atlantic City / Bars / Nightlife / Restaurants / → All Tags
Surviving AC: The Tropicana Wants to Get You Drunk
Who goes to Atlantic City? We sent Neal Ungerleider to find out.
The three-year old Quarter at the Tropicana is one of Atlantic City's two Las Vegas-style shopping complexes. (The Pier Shops at Caesars is the other.) The stores include some A-list franchises--Brooks Brothers, Swarovski and a nearly-open Brookstone--along with some awesomely left field shopping spaces like the Old Farmer's Almanac General Store and a branch of New York City's Spy Shop.
But that's beside the point. From what we've seen, it's definitely the best place to eat and get drunk in Atlantic City. A ritzy food court has franchises of New York's Palm steakhouse and Carmine's, Philadelphia's Cuba Libre restaurant and several others, including a Jeffrey Chodorow Russian-themed restobar with suspiciously little Russian food on the menu.
Tags: Gambling / Surviving Atlantic City / → All Tags
Surviving AC: Know Your Demo
While Caesars makes a play for the television foodie market, other casinos have cornered niches of their own. While in Atlantic City this weekend, the following celebs headlined:
• Blues Traveler (Tropicana)
• Charo (Hilton AC)
• Chicago (Borgata)
• Joan Rivers (Harrah's)
• Ringo Starr (Trump Taj Mahal)
• Steely Dan (Borgata)
Interesting enough. Who are the other upcoming headliners? Mickey Rooney, the Beach Boys, Three Dog Night, the Village People, Jefferson Starship, War, Grand Funk Railroad and America. Between Rooney and the rest, it's safe to say the twin demographics in AC are the 65-and-over crowd and Baby Boomers.
