August 25-26                             Atlantic City, New Jersey

Joe and Dave left early on Sunday morning for their day in the city.  They visited some famous old funky bars (one in an Airstream mobile home), had pizza at Lombardi’s in Little Italy, and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.  We had a farewell dinner for Joe on the boat with grilled shrimp, fresh sweet corn, stuffed crabs, and banana pudding for dessert.  Joe swore he was going home happy, relaxed, and fat.

Monday was a clear day for our journey southward.  Dave expertly took the boat out into New York Harbor, past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and into the Atlantic Ocean, where we immediately were buffeted by 15-20 mph. winds.  As we rounded Sandy Hook, a Coast Guard vessel hailed us and warned of possible danger from a nearby dredge that had sucked up an unexploded bomb. We took seriously the warning and altered our course. It is amazing that such hazardous items still remain from WWII and that they are so near the United States mainland. 

After a long day of bruising, jolting cruising through 3-4 feet waves, we gratefully reached the marina at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.  The guys wanted sushi for dinner and there reportedly was an excellent sushi bar at Caesar’s Palace on the boardwalk.  We took the Jitney, a small bus providing transportation to all the major casinos, and had an opportunity to see more of the city.  We were amazed at the long line of magnificent hotel-casinos lining the brightly lighted, wide, almost four miles of boardwalk abutting the dunes on the beach.

Caesar’s Palace was reminiscent of its Las Vegas parent with faux-Roman statues, magnificent chandeliers, and huge rooms of gaming.  For the fortunate winners, there were beautiful stores with names like Gucci, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton.  The sushi restaurant was small, quiet, and unassuming (quite different from the opulent steak, seafood, and Italian restaurants nearby).  The sashimi and sushi were excellent.

After dinner, we strolled down the boardwalk and happily encountered the start of an amazing laser show projected on the imposing façade of the Atlantic City Train Station.  Lasting for more than ten minutes, it was an incredible and beautiful display of technical skill.  On our cab ride back to the marina, Dave quizzed our driver about changes to the city brought about by the casinos.  As a long-time resident, the driver adamantly stated he preferred it as a beach resort town instead of the gambling mecca it had become.  He declared it was “Donald’s town,” as in Trump.