Why am I in Atlantic City??

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I write this blog today as a lost woman. Someone who doesn't feel right inside. Yes, something is wrong with the universe and I will tell you what that something is. Please brace yourself for impact. I don't even know if I could type the words. Here we go.......I don't have......my camera!!! Please hold it together. It'll be OK. Breath deep. Get some cold water and splash it on your face. Trust me, this isn't a dream. This morning as I awoke in the plush room at Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, my shirt was damp with sweat. My hair was in a sculpture that vaguely resembled Donald Trump. Not his hair. The man himself. My thoughts were foggy. Was it a dream, I wondered?? I couldn't have possibly gone a whole day without my (gulp) camera????? Could I?? I looked over at April, sleeping and snoring the rhythem to Kid Rock's Bawitdaba (you know that song bawitdaba da bang a dang) . I squinted my eyes and looked at the clock -- 6:10am! Hmm? Looked forward and saw the familiar faces of the Weather Channel folks (I have an addiction to the weather channel -- it lulls me to sleep - please help) and looked down and saw the sad reminder of my ample chest. Everything seemed normal??? That was until I glanced over at the night table and next to the clock was nothing but a small pad of paper and pen (which I will of course steal). There was no camera. My shiny, silver, beautiful, sassy (yes, sassy) camera wasn't there. This adds to a very LARGE list of other STRANGE happenings leading up to this trip!

It all started last Friday. We took the jeep to the mechanic to get our new inspection sticker only to find out it hasn't been registered since October 2004!!!!!!!!!! How could this be? The most illegal thing I ever did (do) has been/is taking towels from a hotel room or a paper menu from Margaritaville (and yes, I felt/feel bad ass about it). We called the DMV and found out they sent a reminder to me quite a while ago. They only send one. If you lose it, misplace it or don't get it -- you become a felon. Wow, April and I could've been convicted felons if pulled over. April snickers cool. I snicker mommy. We started our latest travel adventure Monday.....at the DMV. Really, do I need to say anything else? Actually, it wasn't THAT bad. We were in & out in roughly an hour. I went from GZ-399 to IZ-869. Yup, IZ. OOOOOOOK. I am still wondering though why the little woman, who resembled a battered pochohontas, made a statement. April asked about novelty plates. She thought it would be "cute" to get plates that read TRAVLGRRL. As soon as we found out about the cost the "cute" idea turned to "crazy". No, IZ-869 shall be me. However, the little pochahontes lady said, looking at me no less, "Yeah, they are so expensive....some people like to get plates that read BUTCHIE or SWEET LIPS".....I quickly glanced at my BREASTS when she said Butchie and bit my lips when she said Sweet Lips. April just giggled. I knew this latest hair cut was too short. And for all those wondering - no, I am not butch. I enjoy being a girl thank you very much. I am and will always be a tom boy however. A mix of girl and gay guy. Fine by me! 😊

Finally on the highway with our i-pod mini cranking out tunes (i-pod biggie is still sick) we thought, YES, we are on our way! BUT....I started to feel this THICK feeling. Like I had to really, REALLY apply pressure to the gas pedal to gain speed. It felt like it was sticking or something. After our breakdown in the Bronx last January I didn't want to take any chances SOOOOO we called up Gabe (a.k.a. Smokey The Mechanic) and asked to bring the car in for a quick check-up. He said yes and before we knew it we were pulling in and Ms. SuuuuuuGA Sweet Potatoe Pie (our jeep) was having her parts looked at. Wow, that sounds weird. Anyway....it was almost 4pm by the time he was done (he found nothing wrong by the way). He said she looked fine. I think Suguuuga honked her horn at him. She loves compliments. We decided to wait until Tuesday morning to head out.

Tuesday morning we were getting ready to leave when all of a sudden I hear April say, "Ummmm.....Des....Thumpy is sitting on my suitcase." I said, "SO!" and she said, "My suitcase Des....." -- I paused and thought, wait....April didn't take her suitcase in from the car last night. OH MY GOD! She FORGOT to pack her suitcase in the car!!!!! She only had her small carry on bag with her for our hotel stays for the drive down. If our cat, Thumpy, wasn't sitting on the case and if we hadn't come back home she probably wouldn't have noticed until we got to Fort Lauderdale!! She would've only had winter clothes. We laughed and looked at each other like that is NUTS! I mean, we are PROFESSIONAL travelers. Forgetting to bring your suitcase is like forgetting to put your pants on before you leave for work. OH WAIT......maybe those weren't white pants Ape was wearing yesterday??? Hmmm!

Anyway, we give thanks for being home and noticing this and continue on. Half way through CT our i-pod mini dies. We forgot to charge it last night. No prob, I had my huge case of CD's and we were good to go again but we were really into that mix. Then a couple of hours into our drive I start getting that weird throat and head feeling. Like a head cold is coming on. I had been fighting it for several days but it felt like it was creeping in and started to gain grip. I took more Tylenol cold and switched drivers. 1/2 way though the New Jersey turnpike we pull into a rest area and I am having major doubts about this trip. I mean, the registration, the forgotten luggage and cold. As I was expressing my concerns to April I notice I am in the SAME parking spot, at the SAME rest area I was a couple of years ago when I attempted to go on a 3 week road trip with "da mammas". At that time I explained to them that I couldn't go on this trip without April. It just didn't feel right. So we had decided instead to go to Atlantic City instead (for a night). I had called April, who was with her friend Kara at the time, to tell her about this decision. I couldn't believe Ape & I found ourselves in this SAME spot yesterday. Should or shouldn't we go on this trip? Strange! Then, out of the blue, KARA called us! YUP, the same person Ape was with the day I called them from this parking lot. We decided to spend the night in Atlantic City to think it through. I have been dying to stay at the new Borgata Hotel & Casino since it opened 2 years ago. They had an amazing travel agent rate of $114 available! I was so excited! I, of course, reached for my camera the second I knew we were going to Atlantic City only to discover.....the horror.....the trauma.....the saddness.....NO CAMERA! OH MY GOD! I had forgotten to take my camera out of my blue jacket back at home! I just sat there in total shock. I looked down to make sure I HAD pants on. Check. But no camera! April had that panicked look. She knows how I am with taking pictures. She quickly tried to "fix" the problem by saying we can pick up a new camera, use it and then return it when we get back (shhhhh....). She is sweet like that. I knew this would be the thing to do, but here I was about to enter an area full of tackiness (and SOME coolness -- more on that later) and I don't have my camera!! Would I make it through the night?? We were already less than 20 min from Atlantic City and there was no Walmart or Best Buy in sight -- so we trekked on -- cameraless. I prettended to take pictures with my snap finger. This amused April so I continued to do it! 😊 I bet if I do it now it will make her giggle. Wait, let me try. It worked!

Some observations made about Atlantic City (since the last time we were here a couple of years ago).

1. It looks cleaner!

2. It looks like they have new signs pointing out the Boardwalk area, Marina area and Uptown area. Trumps casinos need no directions as they jump into view like exploded chandeliers.

3. The area near the convention center is really nice! They have all these new outlet stores and restaurants and there is lots of neon.

4. Atlantic City is WAY MORE impressive at night!

5. There are a lot of new electronic billboard signs in front of Caesars and Trump hotels.

6. It looks cleaner!

7. The whole area has a look of renovation - some older casinos are still in need of some major help. Hear that Bally's? Trump?

8. It is a bit confusing getting from the Borgata to the Boardwalk Area! Lots of weird roads, turns and lights. Be careful! We ended up at Gladys Knight's house just in time for strip poka.

9. Not a lot of drugstores nearby - like CVS & Walgreens. What's a girl to do? The one dingy one on Atlantic Ave looked like it was literally a DRUG store....ummm?

10. It seems waaaaaaaay cleaner!

The Borgata Hotel & Casino is PURE Las Vegas. The other hotels on the boardwalk REALLY need to update their appearences. The Borgata is beautiful. On the outside and on the inside. Very classy. Very modern but unfortunately with all those VERY'S come a VERY rude staff. Also, the vibe inside the casino is kinda drab. Not a lot of excitement going on. The people here seem to be more interested in how they LOOK then the type person they ARE. I don't like that. At the check-in counter we were serviced by a young man who I'll call Sassy. He had an attitude from the beginning. Ape and I walked up to the front desk, big smiles and got an up-down look then a 1/2 assed smile. Um, please don't judge us because we aren't dressed in black from head to toe or the shapes of models! I mean sure we didn't have pants on (turns out we DID forget those at home). OK, seriously....we explained to him how we had called a bit earlier and was quoted the travel agent rate of $114 a night and he asked (very snooty) if we had MADE the reservation. April explained that we had not because we weren't 100% sure we'd make the stop. He said, "Yes, but you should've made the reservation" and cut her off! April said, "But we weren't sure if we'd stop" and he continued (snippy this time) "Yes, BUT it is always better to make the reservation and then cancel"! Ummm....and then lose our $114 dollars? Not happening buddy. By this point it was a cock fight. April looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a stern, "BUT WE DIDN'T!" and that shut him up! He typed very fast and before we knew it we were on our way up to room 2812. Like I said, the hotel is pretty -- but BORING! The hallway to our room was filled with take out tables not picked up. It was almost 6pm and these tables had breakfast stuff on them -- gross. The room itself is nice. Their bathroom is gorgeous, but that is where it ends. If I was the average person and had to pay the $275-$375 nightly rate they usually charge I would be SO UPSET! They don't have a regular work desk. No flat screen TV. No mini bar and the furniture is very drab. The hotels in Las Vegas win HANDS DOWN! The $114 seemed like a fair price. Maybe $199 on a weekend. Anything more than that -- DO NOT ACCEPT!!!!

We freshened up, I put a black sweater on and jeans to blend in with the decor...well, just because, and headed to The Tropicana Hotel & Casino. Take that Borgata! This property recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation and has a new dining/entertainment complex called The Quarter attached to it. It is a GREAT! This casino is a mix of old and new. Like the strip in Vegas mixed with downtown Vegas. There were tons of people there. The vibe was fun and alive. There were lots of great new shops, a beautiful spa and lots of restaurants to choose from including Red Square, Ri-Ra, PF Changs, Camille's, Corky's, Hooters etc.,! This is more our speed. Laid back fun. You had the fancy mixed with the casual. That nice mediun. I felt like I was in Vegas! Plus the Tropicana is located on the boardwalk so you are only steps from the beach! That is very cool. I don't know what their rooms look like but I have heard they remodled them. I would definitley stay here next time.

After dinner at Corky's BBQ (no where as good as the original in Memphis) we decided to play some slots. We had fun and at times I won 150 quarters, 100 quarters, 50 quarters, 30 quarters etc., --- I had a lot of playing time, but alas, April and I aren't millionaires....YET! ;-) We get SO excited with everything we win. April pratically fell off her chair when I got the Wheel of Fortune and won 3.5 cents! She bacame a cheerleader with pom poms and everything. Nice! I brought her bad luck. Everytime I went to a different machine she won something. When I cam near her the machine sucked her money up. My ego was bruised for a while. Until she started winning 100 quarters every couple of spins. My head went up, my smile grew big and I thrust forward my chest with pride. In the end Atlantic City beat us like....well, let's not use an analagy this time! You get the idea.

We got back to the hotel room around 10:00pm and watched some of the movie Twister (one of my favorite movies) before falling asleep.

That brings us to this morning. It is 9:45am and we just had breakfast which was actually quite good and inexpensive (considering it was room service). We are contemplating continuing on with THIS trip to Florida OR turning around and going home. We will be back in Florida for 3 weeks (April 22-May 14) visiting Destin and Key West. My mom & Elizabeth will join us for the week in Destin!! Should be fun!!
If we stay I will NEED to find a new camera. My picture finger will have to touch a new cameras button and I just don't think thats fair to my other camera. I am a one camera kinda girl....yet, I couldn't imagine going a whole week without taking pictures! YIKES! If we DON'T go we can save lots of $$ and prepare ourselves for our NEXT trip. What should we do???? Stay tuned!

Happy Travels!
Des

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