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Published: January 27th 2009
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My Mom's friend picked us up from Manhasset in Long Island, NY. The agenda of the day was for us to try our luck at the slot machines of Atlantic City. It is common knowledge among locals that it takes atleast 3 hours to get to Atlantic City from Manhasset. But, apparently, My Mom's friend's son made it with only 2 hours. Gasp!
Going Underwater (Manhattan to Jersey City) From midtown Manhattan, we took the
Lincoln Tunnel which is a 1.5 mile long underwater tunnel -- it goes under the
Hudson River. A few more minutes on New Jersey land, I notice how very urbanized the place is. In my head, I thought this part of New Jersey would look like the common suburb. Why such assumption? Simply because I have always heard of people who prefer to live in New Jersey despite that they work in New York. I assume that its relatively cheap cost of living is because New Jersey is mostly suburbia. I have proven myself wrong.
New Jersey, like Pennsylvania, does not impose sales tax on clothes, which is great! By judging how the apartments look like from the car, I could safely say
that the cost of living here probably seems lower. It's amazing how much difference one experiences with a short commute to the next state.
We stopped by a gas station to refuel. Gas was $1.5 per gallon. Cheap!!! As if that was not enough, they have a big sign that says, "We have the lowest price the law allows!" That is so unlikely to see, atleast for me.
We stopped by
Jersey City to have lunch. They took us to a Vietnamese restaurant. Very urban place really, but, still, it just seems to me that there's something missing here. I have the impression that this city used to be very busy and teeming with businesses but now lost some of that life.
Southbound (Jersey City to Atlantic City) We then took the highway called
The Turnpike. My Mom's friend says Atlantic City is 90 miles away, going south. We noticed the Statue of Liberty to our right, but it was her back facing us this time.
As we passed by the
Newark International Airport, I saw a lot of space available for more buildings or residential areas -- quite a big change from the lack
of space I see in Manhattan. There were trailers and containers on gargantuan parking lots. They say inside those trailers are cars and furniture imported from Asia or wherever. Huge cylinder tanks sat next to each other by the dozen.
In Atlantic City After a short nap in the car, I started to see casino signs peppered along the highway. In Atlantic City, big signs sprawl stores and casinos trying to attract every visitor. We drove around the casinos and finally, into the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. We parked and got inside to see the slot machines and roulettes. The casino was not very busy and most of the slot machines were vacant.
Outside was the famous
Boardwalk. There were not much people walking around probably due to the cold, or the current economic crisis. If it were due to the economic crisis, then that explains why there are just too many vacant tables and slot machines in the casinos. Yet again, I saw the little cute cabs pushed around the
Boardwalk for 5 bucks -- if they haven't increased yet.
We went inside a mall at the other side of the boardwalk (the side
next to the beach). The decor at the entrance looked weird to me. It was an imitation of the beach but with Christmas Trees on it! I don't know. They just don't go together! Or maybe I'm just not used to it. We were at the mall to watch the water show which runs every 2 hours. Shoppers flocked to around the fountain to listen and watch the water dance.
A Candy Invented By Mother Nature On my first time to Atlantic City (see
East Coast CasinoLand), I regretted not having a taste of the Saltwater Taffy which was invented here. Suddenly, like an accident waiting to happen, we passed by a shop selling candies and Saltwater Taffy! A sign says we could ask for free tastes, but the lady allowed us to share just one candy. Despite that, I got a pound of taffy, two of each kind amongst the long array of flavors available.
The story on Atlantic City's Saltwater Taffy goes like this...
One day, a candy store owner opens his store along the
Boardwalk. To his dismay, all his candies were drenched in salt water due to its proximity to the beach. A girl
Dancing Water
At a shopping mall along the Boardwalk goes to the store and buys a taffy. He decided to sell the same candies and call them "saltwater" taffy. The name stuck.
Guess What's Unlawful In New Jersey Just like in the news, every retail store try to slash their price tags just to get people to go inside their stores. We did, when we saw a sign that says, "Everything $10". They were selling earrings and we noticed yet another sign I never saw until I got in New Jersey. The sign says, "According to New Jersey state law, earrings cannot be worn to fit." Isn't that unusual? Not that it's bad -- just unusual.
Buh-bye Clanging Coins We decided to do what we went here for. Penny slot machines!!! But these days, they use cards to enter into the machine and "cash out" money. I still prefer the thrill of entering real money into the machine. And when it's time to cash out, coins literally pour out into the pan making that nostalgic noise of clanging coins. I remember that in my visit to Las Vegas in 2000, my friends and I used to carry around a tall and fat plastic cup where
Blue ceiling lights
At a shopping mall along the Boardwalk we put our coins in. Now, the current machines still make the fake clanging noise.
Time flew fast and I wasn't even playing! I was just enjoying my time watching them play and double their money after many tries and many transfers into other slot machines.
Guess What Else Is Unlawful In New Jersey On the way out of Atlantic City, we again stopped by a gas station to refuel. I was surprised when our designated driver sat on his seat and waited for another person to do the drill with the gas pump. I wondered how come that person could be so kind to do that for us? But again, I realize there was a sign that says, "It is unlawful to serve yourself gas in New Jersey." What?!!!
We travelled back to Jersey City, then took the
Holland Tunnel this time. Again, it took us under the
Hudson River and it brought us into downtown Manhattan, specifically to Chinatown. It took us approximately 3 minutes inside that tunnel.
So that, my friends, is my day in New Jersey -- a day filled with unusual laws I only knew about in this state.
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Ralph
non-member comment
excellent, lengthy travel blog!!
Well done Marie! I really enjoyed reading about your 'escapades' in NY city and New Jersey! Loved the pics too... must've been great to see the sights with your Mum and Sis! Also, your descriptions of the various tasty dishes on offer were mouth-watering! I hope u have a 'swell' time over there, keep us posted on your travels and best of luck!!