Marsha
- Jun 8, 2023
- 3 min read

Do You Want to Play a Game?

Traveling the country in our RV is amazing. We get to see new places all the time and we never forget to pack something.

But sometimes...just sometimes it's nice to stay somewhere other than home.

As a combination birthday celebration and having reservations at Hell's Kitchen, we spent the weekend in Atlantic City...in a hotel! It's such a strange place. It wants to be Las Vegas but it hasn't quite managed that level of glitz and glamour.

The week before going, I learned that Monopoly is based off of Atlantic City. The real estate pieces are named for city streets, many of which lead to the Boardwalk (yes, the most expensive place in the game) and from there have their own entrance to the beach.

What's even cooler?

We stayed at Park Place.

Okay, so technically this amazing historic hotel is next to the street Park Place but close enough! The original Park Place is a park that no longer exists.

The Claridge is one of those grand old ladies who's been around for almost 100 years, she opened in 1930. Like many of her kind, she has amazing features not found in today's modern hotel such as a brass plate showing where the elevator is in relation to the lobby floor. Or the moldings found throughout. There is something special about these places.

Of course, grand old ladies require a lot of upkeep or they start looking a little...worn. Personally, we love the look and feel of these beautiful buildings so we're happy with our visits to them. Besides, when the room is like this, why complain?

As someone who rarely has access to a bathtub, I was in heaven.

The Claridge's brick grandeur reflected in Bally's mirrored side. Taken from the rooftop bar of the Claridge

Our second night was spent at the Tropicana because the price difference between Friday and Saturday night at the Claridge was insane.

The Tropicana is undergoing some renovation so the rooms now have that blah modern hotel feel to them. Nice, comfortable, but lacking in character.

Another contrast, whereas the Claridge is a straight up hotel where you have to wind your way (indoors) to Bally's for the casino and entertainment, the Tropicana puts the party on when you leave your car and go inside.

Seriously, who has a P.F. Chang's like this?

There was an indoor shopping strip on the way to our room which reminded me of the indoor shopping in Vegas (at the Bellagio or Caesars Palace I think) with how the ceiling was painted to imitate the sky. This led into the casino they don't want you to leave but you finally figure out how to escape to hotel.

Let's talk about the Boardwalk because similar to the hotels, the two ends are very different. We walked the north end during the Saturday transition between lodgings. It was...interesting. Between the morning and early afternoon being so foggy at times you couldn't see far in front of you and the sheer number of empty storefronts, it felt a bit apocalyptic.

We spent $20 at the arcade there and scored almost 1,000 tickets from the games (I hit the spinner get extra tickets thingy twice!). Better luck than we had gambling which we only spent $5 on.

The south end of the boardwalk was vastly different. There were far fewer empty storefronts accompanied by more activity. There was even a mini golf course and an homage to the Miss America pageant.

As for dinner at Hell's Kitchen, it was an amazing experience that requires its own post.

You would think leaving Atlantic City the next morning our amusement would be at an end but no, even though it was raining off and on (again) we stopped by Smithville on the way home to enjoy and support a local Renaissance Faire.

While the faire itself was small, the group putting it on was delightful. On top of that, Smithville is a charming colonial style village with wonderful stores to peruse. And there was no shortage of ducks who waddled around like they owned the place.