Atlantic City, NJ Travel Guide

So, I'm sure hearing the words "Atlantic City" probably brings some vivid images to mind- gambling, old ladies with blue hair wheeling around the slots, and typical New Jersey people (I'm going to let you picture what that means to you). I had those same images before going, and even though I was 100% accurate, it was actually one of the most fun and interesting trips I have ever taken. My mom suggested AC because it was one of the cheapest beaches that was easily accessible for both of us for a impromptu trip.

Where We Stayed:

We stayed at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and boy was that as wild and as cheesy as you would expect. The building in itself was massive, featured nine restaurants, two indoor bars, two outdoor bars, and a nightclub. And all of that is not including an entire wing devoted to quick deli or fast food style establishments ranging from ice cream, to breakfast pastries, to pizza. The resort also featured a full-service spa where you could get massages, facials, wraps, get your makeup or hair done, and relax in a giant whirlpool or sauna. That on top of the casino, multiple shops, a comedy club, performance venues, and hundreds of memorabilia from musicians ranging from Elvis to Taylor Swift, you could easily spend your entire trip just inside this building. The decorations were a little (ok, a lot) gaudy for my personal taste, but definitely went with the theme of Hard Rock in general as well as the feel of the guests there. My personal favorite touch was a giant light up guitar that would light up to whatever song was playing.

What We Ate:

When we first arrived to AC, we ate at The Landshark Bar & Grill, a pleasant little place situated right on the beach. We ate on the open air patio and soaked up the perfect day (we also got attacked by seagulls diving for food but thankfully we were closer to the wall than the ledge so they usually didn't make it that far) we also had the most wonderful fruity cocktails that were equal parts beautiful and tasty.

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We ate the rest of our food in the hotel, eating at the Italian Restaurant, IL MULINO one night and then The Hard Rock Cafe the other. Both were nice, a little pricy, but considering we just had to take an elevator to get there, was expected. We also had margaritas at Margaritaville twice, I think I had about 6 Perfect Margaritas and boy let me tell you, they were perfect. The second night, the girl put too much lime juice in it so it was a little tart, but still worth it! The first night they were completely clear and honestly what dreams are made of.

We also spent some time at the Hard Rock Lobby Bar where they have live music, and aside from our glasses of wine being a completely different price every single time we ordered, it was a fun time! I will say, skip the fancy looking ice-cream because you will end up spending $10 for a sugar cone with basic ice cream. The display makes it look so rich with a ton of extravagant toppings, but it is all for show.

What We Did:

The first day, we walked the famous boardwalk and boy let me tell you it was a trip. Every block or so the feeling would completely change, you'd have these super modern resorts, then smaller motels, and then suddenly you were in the wild west, or The Roman Empire, or Europe like it was a mess but there was something for everyone. Massage parlors and strip clubs sprinkled throughout the boardwalk in-between The Rainforest Cafe and T-Shirt shops. We went into a 99 cent store and found Philly shot glasses, AC postcards from the late 80s, and an artistic nude book that had absolutely no indication on the cover that you would open it up and to a zoomed in picture of genitalia. So as you can see, it was just weird.

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I also tried gambling for the first time and I hated it. We signed up for the Hard Rock rewards program so we could get a new member bonus and basically play $25 for free, but I still hated it. My mom did end up winning about $200, but I came out with just 28 cents. I will say, I did not like how the casino was organized. It was open so anyone walking through the hotel could walk through, which was fine, but that also meant you didn't have to show you were of age unless some security guard walked up and demanded your ID. We had a super weird encounter with one who would just not believe that I was 21 even after showing him my license. It really dampened my already kinda salty attitude about loosing and made me scared to play again. If we hadn't basically stayed at the same 3 machines, we probably would have had to have the same encounter with every security guard working. The hotel should give you a wrist band or something when you check in so you don't have to deal with nasty security guards just because you look young. I will admit, I'm probably not their usual customer, and I was in a t-shirt and shorts with no make-up, but I was also on vacation so I didn't feel the need to wear my power suit. My absolute favorite part of the trip was that it rained on our one full day so we had an excuse to spend the day in the spa. Both my mom and I got deep tissue massages and relaxed in the whirlpool for a few hours after. It was so nice to be relaxed and without a phone for the day, I hadn't had a massage since middle school, so it was certainly overdue! They even had a Caribbean Rain shower that was the definition of heavenly. We went to the beach before we left on the last day, it was nice for mid-Atlantic beach, but nothing special.

Though it was definitely a weird place, it was nice to get out of my comfort zone (I honestly experienced more culture shock here than in Paris!) and I would totally go back at some point! Maybe when I'm a little older, and won't be harassed by security guards for looking younger than I am. But it was all worth it to see Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl ensemble.