Splurge Day

As a kid, one of my favorite movies was Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, a story about a young girl, growing up in the Great Depression who joins a team and learns to jump horses.  She dreams of going to Atlantic City and frequently sings, "On the boardwalk in Atlantic City, life will be peaches and cream."  Despite how little of the song I know, this song went through my head repeatedly during our travels to Atlantic City.

We didn't really know what to expect in Atlantic City, but we thought we would at least go see the boardwalk, and treat ourselves to a nice night.  Little did we know, until we arrived, that June 18th is in fact Splurge Day.  I know, I didn't have it on my calendar either, but now, it will be a staple in my year, making sure to celebrate year after year.  So, we took this on with vengeance... and a combination of good-sense.

The boardwalk is six-miles long, stretching along the beaches with towering casinos, beach shops and restaurants on the opposite side.  There is a pier with all your favorite carnival rides and games, although with the eerie clouds, we couldn't even see the top of the ferris wheel.

As it was splurge day, during our walk along the boardwalk, we treated ourselves to a beachside bar which not only provided a nice break, but also some incredible people watching.  Atlantic City draws an incredible crowd, one that you can probably all imagine.  There were the retirees spending their hours at the slots, families escaping to some time in the sun, young adults escaping work, and some incredible fashion statements being made.

We tried our luck at some casinos, something I have really never done.  Sure, the thought of leaving with more money than I started is an exciting possibility, but it is the thought of losing so much in such a short time with nothing to show for it that haunts me more than anything!  I played $11 on some different slot machines and made a little along the way to keep playing, but mostly, that money disappeared without a trace.  Later, Jess taught me about video poker.  Although this game took only a minimal amount of skill, it was at least a bit more involved than just pushing a button or pulling a handle.  On this game, I put in $20, played at a few different machines, and ended up leaving with my $20.  Not a bad time in the casinos!

Remember, it was Splurge Day, so to finish off our evening, we went to our hotel's rooftop bar to watch the sunset.  After the sunset behind us, we could hear the waves and watch the colors of the ferris wheel change in a variety of colors and patterns.

Our hotel is in the reflection, in fact if you look REALLY closely, you can see us!

I'm not sure if Atlantic City is a place I would necessarily recommend, or a place I want to return to, but I'm so glad we chose to spend Splurge Day there.  But, if you do ever happen to go there, make sure that you stop to see Lucy, the six-story elephant that is America's oldest roadside attraction, even older than the Statue of Liberty.