Hype

Bells were ringing and I could hear people yelling and cheering in the background. The noise level almost required earplugs. There were a group of guys cheering as if their team had just won the Superbowl or world series. I stopped what I was doing to really absorb the atmosphere. It had turned from quite and serious to loud and animated. People milling around sipping drinks with a gleam in their eye wondering if they would be the lucky one.

There was an unusual amount of young women and men tonight which is usually not the norm. Maybe there was a cool concert or something that had drawn them in. Most of the girls were dressed rather nice and it seemed as if finding the right subject was on the top of the list. Many were a little drunk at this point. It was really crowded and I thought it was early until I glanced at my watch, it displayed 1:30 am. Then I thought this was really a great place to meet people if you were single and a really cool place to hangout with a group of your friends. You had several places to choose from to eat at. All kinds of shopping from high end to low end, the beach, dance clubs, the movies, and free drinks. The atmosphere was eclectic!

Where else could you find all of this so close to home?

Atlantic City! The Tropicana Casino and Hotel.
We went for the day and could not have asked for better weather. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the gambling was hot. We walked the boardwalk gazing at all the shops and had lunch overlooking the ocean. We have been coming here for years and have always had a good time. There all types of entertainment, food, beach, shopping, and sights (on the boardwalk). This is really the only place that I have ever seen that allows vagrants to perform for money on the boardwalk. You may see someone playing guitar, trumpet, bagpipes, singing, acrobatics, or even someone playing an upright piano on the boardwalk. Many people are homeless, alcoholics, drug abusers, or veterans. However many of them are very talented and can be pleasant to listen to. I would miss them if they were not there, it is just a part of history.

With all that has transpired we decided we needed a day away to forget it all and At antic City can do that. Time stands still but your wallet is always open. We started at the Tropicana then worked our way outside down to the steel pier. Shops such as Gucci, Movado, Tiffany, and many more. I wondered how many people actually come here to shell out a thousand dollars for a purse. The seagulls were gliding in the air searching for that kind person to throw them their next meal. They get so close that you could touch them. Of course I am sure they would bite if you did so, so I nixed that off my list. Then we went to Caesars Palace. We were drawn of course to the Roulette table.

Roulette, one of our favorite games. This was the best because they had just opened another table and we got a good seat. Boy was Lisa hot on the numbers! I was holding my own and before we knew it she had a good stack of chips with some black chips. She cashed out and I continued to play hitting really good on double 0. We were ahead and cashed in and came out $450.00 ahead. Yeah!! Back out to the boardwalk for awhile then into the casino for some video poker and more Roulette. The one thing I never do is drink and gamble. I am to concerned about the win rather than the drink. I wondered how many people get so drunk that they don't realize what or how they are gambling. This was a good day and then we realized it was almost 2:00 am and we were getting tired. Had the 2 1/2 hours drive home yet. After counting our loses I was amazed. I had only lost $3.00. We held our own and luck was on our side.

We did inquire about the economy while we were there and many did tell us they were feeling the crunch. The balance of age was upset due to the elderly and middle age working class dealing with the stock market and mortgage crisis. The young and employed in college and still living at home were the casinos largest population on the weekends. It was a fast fun filled day of hype.