The closure of four casinos in Atlantic City has created only an eerie sense of vacancy in the resort town: the Atlantic Club, the Trump Plaza, the Showboat, and the newly-built Revel are all empty now. Of these, only two-- Trump Plaza and the Atlantic Club-- publically admitted to having not turned a profit. Upon making their closure announcement, Showboat management made clear that they had been making money, but not as much as they wanted, to make continued operations worthwhile. The Revel, its owners having declared bankruptcy during construction to obtain a taxpayer-funded state bailout from Gov. Christie, chose to close their shiny facility that took over the far end of the Boardwalk strip when attendance dropped. Word on the street is that the Revel owners are going to "pull a Burger King"-- that is, re-emerge as a new corporation based in Canada, and purchase back the facility for a song. The Revel has been the only casino in AC to deny its workers a right to organize. The place has the feel of a Monopoly game pitifully lost, the handful of deeds remaining in the hands of the bank until everyone else gives up.
There are still plenty of places of luxury available in AC, for the reasonably-to-extraordinarily wèalthy (the Borgota, built in 2003 as the first off-Boardwalk casino, seems to have this market cornered). But luxury for the ultra-rich can be found in most places, and that has never been the point of the place anyway: the Boardwalk is wide enough to hold thousands of vacationers, meandering and staring at the sea. Except for the homeless and the mentally ill, everyone walks fast on the boards now, and especially ay night. Regardless of whether or not the owners of the Trump Taj Mahal recieve the tax break they're requesting from the state, what will the spectacular rebound of Atlantic City look like? Will the state of New Jersey continue to "reinvest" in Boardwalk properties? Will the new convention center being erected at Harrah's replace the famed hall on the other side of the city? Will the buffet at the Golden Nugget find an effective way to prevent homeless people from filling their pockets with food? And will I ever see another performance at the Showboat's House of Blues?
These photos were taken on October 16 and 17, 2014. Locations include the former Atlantic Club, the Showboat, Ceasar's, the Tropicana, the Irish Pub, the Boardwalk, and elsewhere. The "American College of Wealth"-- at least a sign representing such-- is located at Boardwalk and St. James Place.
Note: click on any image to see a larger, high-rez version.
No comments:
Post a Comment