ACES Train could be snake eye for Atlantic City.

Atlantic City will drive you nuts if you stare at it long enough. Let me first say that an express train between New York City and Atlantic City can be a core strategy for the long term plausabiliy of the market.


This is sounds like pure hatorade but it all stems from excitement. I wanted to book passage on the great new ACES train. 2 first class round trip tickets are $320. Throw in the $750 it will cost you to stay at Borgata for 2 nights and you are now over a g. If you are more than 2 people you are better getting a limo. Drinks are free and you leave on your schedule.

Aces takes near 3 hours and that is if things as scheduled.

If you could put this idea in a time machine and go back two or three years it might work.

The only people this makes sense for is the person who wants to get hammered all night and get back on the train in morning instead of paying the high rates for AC hotel rooms on the weekend.

This is the key to the viability of Atlantic City. Either more hotel rooms or FASTER ways to get people to town. With a casino a stones throw from all but the 5 boroughs the town is fucked.

A for effort. F for timing.

AJ OUT

Happy New Year - Fuck 2008

I want to wish you a happy new year.

Lets agree last year blew. Reale Estate, Stock Market, Casino Industry took a shit on your chest. Lets hope Obama has got some tricks up his sleeve to fix this mess.

My predictions for 2009:

Sports Betting and Medicinal Marijuana Legalized in New Jersey

Harrahs Sells One AC Casino

Margaritaville Deal Collapses

Trump Goes Bankrupt

Boyd buys out MGM from Borgata

The Pier Closes or Shuts down most stores

An Indian Tribe Buys an AC Casino


Those are some of my best guesses. I want to wish Larry Mullin well in his new gig down under. His mind will be missed in AC. He and Sid Vicunta made the best 1-2 marketing punch AC had seen in 15 years. They are now both out of town. Will someone get Sid on the phone and get him back in NJ.

Till then eat shit and die.

AJ

Sports Betting or Busto

Ok fuckers. Its sports betting time. Anyone you who knows knows I think we need sports betting in Atlantic City. Times are tough and they are about to get tougher. In my last blog I begged Steve Wynn to come back to Atlantic City and he has yet to return my call. Now for plan B.

Sports betting is federally against the law. A few years back Atlantic City had a last chance to pass it before the federal law took hold. Bill Bradley whore for professional sports and the mafia made sure it didn't pass. I hope he dies.

Since then the Internet has made legitimate billionaires out of former mobsters. Betting on sports is easier then opening a bank account. But oh no you cant do it in Atlantic City, what about the children. Well the children aren't going to be able to eat unless Atlantic City stops the bleeding.

Last week, surprise surprise, Curtis Bashaw announced that his and Wally Barr's billion dollar project is shelved due to financing. Duh Without a shot in the arm this town is fucked. Be glass is half full all you want. Last time we saw a problem like this was the early 90s. Then there was only Foxwoods to contend with and even they were tiny at the time. Now its Philly, New York, West Virginia, Delaware. Wake up assholes. Sports betting now or AC will look like in did in the winter on 1975 by this time in 2010.

AJ OUT

Steve Wynn - AC Superhero or Savior?

October was another shitty month in Atlantic City. 10 percent off from last year. Considering auto sales were way off from even that number maybe gambling is recession proof. LOL/

The Water Club at Borgata is not doing nearly the business that Boyd had expected. Their stock price is at 1/4 of what it was when the Borgata opened 5 years ago and only a fraction of the stocks high point. This has put some of the executives on the hot seat. Which is bullshit. Larry Mullin is the best casino executive this town has produced since Peter Boynton left town in 1995.

Pinnacle has put their Atlantic City project on hold indefinitely. I told you that 6 months ago. MGM has put their Atlantic City project on hold. Its the early 1990s all over again. For almost a decade Atlantic City was deluged with sketches of the next big thing. Then somehow it would go down the shitter.

I remember specifically having breakfast with my father reading about The Quarter to be built at the Tropicana. We laughed hysterically because at the time it had seemed so far fetched. The tunnel was supposed to bring Atlantic City 3 new casinos. The crown jewel of which was the return to Atlantic City of Steve Wynn. That never happened. We only got the Borgata.

Its deja vu all over again. We need Steve Wynn to start buying in AC on the cheap. We know that he has problems of his own in Maccau and Las Vegas, but those towns dont adore Mr Wynn like AC does. Lets throw him a birthday party and get him to buy Bader Field for $5. He'll turn around and sell it to someone else for 10 billion, but it will rejuvenate Atlantic City.

Not to get off on a rant or anything.

AJ - Out

How the Phillies made me sad.

For the love of god only the Phillies could figure out a way to keep us biting our nails for 3 days. How about that? Its been 25 years since Philly fans have been able to pund their chest and claim to be World Champions. We here in the Atlantic City area support for the most part Philadelphia teams.

FU Joe Carter
Mitch Williams You are off the hook.

I do feel good about this on most levels. This doesn't totally make up for the ridiculously treachery of the NBA in the 2001 NBA finals where the Sixers should have been up 2-0 on the "unstoppable" Los Angeles Lakers. Or Donovan McNabb hurling in the fourth quarter of the superbowl.

I guess it is as good as time as any to admit that baseball was ruined for me forever in 1994 with the strike. Baseball had been my favorite sport as a child and I lived and died with the Philles. Once trying a round trip 1000 miles to watch the 1993 NLCS in person. But the strike killed me.
I have been a Phillies fan longer than I have been an fan of anything in my life. However I just wasn't as elated with their victory as I would had the Sixers or Eagles taken home the crown and danced down Board St.

Am I alone in this?

Party Till You Are Red White and Blue

Ok folks its Fourth of July weekend and its time to get fucked up. I know I shouldn't be so crass, but come on. I need hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, cole slaw, potato salad, and booze, booze, booze.

The places to be this weekend mostly revolve around the beach. First off I have to give the Atlantic City Hilton props. They are having three live concerts on the fricking beach. Now if you had to pick one band for such a display you'd obviously go with the Beach Boys. That's right a free beach boys conert on July 4th in Atlantic City. Oh are the people gonna be lubed up.

Lots of other big acts in town this weekend. Well not big but worth noting: Jay Leno, Rush, Melissa Ethridge and John legend will make the rounds of the Atlantic City casinos.

I hope the town has a good weekend it could really use it.

AJ

Passing of an Icon

George Carlin was far more than a comedian. He was the voice in the back our of head telling us when shit was fucked up. He was made famous by his 7 words you cant say on TV, but that was just beginning. He was a pioneer in his industry and widely respected as one of the best stand us ever by his peers.

I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Carlin perform live twice during his many appearances in the Atlantic City show rooms. He made at least two trips a year to either the Borgata or Caesars to display his newest material. The shows I witnessed were nothing short of genius. He would rant on anything from religion to people's over indulgence of their children. He also always found a way to work Atlantic City into his act into a relevant way.

The mantle is now passed to the likes of Chris Rock, Artie Lange, Bill Maher just to name a few. But truely it will be a long time before we see the likes of a talent the level of George Carlin. Happy trails.

AJ