ATLANTIC CITY - Travel writers are supposed to know where the action is, and looking back, I've been to many of the best places, and others unexpectedly less enthralling, but usually, somehow, go home thinking I can write something to make the trip worthwhile. Until recently, when I went to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
I had a good time, particularly on its golf courses. But I had barely unpacked when a large US newspaper came out with the headline, "Once-fabled Atlantic City hits free fall.
"What happened? Did some guy break the bank at a casino? At all the casinos?
No, it appears gamblers are not showing up like they used to. Not that there is anything wrong with the place, it's just that whereas Atlantic City used to be the only resort in the state to have gambling, and the only state outside of Nevada where losing your shirt was legal, it seems all the states surrounding New Jersey now have casinos, and New York is poised to be next, and right on the Jersey line.
In eight years 10,000 casino jobs have been lost, and now the city is urgently looking for a new direction.
Indeed it should, and the newspaper article was good enough to say that Atlantic City had successfully reinvented itself in the past.
It had, and has, a lot going for it, starting with a glorious beach and an easy drive from New York. It hosted the first Miss America pageant in 1921 and when Monopoly was launched in 1935 all the names - such as Boardwalk - came from Atlantic City.
Bob Hope in his vaudeville days was a regular, and when Arnold Palmer was an enlisted man in the Coast Guard 1951-52, he played golf here in his sailor suit. Like the best seaside resorts it had a pier and they say that even during Prohibition there was fun to be had.
The bottom line is that casinos were a quick fix that has not worked out. So now what?
Having lost my shirt as a young guy (if you are going to lose all your money a good time to do it is when you don't have any) I was not tempted by the tables, although it's impossible to go anywhere in a casino hotel without crossing a gambling zone.
My room at Caesar's was well priced and exceedingly comfortable, and I had a wonderful sea view. Wi-Fi worked well and the laundry was so cheap I'm going to bring a pile of it on my next visit.
To get to the beach took three minutes and en route was the Backyard Bar, with an ocean-view patio and big-screen TVs inside for live sports.
Of course I didn't spend all my time there. Heck, there was that classic, wooden boardwalk, a Starbucks, even a lawyer's office ("acquittals in most cases" it advertised).Nightlife ranges from Rod Stewart in concert to threeminute helicopter rides over the strip at night.And not far away is the Atlantic City Country Club. Six USGA majors have been played there, including the US Open, won in 1911 by the club pro, Johnny J. McDermott, at the age of 19.
The terms "birdie" and "eagle" were first coined at this enjoyable course, kept in perfect condition and offering a warm welcome to visitors. The clubhouse has the charm of an old homestead, the pictures on the dining room walls are absolutely fascinating, and as for the locker room - well, one locker has "Al Capone" on it. He owned a house nearby.
Not far away is the Stockton Seaview resort, two courses managed by upscale operator Troon Golf. The hotel has the same old-world atmosphere as the Country Club, while the golf shop is well stocked and manned by pros who make you feel welcome. The meal we had in the players' bar was first-rate as well.
Being on the bay the courses get plenty of wind, but it rarely detracts from the pleasure of being on attractive and well maintained tracks. I was teamed up with two guys on vacation from Iceland, and it was the golf that brought them here, not blackjack.
So maybe that's the next reinvention for Atlantic City - golf. It would bring me back.
