Atlantic City-Cape May,NJ
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - Still at Sea Pines Swainton NJ We had read and heard about the Atlantic City region as one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.
Ray's Remarks: We spent three weeks (Outdoor World Sea Pines) in this area and toured from Cape May to north of Atlantic City, mostly the coast line. Marsha and I toured most of Cape May and Atlantic City by truck. I rode the bike a little. The small beach towns and barrier islands were crowded from bay to beach with mostly expensive beach houses. Can’t see the beach for the sand dunes and houses. There are public beaches (no dogs). And public access walks, parking is a problem. We did not go to the beach, just a quick look and left. The south end of New Jersey from east to west was mostly farm land. It seems like the entire population of eastern states head to the beaches on the weekend —do not try to travel east or west on weekends.
World-famous beach and boardwalk, luxurious casinos, nonstop gaming action, the hottest entertainers, the best in dining, and quality sporting events. “America’s Favorite Playground” is renowned for all this and more. The boardwalk is six miles long. First built in 1870 and voted one of the best boardwalks in America. Atlantic City is a resort community located on Absecon Island on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic City was incorporated on May 1, 1854. Atlantic City has had its major ups and downs over the years and in an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 approved casino gambling for Atlantic City. On July 3, 2003, Atlantic City's newest casino, The Borgata, opened with much success. Another major attraction is the oldest remaining Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in the world.
The famous boardwalk was one destination I didn’t want to miss seeing. It was a very overcast and fog banked day. The sun tried to peek through dense clouds off and on. We drove down to the end of the streets to see the Atlantic Ocean. 
Took pictures of the Absecon Lighthouse. It is noted for being New Jersey’s tallest Lighthouse; the country’s third tallest Lighthouse; 150 years old, 1857-2007. For $7 you can climb to the top. 
I wanted to see the Trump Taj Mahal. We had a very hard time finding a parking space within easy walking distance to the Trump Taj Mahal. We were shocked to find that their self-parking garage has a maximum height of 6’4”. Our truck would never make it. Finally, Ray saw an Emergency / Fire Department parking lot. The EMT was very nice and said we could stay in their parking lot for a few hours. Therefore, we didn’t have to pay for parking nor have to worry whether our truck would be in the same condition once we returned. You notice a lot of very old homes and row homes, a lot of them boarded up or falling into disrepair. Also a lot of empty lots everywhere. The community looks plagued with poverty. Scores of homeless addict types scattered everywhere. However, you can see that as a major player comes into town, they are buying up the land and building new high-rise casinos and hotels.
It was close to lunchtime, so we decided to try the “food court” inside Trump Taj Mahal. It is located on the second floor and we were awestruck by the three huge hanging chandeliers that lit up the otherwise dark atmosphere. 
At a fast-food restaurant called Burger, we ordered $10 cheeseburgers and $3 sweet potato fries. Figured we wouldn’t find anything any less expensive at the white tablecloth dining rooms around the perimeter. I will have to say the burgers were great - nothing like McDonald’s or Wendy’s. After the long wait for the food, we ate and hurriedly headed out of the hotel to the boardwalk. Smoking is only allowed in the casino area and I read that they are only allowed 25% smoking in the casino area. As we walked by the casino, we could catch the smell of smoke, even though it was contained.
The boardwalk - it was not busy at all yet it was noisy with loud music and/or advertisement announcements over the loud speakers. 
We saw the “famous” Steel Pier and I’m sure it is fun for the kids that come here on the weekends. It is an amusement park. 
We walked out to where we could see the beach and there were a lot of people out enjoying the sand and water. The sad discovery I made was under the pier.
There was a “homeless?” man feeding about 15 feral cats under the boardwalk. There are many containers under the boardwalk that house the cats. We were surprised to see that nothing has been done to “clear out” such activity, as it does nothing to attract people to return to the boardwalk.
We saw many of the man-driven carts lined up in a row waiting all in a row waiting for customers.
There was not much activity as most of the people walking around were probably not there as tourists, but locals. The tourists probably come out at night. I would not call it glamorous.
As we drove away from the strip, we saw many of the familiar upscale stores and the scene changes from neglect and poverty to the rich and not so rich that wants to shop or catch a latte at Starbucks. Total transformation one block away.
Friday, July 24 - We passed through Wildwood again and traffic wasn’t too bad. We stopped for lunch at the Lobster House at Fisherman’s Wharf. 
A Seafood Restaurant, Raw Bar and Take Out, Fish Market and Gift Shop. The interior has a wonderful, nautical atmosphere that we always tend to look for. Since 1922, the Lobster House is known for the freshest seafood available as they have their own supply of ships and go out and return to unload their catch daily.
Today would be out last opportunity to travel to the Cape May area due to weekend warriors that drive the gauntlet to the beaches. It is more than an hour wait from what we hear. Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Being the Southern-most point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the town a popular place to escape the heat. 
Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 1700s and is recognized by the United States government as the country's oldest seaside resort. It is noted for its large number of well-maintained Victorian houses — the second largest collection of Victorian-era homes in the nation after San Francisco. In 1976, the entire city of Cape May was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. It is the only city in the United States wholly designated as such. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.
The Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May's only Victorian house museum. We did not take the tour but thought the architecture was worth noting. http://www.capemaytimes.com/history/physick.htmThe Stick Style design is attributed to renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness and features jerkin-head dormers, "stick"-like grids overlaying clapboard walls, "stick"-like brackets on the porch, and corbelled or "upside down" chimneys. The mansion has 18 rooms with several out-buildings. . Back in its heyday, the Physick Estate housed a rather unusual household: Dr. Emlen Physick, who never married; his widowed mother, Mrs. Ralston; and his Maiden Aunt Emilie. Dr. Physick's grandfather, Dr. Philip Syng Physick (1768-1837) was known as the Father of American Surgery. Emlen Physick followed family tradition by completing medical training, but he never practiced. He lived the life of a country gentleman and animal breeder. He is remembered for having the first automobile in Cape May. In the 1970's, after decades of decline, the Physick Estate and the nine outbuildings on the four-acre Cape May estate on Washington Ave. were saved and restored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC).
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