Atlantic City, NJ is totally worth it — even with bad weather and no gambling

My wife and I spent a weekend in Atlantic City to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

Neither of us is a gambler, so we went for the hotel experience and the boardwalk. The nasty weather put the kibosh on the boardwalk (thanks Ian), so went we mainly spent the trip visiting hotels.

The one we stayed in, the Ocean Casino Resort, was by far the nicest.

For one thing, at the Ocean, they believe in natural light. When we walked into the lobby, I was struck by how light and airy the tall ceiling and giant windows made the place feel. I was used to rather dark casinos, but the Ocean is different. When visiting other casinos during our trip, they just seemed older and darker.

The Ocean is easy to find; it’s the tallest building in Atlantic City (I’m told it’s the fourth tallest building in the state). Our room was on the 40th floor facing the ocean, so we had a good view of the churning waves caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ian. The Ferris wheel on the Steel Pier is really cool looking at night when it is all lit up.

The casino floor bursts with color.

The Ocean lives up to its name as a “resort” given all the amenities it offers; there is a spa (complete with massages, sauna, facials, peels, and more). There is also a fully equipped fitness center (yes, I used it), and an indoor/outdoor pool (which I did not use).

When it’s lit up, it’s visible for miles.

The restaurant selection is pretty impressive, too. Our favorite was Harper’s, which only serves breakfast and lunch. I’m not lying when I say they had the biggest breakfast portions I’ve ever had.

I ordered assuming the portions would be small and when they brought the food to the table I realized that I had ordered too much. But I went ahead and ate it all.

My wife, who isn’t as much of a pig as I am, got a doggy bag for her cinnamon roll that was about the size of her head (I exaggerate, but not by much).

All in all, even with the bad weather, we had a great trip to AC.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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