Hold the Glamour

My husband and I went away for the weekend with friends (who have two children of similar ages to our’s), for the first time since Mila was born almost four-and-a-half years ago. We were together, without children, overnight and away for over 24 hours. That means, we went to bed late and slept in without interruption to our precious sleep.

We drove to Atlantic City, New Jersey which is about two-and-a-half hours away without traffic. It took us a little longer with traffic and petrol/gas stops. We were ready to get out and stretch our legs by the time we arrived.

Atlantic City – Jennifer Miller and I on approach to our hotel

Atlantic City – Borgata Hotel

It was my first time to A.C. and I didn’t expect it to be so flat, on the coast and spread out like it was. It’s a little ‘Vegas’, where people come to gamble, see shows and get away from reality and daylight (we didn’t have a clock in our room). I’ve been to Vegas many times for both work and play and it’s on another level. Atlantic City is I guess, the east coast version of the gambling mecca.

A.C. – The view from our room on the 36th floor at the Borgata hotel

We checked in and took the fast elevator up to the 36th floor – what an amazing view and spread before us. It was lovely to see the ocean and calm of the blue sky. I love being by the water and coastline – I guess that’s all I know as I’ve lived in Sydney and New York for most of my life.

Then it was time for Jen and I to hit the spa whilst the men folk hit the floor for a flutter or two. A perfect way to make everyone happy as Jen and I don’t really gamble nor do we know much about that kind of stuff. We do know however, about spa treatments and what makes us feel good.

We had an afternoon of bliss – facial, massage, spa, steam room and sauna. It was a sleepy, relaxing and hypnotic experience. I had a hard time ‘waking-up’. We had zero interruptions or commitments and the time was ours – what a novelty!

A.C. – Jen and I after our afternoon at the spa

We return to our hotel room, get ready for dinner and meet our husbands at the restaurant. We inhale the food as we are well and truly hungry by now. We had a delicious meal accompanied with lovely wine to celebrate this first-time occasion (the kids were doing well and missing us just enough). Truth be told, they were excited that we had mentioned there may be a treat coming their way if they behaved well. I know you’re not supposed to ‘bribe’ your children – once in while is quite alright I think.

Next up, we all hit the floor. Jen and I received a crash course on the roulette table whilst the ‘men’ played with us dispersing chips of their own colour across the felt. We had some fun and killed some time then pulled out of the game just before we lost all our money. See, that’s why I don’t gamble with money.

I’d rather spend my money elsewhere and do other things with it. I personally believe when one is gambling, that you are giving the money away for free, for nothing. I found it rather sad, lonely and desperate to be honest. There were people from everywhere, young and old, people from all races giving lady luck a shot. It was a vortex of smoke, alcohol, lights, noise and people. I couldn’t believe they had designated ‘smoking’ areas. My hair and clothes stank like back in the day when people could smoke everywhere and anywhere. Haven’t times changed for the better?!

The next day we slept, ate, checked out and drove back home toward New York City. We passed a flea market that seemed like it was stuck in some time warp or better still, a Hollywood movie. We stopped and took a look around. It was hot, quiet and I felt sorry for the people trying to make a sale under such conditions and desperation.

A.C. – Flea market just as we were leaving our hotel

NYC – A view of the city from the Verrazano Bridge

By the time we made it home – the four of us couldn’t wait to wrap ourselves around our angels. We had missed them and it was wonderful to have had the opportunity to have missed them. Kisses and hugs were flowing for hours. We went for a walk around our neighborhood, then back for dinner, bath and bedtime. Another day, another weekend etched into our memory. Another fun weekend with our friends.

Have you ever been to Atlantic City? A casino or place to gamble? What did you think about it? Would you return?