Maiden King

On Aug. 20-22, I went to Atlantic City then Monmouth Park. 

I hadn’t been to Atlantic City since 1984 when I was 19 years old.  I remember having about $50 on me and I naively thought it would be enough spending money for the weekend.

We went to the beach for a couple of hours then it was onto the casino. After about 30 minutes of gambling my $50 was long gone. 

I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1994 and wondered if Atlantic City had changed at all. It’s true that the Marina area ,where the Borgata Hotel is located, is as nice as anywhere in Las Vegas.

But the Boardwalk area seemed rundown to me. I saw many people sleeping on benches, almost all of the rolling chairs were idle, and a new construction project owner decided to stop building his casino.

I was impressed by Monmouth Park. It’s located about two miles from Long Branch Beach, which has many nice restaurants and shops, and a boardwalk that people use to walk, run and bike.

The track is spacious, has a nice simulcast room and the paddock area has three huge trees that shade the horses that use the walking ring.