 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
On Location: Showtime in Atlantic City
|
|
America’s favorite playground is becoming a music mecca
|
|
BY AUSTIN KELLEY
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Onstage at the House of Blues in Atlantic City’s Showboat casino; the Borgata Hotel’s Gypsy Bar. |
|
|
|
After passing up Atlantic City for years, our New York-based writer finally stopped in to check out the city’s burgeoning music scene. It’s a good thing he did.
PLAYING OUR SONG
Ever since I can remember, I've spent my vacations "down the shore," as we like to say in my native Philadelphia, and I’ve always had to drive past Atlantic City to get there. To be honest, I never gave the city much thought. I’m not a gambler and as far as I knew, A.C.’s offerings were limited to slot machines and Sinbad. But in recent years, I began to hear about interesting developments: new shops and restaurant openings, yes, but also high-quality shows and concerts. By the time my wife Emily and I booked our trip to check it out this spring, we weren’t sure what to expect. Would we find the tired A.C. of yesteryear, or a vibrant new music mecca?
We did find a lot of the old A.C., but in pleasantly surprising ways. In fact, one of our most entertaining experiences took place not in a concert hall or casino, but at a restaurant that has been serving meals since 1897, Dock’s Oyster House. Minutes after we sat down for a glass of wine and some fresh Malpeques, a friendly and garrulous Russian woman named Liliya Khobotkova began banging away on the piano at the far end of the bar. When a pair of regulars walked in, she played their signature song. When she discovered that Emily and I didn’t have a signature song—Well! We must find one. By the end of the night, Liliya had us combing through books of sheet music and singing along as she hammered out everything from Hall & Oates to Puccini.
ON STAGE
For larger-scale entertainment, visitors can check out another A.C. landmark, Boardwalk Hall. Built in 1929 under the direction of Enoch “Nucky” Johnson (the inspiration behind HBO’s new Boardwalk Empire series), Boardwalk Hall doesn’t look like much from the outside. But the interior, with its classic arched ceilings and $90-million renovation, is a different story. Big-name performers like Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen have taken to this stage in recent years. During a tour (acchos.org; $20), you’ll see the world’s largest pipe organ.
Like Boardwalk Hall, some of the traditional casinos have also been refurbished. The Hilton’s Grand Theater now hosts lecturers like Glenn Beck and former President Bill Clinton, and the Showboat’s House of Blues (opened in 2005) features modern rockers like the Flaming Lips. The Borgata’s Music Box serves up intimate shows (Rufus Wainwright and Lyle Lovett have performed here), while the hotel’s event space provides a grander stage for Mariah Carey and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
JERSEY BOY
If you don’t have tickets to any of the big shows, you can always catch a cover band at a casino bar. One evening, Emily and I found ourselves at Harrah’s Eden Lounge, listening to new wave classics (Cyndi Lauper, Blondie) played by a dozen musicians decked out in tutus and black-and-red suspenders. While the scene was admittedly mellow, the band performed with gusto. Later that night, we watched a younger, more raucous crowd dance to the sounds of Journey and the Romantics over at the Borgata’s Gypsy Bar, which has more of a rock-club atmosphere. But wherever we went, we kept hearing New Jersey’s favorite son, Bruce Springsteen. Emily and I never did choose our signature song that night at Dock’s, but by trip’s end, we had a pretty good idea what it should be: “Atlantic City,” by the Boss himself.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
|
|
|
|
Published: September 5, 2010
|
|
Photos: Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Bureau; Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
|
|
|