Misc. Atlantic City Tips

[Jnachod2]

Parking --> at casino parking garages, you pay once for the whole time you're parked - not per hour or per day.  Don't get scammed at surface parking lots that advertise a $5 rate that only is valid for 2 or 4 hours of parking.

Do not park at meters on the street. They have to be paid until 10 or 11 at night, unlike in Ithaca. They are not free on Saturday as is the case in Ithaca.

If you park at Caesars, you should go into the casino and look for the "Total Rewards" counter and sign up for a card, even if you will not be gambling. It will give you a possible discount on parking and potentially some other goodies.

You must be 21 to do this.

Public Transit -->

In AC: Jitney buses in Atlantic City cost $2.25 per ride and are very convenient. The drivers will make change.
From Philly: NJ Transit operates the Atlantic City line train from 30th Street Station.  Gets you to AC in about 1-1/2 hours for $10.  You can also pick this train up at various small towns in New Jersey such as Cherry Hill.  Schedule Info at this link.

Restaurants/Drinking -->

Tun Tavern is very nice, located in the Sheraton Hotel by the Convention Center. If you're a fan of Triumph in Princeton, you'll probably like this place.
Mountain Bar is in the Wild West Casino (part of Bally's) and has happy hour all the time. $2.00 draft beers!

[billhoward]

You pay to park? Last year we just drove in expecting to pay and instead collected all the discount coupons from the gatekeeper who waved us through. (Maybe free for old alums, pay to park for student-looking people with college sweatshirts?) This at least for one hotel/casino diagonally across from Boardwalk Hall which is, I believe, is Caesars (2100 Pacific Ave.). The only closer casino is Trump. Visually, as you drive toward Boardwalk Hall, Caesar's would be across the street and 1-2 short blocks to the left while Trump is immediately to the left of Boardwalk Hall.

Either ECAC hockey is more popular than I thought, or something else is happening in AC this weekend. Caesar's quotes a double room Saturday night at $500.

[Josh '99]

You pay to park? Last year we just drove in expecting to pay and instead collected all the discount coupons from the gatekeeper who waved us through. (Maybe free for old alums, pay to park for student-looking people with college sweatshirts?) This at least for one hotel/casino diagonally across from Boardwalk Hall which is, I believe, is Caesars (2100 Pacific Ave.). The only closer casino is Trump. Visually, as you drive toward Boardwalk Hall, Caesar's would be across the street and 1-2 short blocks to the left while Trump is immediately to the left of Boardwalk Hall.

Either ECAC hockey is more popular than I thought, or something else is happening in AC this weekend. Caesar's quotes a double room Saturday night at $500.

Maybe you parked at Trump Plaza, which, as I mentioned in the other thread, was running a free parking promo last march?  According to achotelexperts.com, self-parking at Caesar's is $5, as is self-parking at Trump Plaza.  If I wind up driving, I will probably park at Trump because it's extremely easy to get to; the AC Expressway dumps you onto Missouri Avenue, and you just continue straight ahead until you see the giant Trump Plaza Self-Parking sign on your right.

Further regarding transit options to AC, from NYC you can take the NJ Transit #319 bus from Port Authority (NB: PDF), which costs $39 round trip, takes 2:35, and drops off at the Atlantic City Bus Terminal, which is pretty close to Boardwalk Hall.  Be aware that the buses run roughly every two hours during the day, but for the return trip there's about a four-hour gap between the last bus of the night at 12:30am and the first bus Sunday morning at 4:15am.  Other options include Academy Bus, Megabus, and Greyhound Lucky Streak.

[Josh '99]

Mountain Bar is in the Wild West Casino (part of Bally's) and has happy hour all the time. $2.00 draft beers!

If it's all the time, is it really happy hour, or just inexpensive?

[billhoward]

Josh, you're probably right that it was Trump because when we walked out last year we walked along the boardwalk, took a left in the adjacent hotel-I-couldn't-name to see how it compared to Vegas casinos (more downscale) and continued straight back to the garage. That sounds like Trump. Five bucks to park in relation to what gas and tickets cost isn't bad for us wealthy alumni rolling in dough (or paying two tuitions).

Josh >>> "Other options include Academy Bus, Megabus, and Greyhound Lucky Streak." I wonder if Lucky Streak refers to the destination or the buses' safety record so far.

[RichH]

You pay to park? Last year we just drove in expecting to pay and instead collected all the discount coupons from the gatekeeper who waved us through. (Maybe free for old alums, pay to park for student-looking people with college sweatshirts?) This at least for one hotel/casino diagonally across from Boardwalk Hall which is, I believe, is Caesars (2100 Pacific Ave.). The only closer casino is Trump. Visually, as you drive toward Boardwalk Hall, Caesar's would be across the street and 1-2 short blocks to the left while Trump is immediately to the left of Boardwalk Hall.

Either ECAC hockey is more popular than I thought, or something else is happening in AC this weekend. Caesar's quotes a double room Saturday night at $500.

Maybe you parked at Trump Plaza, which, as I mentioned in the other thread, was running a free parking promo last march?  According to achotelexperts.com, self-parking at Caesar's is $5, as is self-parking at Trump Plaza.  If I wind up driving, I will probably park at Trump because it's extremely easy to get to; the AC Expressway dumps you onto Missouri Avenue, and you just continue straight ahead until you see the giant Trump Plaza Self-Parking sign on your right.

Further regarding transit options to AC, from NYC you can take the NJ Transit #319 bus from Port Authority (NB: PDF), which costs $39 round trip, takes 2:35, and drops off at the Atlantic City Bus Terminal, which is pretty close to Boardwalk Hall.  Be aware that the buses run roughly every two hours during the day, but for the return trip there's about a four-hour gap between the last bus of the night at 12:30am and the first bus Sunday morning at 4:15am.  Other options include Academy Bus, Megabus, and Greyhound Lucky Streak.

Academy is the contractor for Megabus on this route, so it's the same bus regardless. I got a RT for $36 (you can't buy one way nor originate from A.C.) & it includes a $20 casino credit voucher. The return voucher is for an open return within 4 days so any celebrating/commiserating can be of flexible length.

Signing out from the Lincoln Tunnel.

[billhoward]

Not that you won't have plenty of places to sit when you're inside, but if you look for a hockey seating chart at the Boardwalk Hall site, there isn't one: http://www.boardwalkhall.com/seating.asp. They've got Concert, Concert-End Stage, Boxing/Wrestling, and A-10 Basketball.

[andyw2100]

Not that you won't have plenty of places to sit when you're inside, but if you look for a hockey seating chart at the Boardwalk Hall site, there isn't one: http://www.boardwalkhall.com/seating.asp. They've got Concert, Concert-End Stage, Boxing/Wrestling, and A-10 Basketball.

There's one on Ticketmaster, with the event listing:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/02004670C3B67597?artistid=1571534&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9

[French Rage]

- Always bet on red.

[ugarte]

I've always parked on the street in AC. There are no meters if you go up a few blocks from Atlantic. I drive a '96 Honda, so you may be less willing to trust your car to the world.

[dbilmes]

Either ECAC hockey is more popular than I thought, or something else is happening in AC this weekend. Caesar's quotes a double room Saturday night at $500.

Apparently St. Patrick's Day is a big night for the casinos, especially when it falls on a Saturday night. My room at the Tropicana, for example, is $104 for tonight but $180 for tomorrow night. That's why I'm going to stay out of town tomorrow night for $84 if Cornell makes it to the title game.

[Jnachod2]

Yeah, it seems that hotel prices in Atlantic City are the most ridiculous on Saturday nights.  On the flip side, rooms even at the nicer places are available at bargain rates ($49-89) Monday-Thursday nights most of the year.

[Jnachod2]

example of Atlantic City extreme hotel price variation