Steel Pier closing for good

Good. NJ has a real shortage of stores, restaurants, and hotel rooms. Especially on the beachfront. Nothing enhances the look of the ocean like a sale sign for Gap jeans. ;)

Will this thing take over where Ocean 1 failed?

Ocean 1 is now the Pier @ Ceasars. They just put a huge amount of money into it. Its supposed to be really nice with really high end stores like Gucci, Tiffany, and such. It also includes restaurants and other things.

Ive lived about 20 minutes from AC my whole life and have never been to Steel Pier, I really dont think it will be missed much. Ever since the Borgata was built, AC has experienced a rebirth and really has changed in the last 5 years. Its still not Vegas, or even close, but its no longer the huge dump it was when I was growing up.

Doh! I missed Steel Pier on my recent Jersey shore trip. Don't think I missed too much though.

As someone who was just in Vegas last week with his parents, who were last in Vegas in '74. I will quote what they said about Vegas. "It seems as if Vegas is heading more and more toward Atlantic City than it was Not as much bargains on the strip as there used to be, Shows are outrageously priced, food is more expensive, etc. All what you see in AC."

This stores idea though started in Vegas so it seems they are both copying each other. They are trying to cater to the rich and push out the lower income people.

Here is anther link.

http://www.nbc10.com/news/9710992/detail.html

I thought that AC was kind of a dump? I mean, I haven't been there, that's just what people tell me. Vegas, the strip anyway, gets more and more high end every year.

Just what AC needs. More stores, and more Trump.

This sucks.

Atlantic City is a weird place. The boardwalk is huge and if you look at the huge hotel and casino buildings, you can't help but be impressed. None of them approach what Vegas has on The Strip (except the Borgota and that is in the Marina District a few miles north of the boardwalk) but places like Tropicana and Trump's Taj Mahal are pretty nice. The thing is, if you venture two blocks from the boardwalk, you wander into awful slums filled with thrift stores and pawn shops during the day and drug dealers and prostitutes at night. The city has been greatly improved in recent years with a huge new convention center and various beautification and redevelopment projects but there is still a lot in AC that would be better off burned to the ground.

One of the problems is while Vegas took off in the past 15 years by offering shows, exhibits, upscale shopping and amusements, AC had nothing to offer except gambling and some lame food options. Tropicana's French Quarter and the Pier @ Caesars are steps in the right direction but entertainment options are still slim. While Steel Pier wasn't anything like what you could find at Wildwood, the fact that it offered something different was refreshing. Besides, what amusement park enthusiast could refuse a Ferris wheel over the ocean and a good Crazy Mouse?

Insignificant as this may seem, Atlantic City takes two steps forward and one step back. The loss of Steel Pier means one less entertainment option in a place where senior citizens are at home but everyone else is left wanting a little more.

The quote in the article about Atlantic City not wanting kids is very accurate. Kids keep adults from spending more time at the casinos. With all of the beach-bars that have been added over the last few years, the area is saying, "No, we don't want the little ones." They cater to adults, not kids, and it just isn't (moneywise) a good mix.

Personally, I disagree, but Moreys in Wildwood and the family-friendly Ocean City is less than an hour away.*** This post was edited by Richie Reflux 8/23/2006 12:04:16 AM ***

Trump should do what he wants....too bad it wouldnt be marketable to put that kinda stuff on Knoebels' current land...oops...did i say that out loud?

I think Cedar Point would a delightful location for a casino and a mall full of overpriced designer crap. In fact, they really should have gone with the housing development back in the '50s.

That's OK, Reimer, hardly anybody pays attention to you anyway. :)

Besides, it's my understanding they're going to put a casino in the middle of the Gettysburg battlefield. Maybe they could play roulette with blue and gray instead of red and black. That way they won't lose the history of the area.

Back to Mr. Trump, just wait till the real estate bubble bursts, which by many indications may be happening. There may not be that much demand for condos and Gucci boutiques in AC. At least Donald's hair is waterproof.