The first stop on our girls road trip, also known as the Two Chicks and A Road Trip adventure, was Atlantic City. The drive from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal without any stops would be about a four hour drive and after stopping in Staten Island and a rest stop on the highway, we finally made it to A.C. and I was so ready to relax and unwind.
Our home base for the night was the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. Originally opened as Trump’s Castle in 1985, Landry’s Inc. purchased the casino and it reopened as the Golden Nugget on May 23, 2011. The large Golden Nugget resort sits on over 14 acres of land in Atlantic City.
The large Golden Nugget resort sits on over 14 acres of land in Atlantic City.Click To Tweet
The Golden Nugget is a casino resort with accommodations that include 728 guest rooms, one of which Danielle and I would be staying in while in Atlantic City. When we arrived at about 2:30 pm in the afternoon, we thought we would tempt fate and see if we could check in early. Seems like everyone else was thinking the same way. They allowed us to provide our information for check in and then took my phone number and said they’d call when a room was ready. We then left our bags and decided to go out and discover the rest of the resort and Atlantic City.
Our first stop inside the Golden Nugget was the gigantic 74,252 sq. ft. casino, which was buzzing with people at the tables and slot machines. As for me, I was in search of that silly Walking Dead slot machine that always takes my money, yet somehow seems to always entertain me for a few minutes. My friend told me that I could discover more slot machines online at places similar to ???????????? ?????????? and apparently it is fun, I might have to check it out at some time. I saw with time, the casino started to get crowded and it meant that we weren’t able to spend as long on certain machines like we wanted to. With that being said, it wasn’t a problem, especially when we had the option of playing the best Microgaming slot games online. Some of these online casinos have really great games, such as slot machines, bingo, and jackpots. They even have payouts for customers, along with a welcome casino bonus worth 200%. I would say that kind of made up for the disappointing The Walking Dead game at the casino. As much as we’d all love to regularly go to places like Atlantic City, we realize that this isn’t always possible, so online casino games are sometimes our best bet.
You know where I went, of course. I slid right up to the bar and ordered myself a margarita. It was so hot outside and I just wanted something cold to drink and that margarita certainly hit the spot.
Did you know that the Golden Nugget has several restaurants, bars, lounges, and nightclubs as well as a theater, a nearly 17,000 sq. ft. deck with a health spa, outdoor heated pool, hot tubs, cabanas, tennis and basketball courts, and a jogging track? Click To Tweet
Did you know that the Golden Nugget has several restaurants, bars, lounges, and nightclubs as well as a theater, a nearly 17,000 sq. ft. deck with a health spa, outdoor heated pool, hot tubs, cabanas, tennis and basketball courts, and a jogging track? Did I mention they also have tons of meeting and function spaces, too?
After my drink, I decided to show Danielle the Boardwalk area. In case you didn’t know, my friend, Danielle is from England and the last time she visited NYC was in 2001. All of the places we were visiting, but for NYC, would all be new to her on this trip. This wasn’t my first trip to Atlantic City and I know it won’t be my last. One of my last visits was as a chaperone for my sister’s senior class trip. How’s that for strange?
Did you know that the Atlantic City Boardwalk first opened on June 26, 1870 and was the first ever boardwalk in the United States?
The Boardwalk itself is over 4 miles in length and is laid in a herringbone pattern as you can see here. You can find pretty much anything on the Boardwalk from souvenirs to games to food to things you never thought you needed or wanted.
What's with all the salt water taffy in Atlantic City? Joseph Fralinger popularized this candy, one that was originally made in Atlantic City and he was the most successful merchandiser of salt water taffy. Click To TweetTSG Tip: What’s with all the salt water taffy in Atlantic City? Joseph Fralinger popularized this candy, one that was originally made in Atlantic City and he was the most successful merchandiser of salt water taffy. Today his store is still located on the Boardwalk. Salt water taffy does NOT contain any salt water although it does contain both salt and water.
Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy
1519 Boardwalk (on the Boardwalk at New York Avenue)
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
There have been several piers off the boardwalk since it first opened and one that still stands today is the Steel Pier, an amusement pier across from Trump’s Taj Mahal.
Not shown in the picture above was the couple of dozen striking workers from the casino, which you can see on the right of this pic. These workers walked off their jobs on July 1 when contract negotiations failed. This strike, the longest in Atlantic City history since casinos first opened there, has resulted in an outcome the strikers most likely didn’t expect. The casino announced that it will close this Fall due to low profits and the impact of the strike itself. Kind of sad knowing that their actions have directly impacted their jobs and yet they still go out on the picket line daily.
Another view of the Steel Pier from a distance. You can’t ever forget you’re that far from the beach when you see sand all around you.
We continued to walk despite the temperature hovering around 90º although it definitely felt like we were on the surface of the sun.
But can you really complain with views like this? The Boardwalk is a great place to just walk and people watch.
Eventually it was time to make our way to our hotel room after the hotel rang us and told us that our room was ready. This night we would be staying in room 1509, a room with two double beds that was large, modern, and ever so spacious.
The large window on one side of the room filled the room with sunlight. The full size beds had the most comfy Simmons Healthsmart pillow top mattresses that cradled you when it was time to fall into bed.
This was the view from our room overlooking the pool and hot tub area.
The bathroom was spacious with more than enough towels for two guests. I loved the overall modern decor with espresso brown accents and modern artwork throughout the guest room.
The pedestal sink and large vanity area was more than adequate for two women traveling together with loads of toiletries.
Yes, that is a double shower head and soaking tub you are looking at. Pretty spectacular, right?
Prior to my stay at the Golden Nugget I had never heard of küdos spa products, but I loved all of it, especially the hand and body lotion. I love when hotels and resorts use real products that you would want to use instead of gallon sized jugs of Dollar Store products.
After settling into our room, we quickly changed and made our way outside to locate The Deck at the Golden Nugget. The Deck isn’t the easiest place to find so here’s a tip. Walk over to the Chart House, go inside the Chart House as if you were going to talk to the host/hostess, and then make a right and go down the staircase on the right. Follow that staircase outside and you’ll discover The Deck.
TSG Tip: Did you know that The Deck was voted the best deck by press of Atlantic City? Read on and you’ll discover why.
The Deck is an outdoor entertainment establishment right on the water’s edge with views that are both beautiful and relaxing.
But be prepared for the music, food, and drink specials that are guaranteed to keep you entertained. Whether you’re staying at the Golden Nugget, a visiting boater, or an area resident, The Deck is the place to be.
The night we were there we saw couples, families, and large groups all out on the deck and people of all ages (although you must be 21 to enter) enjoying the music and atmosphere of The Deck.
Of course, I had to have a drink to start the night off right and I ordered a Pink Cadillac Margarita, which was interesting. It was definitely not a traditional Margarita, but I wasn’t complaining. The cocktails at the deck come in 16 oz. ($12), 32 oz. ($22) or 64 oz. ($42) sizes. A girl loves variety and that my friends is variety. I also had a bottle of Golden Nugget water to help stay hydrated.
To keep the party going, I ordered us two chilled shots of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire. They were cold and perfect although as you can see here, the shots were pretty huge. Not bad for $5 chilled shots.
You should never drink on an empty stomach so we decided to order a few starter. I ordered the pretzel but admittedly, I didn’t read that it was a jumbo pretzel weighing in at 28 oz.
When the pretzel, whom I later named Martin, arrived at the table, all heads turned and I was shocked at the sheer size of the pretzel. Yes, that is a jumbo pretzel. We never ended up finishing Martin and he rode with us in the car, had his picture taken in Maryland, and then I forgot to pull him out after that. It was in New York that I remembered to check on him, but by that point it was too late. Martin was a martian with a beard and had to go in the bin. Poor Martin.
Ending our day in Atlantic City with these views and great drinks at The Deck was a great way to start our road trip. I enjoyed rediscovering Atlantic City all over again and the Golden Nugget was everything we had hoped it would be and more.
Golden Nugget Casino, Hotel & Marina
Huron & Brigantine Blvd.
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
On day two we are heading onward to Delaware. Check out the many pics of our trip by reading all of the road trip posts and also searching the hashtag, #TwoChicksAndARoadTrip on Twitter, Instagram, and FaceBook.
While the Golden Nugget generously provided me with complimentary accommodations, all opinions and photographs, unless otherwise noted, are my own.
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