A Monday in July at 6:45 am (Part 1)

A steamy summer morning. Haze covering most of the city. I decided to head south on the most famous street in the world at one time, the Atlantic City Boardwalk.  
 
I walked across the Boardwalk towards a walkway that led down to the beach near the LandShark Bar & Grill.  An older couple with two young children were enjoying the ocean before anyone else. They had free reign. Just them and the seagulls.  The waves were already looking quite menacing. That's a great thing. Later on today I'll be here, swimming, riding waves and thrashing all about.  
 
I headed back onto the Boardwalk. Surrounding me is a tranquil, sleepy town waiting for everyone to wake up. Many here are up all night gambling, drinking and usually losing money. The sanitation workers are out and about, cleaning the Boardwalk and dumping out all pails. Sadly, their is so much litter all over this Boardwalk. It's unfortunate how many locals here are in dire straits. The casinos have made so much money through the years. Atlantic City has been on a decline though for the last 8-10 years. The city has failed to diversify beyond gambling.  
 
There was a bunch up ahead. I decided to sit down and jot down some notes. An older black woman was coming my way. She looked like she was up all night. Maybe a hardcore gambler. She stopped, while her cigarette hung from the left side of her mouth, looked at me and said, "What are you doing?" I guess she wasn't use to seeing someone writing on blue post-it's with a pen I took from The Resorts hotel/casino I was staying at. I explained I was documenting my stay here. She said kind of with an attitude, "Why?!" I said, "Because I'm a writer. I enjoy documenting my visits." She then smiled and said, "Oh ok.  Good luck and have a nice day." She then left.
As I continued down the Boardwalk towards the Playground Pier (aka The Million Dollar Pier) the buildings on the Boardwalk look in need of fresh paint and a revised look. Some stores are boarded up, while others are open but have decreased in popularity and revenue. So many properties are waiting for an inspiring developer or company to create something spectacular to lure in the crowds like once upon a time.  
 
Trump Plaza seen in the picture will be closed this September for 10 years. Trump new what he wanted and gave the people a "Las Vegas" experience when he 1st opened in 1984. Trump had the hottest shows, sporting events, fine dining and luxurious rooms. At the time the largest casino floor with excellent payouts. Fast forward to 2014 when this property & 3 other casino's closed their doors. Now mother nature has taken over these massive buildings. A section of the hotel/casino was imploded in 2021.  
 
Remember, this is 2024, not 1984 or 1994, when AC was the premier gambling capital of the East Coast. Now every state in the US has some sort of gambling. Plus, there's online gambling and sports betting that has kept away so many to this town. During the 1980's into the early 1990's AC was making more money then Las Vegas. It wasn't until the mid 1990's when Vegas expanded beyond gambling and brought in a kid friendly environment, which lasted for about 10 years.
 
To be continued....