ATLANTIC CITY

Always Turned On!
By Barbara Barton Sloane

Known for fun, Atlantic City is a relative bargain get-away at this challenging financial time. Of course, visitors still come primarily to gamble, but today Atlantic City offers a growing number of options for a get-away, whether it’s relaxation you seek, great dining, or shopping its sprawling retail outlets.

Miss America’s Gone but So What?
Calling itself “The city that’s always turned on,” Atlantic City definitely lives up to this claim. From New Jersey’s tallest lighthouse to deep sea fishing and everything in between, this place is full of fun things to do. On a recent visit, I chose to spend my weekend quietly relaxing at two of the city’s premier spas, The Water Club at the Borgata Hotel and the Qua Baths and Spa at Caesars Atlantic City.

Roman Splendor
The Qua Spa, which opened a year ago and is modeled after the famous Qua Spa in Las Vegas, offers an alluring and artful oasis guided by the healing and calming powers of water. Here I found lavish Roman Baths, beautifully appointed rooms and a range of treatments from Chakra Balancing, Crystal Body Art and a beguiling treatment called Dieci Mani, which means “ten hands” and features the touch of five therapists. Opting for something slightly more intime, I went for the Chakra Balancing treatment. Everyone needs their chakras balanced sooner or later, right? That evening I enjoyed Asian Fusion at the Buddakan Restaurant where both the food and the décor are authentic and inspired. (www.quabathsandspa.com).

Sybaritic Pleasures
The next day I wandered over to the Water Club at the Borgata Hotel. This is the city’s first boutique/lifestyle hotel, and offers a distinctive cosmopolitan setting while just steps away from entertainment, nightlife, gambling and dining at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Checking out the Immersion Spa, grand at 36,000 square feet, I was welcomed into a soothing world as I passed through a river rock archway with cascading water, lush indoor greenery and an interior of slate, green marble, stone and glass. I took a plunge in its 80 foot long, two lane infinity-edge lap pool and then rested on a lounge by floor- to- 42 foot ceiling windows. For romantic interludes, Immersion offers a Japanese-style room with Hanoki soaking tubs and ensemble massages. I tried the funky-sounding soft-pack flotation device table and I must say that my body treatment on this watery platform was enhanced by a feeling of literally floating away. That evening I had dinner at Bobby Flay Steak, a restaurant at the Bogata. I had the Surf & Turf Skewers (lobster and steak), sweet potato soup with smoked chilies and baked Alaska for dessert. Friends, haute cuisine has come to Atlantic City. (www.TheWaterClubatBorgata.com).

The Fab Four Are Back!
The Beatles “Live” Tour opened here in 2007 at the Tropicana Casino and Hotel’s Liverpool Club. Called “The British are Coming!” this clever production depicts the Beatles “Live” US performances, beginning with their unforgettable appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show through their historic Shea Stadium concert. This is a show the whole family will enjoy
(www.tropicana.net).

Summer Shows
On June 4, Harrah’s Resort Hotel & Casino is hosting a beauty pageant slightly different from the Bert Parks’ kind. It’s the Ms. New Jersey Senior America Pageant in which fifteen elegant ladies, 60 years and
older, will compete for the coveted title of Ms. New Jersey Senior America
(www.msnewjerseysenioramerica.blogspot.com). John Edward, famed for channeling those who have gone up, up and away….appears at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino on June 9 (www.trumpplaza.com) .The ageless Tony Bennett enchants one and all at Caesars Atlantic City on July 10 & 11 (www.caesarsatlanticcity.com). Jimmy Buffett will continue looking for his lost shaker of salt on August 23 at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall (www.boardwalkhall.com) and, as a fitting end to summer, on September 13-17, Trini Lopez (yes, he’s still alive) appears at the Hilton Casino Resort (www.hiltonac.com). Lots to do, lots to see. It’s Atlantic City and its better than ever.

If You Go:

Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.atlanticcitynj.com