Atlantic City - last day

Boardwalk today - looks in good shape

The time has come to move on, finally! The weather has turned warmer although still in the 60s so we took the jitney back over to the boardwalk to explore the area in more depth. We found that the boardwalk has been rewooded with Brazilian Ipe hardwood, a very dense and durable wood that will last 25 years or more. It's the same wood that was used in Key West to redo their docks. The boardwalk gets a lot of wear and tear so they needed something that would last, the pressure impregnated wood does not. Hurricane Sandy didn't tear up the boardwalk, at least not in the main section we were today. Everything looked in good shape.

Ever see $1,000,000 in one place!

Upon returning to the boat, I took a walk over to Harrah's, the casino "next door", about 1/2 mile away from the Golden Nugget. It is plusher and much bigger than where we're at. One thing that attracts attention is a large box with clear sides showing $1,000,000 in $100 dollar bills (see photo). Supposedly, they've given away 14 of those boxes so far. The odds of winning such a prize has to be beyond small - but then somebody does win.

Here's a closeup in case you missed the detail

As we sat on the back of our boat, we saw the owner of the Golden Nugget take his boat, Boardwalk (the one with the helicopter on the back) out for a spin. He was gone for about 2 hours before coming back, evidently to entertain his guests. Must be nice.

Meanwhile, I tried my hand at one of the blackjack tables. The last time I was here I placed bets at the 25 cent tables but when I looked for them this time, they were nowhere to be seen. The smallest bet table I could find was $15 per bet! That was a little rich for my blood but after awhile I screwed up my courage and bought $60 of chips so I could at least bet for four rounds. Due to absolutely pure luck (no skill involved at all) I wound up with $120 at the end, making a $60 profit. So, clutching my profits, I left the casino, another better who may have been able to roll the $60 to who knows how higher! Obviously, I am not a high roller. In the past I've played backjack and left after losing my initial buy in - this year was the first year that the result was different.

The weather is still looking good for a Monday run up the coast to the Atlantic Highlands anchorage. We'll leave at first light to give us plenty of time for the trip. The next day it's up the Hudson and on to PYC!