When I turned 21 my mom asked me how I wanted to ring in my big day, and without blinking an eye, I told her I wanted to join her on her girls weekend to Atlantic City. She always seemed so excited to visit, and her and her friends always would always come home laughing about their adventures. I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about! Instead of waiting for her next girls weekend, we decided to make it a Mother/Daughter weekend. That weekend was the start of a twice monthly ritual that has continued to this day. I didn't want to ring in my day 'bar hopping' or 'clubbing', but I knew I wanted to have fun. From the very first visit up until today, Atlantic City never fails to surprise me. It's always just a little more than I thought it could be, and it's come a long way from the bingo granny's and dark, smoky gaming halls where you lose track of time.
I love to visit the Caribbean every winter when it gets super cold here in New York City. But summers don't always lend themselves to me getting enough time off to plan a Caribbean vacation. But I can do a great 'staycation' or a long weekend in the summer, and when I do, it's usually Atlantic City. It combines so many great things I enjoy, first of all, the Beach. Being near the Ocean is my favorite place to be. I'm also a foodie and a Seafood lover, and Atlantic City has an amazing assortment of Restaurants at various price levels. If you are a Raw Bar/Shellfish lover like I am, there are tons of options both inside and outside of the Casinos to chose from.
There are tons of great shows, concerts, festivals and family friendly activities including: the Ocean Life Center Aquarium, Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruises, the Absecon Lighthouse, Lucy The Elephant, Tropicana Casino has an Imax Theatre (and a great Comedy Club), mini-golf on the boardwalk, the Steel Pier Amusement Park, Ice Skating at the Flyer Skate Zone, and the fanastic Water Show at the Pier Shops at Caesar's Atlantic City. “The Water Show” is a dramatic blend of music, sound, and light. There are two distinct versions of the show. A daytime version which takes guests on a musical journey through the history of dance, and a nighttime show, a more sultry performance choreographed to the jazz song “Fever.” Between shows, “intelligent” fountains keep guests mesmerized with their playful diversions. I never tire of seeing the Water Show!
There are tons of great shows, concerts, festivals and family friendly activities including: the Ocean Life Center Aquarium, Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruises, the Absecon Lighthouse, Lucy The Elephant, Tropicana Casino has an Imax Theatre (and a great Comedy Club), mini-golf on the boardwalk, the Steel Pier Amusement Park, Ice Skating at the Flyer Skate Zone, and the fanastic Water Show at the Pier Shops at Caesar's Atlantic City. “The Water Show” is a dramatic blend of music, sound, and light. There are two distinct versions of the show. A daytime version which takes guests on a musical journey through the history of dance, and a nighttime show, a more sultry performance choreographed to the jazz song “Fever.” Between shows, “intelligent” fountains keep guests mesmerized with their playful diversions. I never tire of seeing the Water Show!
Well butterflies, Atlantic City’s Water Show attraction - a $7 million dollar water, light and sound extravaganza now has a rival, a rival which will debut to the public on Fourth of July after the City's Fireworks Display on the Boardwalk. The new show, Duality, created by Moment Factory who has produced similar shows in
Lyon (France), Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa, as well as multimedia elements for
shows performed by Celine Dion in Las Vegas, Jay-Z, Arcade Fire, Madonna,
Cirque du Soleil, Microsoft, Disney and various other clients brings a highly sophisticated 3D projection show that includes surround sound, theatrical lighting and the latest architectural video mapping technologies that will bring Boardwalk Hall’s historic façade to life! The same company that revved up the Super Bowl's halftime show, is going to rev up Atlantic City with a free show that tells a story and reflects the personality of the
city.
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| Photo courtesy of Moment Factory and the Atlantic City Alliance |
On July 4, 2012 at 9:30 p.m. the Atlantic City Fireworks show titled “Let it Rock,” will begin. The show, by Fireworks by Grucci (The infamous Fourth of July Fireworks in NYC is also produced by the Grucci family!), is approximately 20 minutes in length and will be visible for a one mile stretch of the Boardwalk and beach from Revel Resort (Atlantic City's first ALL SMOKE FREE Casino!) on Metropolitan Avenue to The Atlantic Club on Boston Avenue and will be choreographed to music and broadcast on 95.1 WAYV FM radio. Following the fireworks show, musician Kevin Rudolf will perform a free concert at Kennedy Plaza including “Let it Rock” and select songs from his new album. At 10:15pm, the Atlantic City Alliance will debut, Duality, a 3D sound and light show on the façade of the historic Boardwalk Hall.
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| Photo courtesy of Moment Factory and the Atlantic City Alliance |
Duality Run Time: The show runs approximately 8 ½ minutes long and
will play twice per hour beginning at dark. Times are subject to change based on
seasonality and special events within Boardwalk Hall.
The Atlantic City Alliance (ACA) is a New Jersey not-for-profit corporation launched in the fall of 2011 whose primary mission is to revitalize and rebuild Atlantic City’s reputation and to broaden the destination’s appeal beyond a gaming area to a multi-night, year-round destination in order to drive increased visitation.
The ACA announced a new five-year program designed as part of the Atlantic City Master Plan to drive tourism through interactive public art displays. Each free public display will be engaging and thought provoking and will serve as a cultural point of interest for Atlantic City visitors, inviting them to linger and experience the boardwalk in a totally new way!
Atlantic City is no longer that dark, smoky gaming pit! You actually no longer want to lose track of time here, you want to maximize your time so you can eat, catch a show, check out the great shopping at The Walk and The Pier Shops, hang out on the beach, and just let the sun shine in on your Atlantic City experience! If it has been awhile since your last visit, make it a point to visit Atlantic City this summer season!
This
effort is part of the ACA's larger marketing campaign, "Do Anything, Do Everything," which launched in mid-April 2012 and aims to increase
visitation to Atlantic City. The goal of this new $30 million campaign is to
build a year-round visitor base and shift consumer perception of the city. Atlantic City has truly come a long way, it has always been my 'happy place' and always will be, but I've greatly enjoyed watching it grow and evolve throughout the years. I look forward to seeing the new life and new energy that ACA will bring. Atlantic City has become increasingly family friendly throughout the years and this new show will breathe new life and bring new energy to the Boardwalk and to Atlantic City.
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| Photo courtesy of Moment Factory and the Atlantic City Alliance |
“While
the world's great museums showcase art for appreciation as well as scholarship,
moving art outside to the blank canvas of the sky, the ocean and the historic
Boardwalk here in Atlantic City can be a catalyst to evolve how people think
about our city," said Liza Cartmell, President of the Atlantic City
Alliance. "Atlantic City has long been known as a place that pushes the
limits to showcase the new and the unique and this is just one more example
consistent with its history of innovation".
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| Photo courtesy of Moment Factory and the Atlantic City Alliance |
I remember many of my friends asking me why I chose Atlantic City for my 21st birthday. Why not Vegas they asked incredulously, and my answer then was 'I want to swim in the Ocean, not a virtual beach, a REAL beach'. And while my reasons for returning year after year have evolved just as much as Atlantic City has evolved, the sun, the sand, and the historic boardwalk are still my favorite reasons to visit, the new phenomenal FREE shows are a definite bonus!
Take a look at the making of Duality on video here:
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall from Moment Factory on Vimeo.
While I don't have pictures from my very first birthday visit, here is a picture of me on my birthday in 2006:
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| 2006 Photo Courtesy of Ascending Butterfly taken at Caesars Atlantic City |
Here is a picture of me in May of this year visiting the newly renovated Golden Nugget Casino:
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| 2012 Photo Courtesy of Ascending Butterfly taken at Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City |
I can't wait to check out the new Duality 3D Light show in Atlantic City! Fun and Fireworks all near the Ocean is my idea of holiday heaven!
Get Social and Share how you DO AC on Facebook and Twitter - make sure to use the hashtag #HowIdoAC in your tweet!
So Butterflies, tell me, how are you spending your Fourth of July? Be sure to leave us a comment here and let us know! And if you opt to visit Atlantic City and check out Duality, be sure to let us know!
