From the truly astonishing feats of aerial stunts, to the impressive hardware (a slew of state-of-the-art military jets) to the you-couldn't have-asked-for better weather, the event was a winner.
But the most exciting aspect of the six-hour aerial extravaganza that was staged in the skies above the beach was what it did for Atlantic City. In nutshell, the Air Show put the lie to the slander that AyCee is a minor-league town. Any place that can stage a single-day bash that draws an estimated 700,000 people without any serious incidents (save for the expected traffic tangles) is hardly second-rate.
My almost 50 years' worth of Atlantic City memories do not include anywhere near the crowds that swarmed the Boardwalk and beach Wednesday. I simply have never seen so many people at one time along the Great Wood Way and adjacent strand. And those people weren't just gazing heavenward. They were spending money at restaurants (the Trump Plaza Beach Bar was jammed by 11 a.m.), concession stands and stores.
Everyone involved--the Borgata folks, those who work for the Chamber of Commerce and Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, the police force and other municipal entities--should feel justifiably proud about the glorious event they mounted. But, it appears, they do have a two-fold challenge:
To replicate--and surpass--this year's Air Show in '09, and to conjure another public mega-event that will further push Atlantic City along the road to becoming a globally recognized destination.
I hate to admit when I'm wrong. But if I'm gonna make a big stink about it when I'm right, I guess I have to cowboy up when I blow the call.
I was pretty cocksure, back in the late spring, when I fearlessly predicted to various folks that given the weak economy and the high cost of travel (especially air travel), this was going to be (with apologies to George Constanza) "the summer of Atlantic City." After all, with 50 million adults living within a three hour drive of the place, how coulds it not be slamming this summer?
More to the point, I can recall saying on several occasions that "If they can't make money in A.C. this summer, they might as well just close up shop."
Well, maybe it's time to close up shop. The July casino revenue figures are out, and they ain't pretty. Keeping with a trend that has been going on for months, the industry's July gross is down 6.6 percent from July '07. In dollars and cents, that means some $31 million less was collected at the slot machines and tables--a whoppingmillion bucks a day.
The news was particularly bad for Colony Capital LLC, whose two properties, the Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City, were down 22.8 and 19.7 percent respectively. Trump Marina, which may or may not be sold later this year (see previous post), clocked in at a even minus-20 percent.
Of course, not every casino took such a hit. Harrah's Resort Atlantic City saw a year-to-year increase of 19.7 percent (canceling out, I guess, Resorts). This is no doubt a positive response to the recently completed $550 million expansion.
Borgata also managed to stay in the black, but barely, gaining 1.9 percent over last July's figures. The other seven properties were all awash in red ink.
So what does this mean? Ask six "experts" and you'll probably get six different answers. But from here it looks like the industry has to continue to look to a future where the lack of senior citizen slot players will be irrelevant, because younger, more affluent, cash-on-the-barrelhead visitors will be flocking in increasing numbers to the re-invented seaside resort for ultra-luxe hotels, spas and restaurants as well as an array of entertainment unavailable anywhere east of Vegas.
Things will--eventually--turn around. They always do. And when they do, AyCee will be well-positioned to take advantage of a booming economy and more and more disposable income.
Until then, the casino folks are just gonna have to dig in and keep reminding themselves good times are ahead...
The lousy economy has claimed--at least temporarily--another Atlantic City construction-project victim.
In a move that has caused surprisingly little comment or consternation, Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage has put off the scheduled winter, 2009 groundbreaking for its $4.5 billion Atlantic City mega-resort.
MGM Mirage is so tight-lipped about this development that the business world learned of it not from the company itself, but from a second-quarter earnings conference call for financial analysts conducted by Perini Construction, the firm whose shovels are now scheduled to hit the dirt in the winter of 2010, which means the luxe casino-hotel complex probably won't open its doors before the end of 2012 or early 2013.
When (if?) it is built, the facility--which will be AyCee's largest--will encompass more than 70 acres next to Borgata. The blueprints call for 5,000 slot machines, 200 table games a major large poker room, 1,500-seat theater, restaurants, nightclubs, a spa, a half-million square feet of retail space and a convention center.
Don't know if the grass will be greener at Borgata on Dec. 13, but it will be the topic of much conversation--and humor--as Cheech & Chong headline the Big B's Music Box theater.
Tickets for the show by the herb-arrific duo--back together for the first time since Dick Nixon was in the Oval Office--go on sale Saturday. It'll cost you the equivalent of three 1971 ounces ($60) to join in the fun. To cop the ducats, call (866) 900 4948, or go to www.theborgata.com.
More funny stuff
Tickets also go on sale Saturday for Robin Williams, who returns to Borgata Oct. 24 and 25. Williams is looking for a little more of a financial commitment from those who wish to attend: Tix are $355, $325, $295 and $250. They're available at the above number/Web site.
More blasts from the past
Also on sale Friday are tickets for Riders On the Storm, the band featuring original Doors members Ray Manzarek (keyboards) and Robbie Krieger (guitar). The group, which will feature Fuel's Brett Scallions taking the late Jim Morrison's place, performs Sept. 27 at the Xanadu room inside Trump Taj Mahal.
Admission is $49 and $39. For tickets, call (800) 736-1420, or go to www.ticketmaster.com.
The rumor mill is grinding overtime these days about the future of Trump Marina.
To recap, in late May, it was announced that Trump Entertainment Resorts had agreed to sell the bayside gambling den--historically the red-headed stepchild of The Donald's gambling operation--to a New York-based group, Coastal Marina LLC. Coastal Marina, in turn, announced it had cut a licensing deal with Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville empire to re-theme the property Buffett-style.
Since the deal was "Trump"-eted, virtually nothing has emanated from the obviously press-shy folks at Coastal Marina. And, as usually happens in the absence of facts, rumors have begun to fly around AyCee like so many French fry-seeking seagulls.
But what's really interesting is that the rumors are so contradictory.
At and around the Marina itself, word is that Margaritaville will undertake a significant expansion project that will see new hotel rooms added to an existing tower, as well as the construction of a new tower. There is some contradictory thoughts circulating, however: Some believe the work will be accomplished without closing the existing casino-hotel, while others insist a temporary shutdown of operations is in the cards.
While this all sounds very promising--the Margaritaville concept would be a home run for Atlantic City--some industry in-the-knowers are whispering that, for reasons unknown, Coastal Marina may be facing an unwinnable fight when it goes before the Casino Control Commission to get a gaming license.
Stay tuned...
Simple curiosity had me planning to see Kevin Costner and his band, Modern West, Friday night at House of Blues inside the Showboat. After all, how many times does one get to see an honest-to-God movie superstar warbling in the flesh?
But because the Costner gig was not set to begin until 10-ish, I was able to make it a doubleheader by catching most of the wondrous Tom Jones' 9 p.m. set next door at the Taj Mahal.
"Wondrous" is but one adjective that perfectly fits the Welsh pop legend. "Amazing" is another. That's because at age 68, the guy still has it. Friday night, he sounded great, his throaty baritone unfailingly nailing a repertoire that covered a mind-boggling number of styles and genres, from R&B (Eddie Floyd's "Raise Your Hand") to country (George Jones' "He Stopped Loving her Today") to swing/big band ("Fly Me To the Moon," "That Old Black Magic") to blues ( "I Only Wanna Get Me Some") to classic-rock (Van Morrison's "Cry For Home").
And of course, he had many women in the audience (including a booty-shaking, gray-haired senior sitting a few feet away from me) swooning with his own '60s signatures, including "Delilah," "What's New Pussycat?" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."
Quite a show, from quite a showman...
Then it was on to HOB for Costner's surprisingly competent set.
Backed by a six-piece band that featured three guitarists and a fiddle player, Costner (who also strummed a six-string acoustic) delighted a nice-size, but hardly packed, audience with a set of mostly original tunes that can best be described as Tom Petty meets John Mellencamp at a southern honky-tonk.
Overall, Costner's material is somewhat one-dimensional (a lot of major-chord rock riffs and pump-your-fist choruses), and his voice lacks range. But the songs were rendered with plenty of enthusiasm and technical proficiencey, including a "bitchin'" (a word Costner used to describe the audience) garage-bandy version of "Mr. Tambourine Man").
And it was nice that the movie star spoke regularly to the crowd (mostly to introduce the songs).
In all, a pretty cool evening of sounds from two pop-culture titans.
YOU BETTER LOOK SHARP: That's because British singer-songwriter Joe Jackson (like Jones, quite the musical chameleon), is making his Atlantic City debut Nov. 8 at the Taj. Tickets go on sale Friday. Go to www.brepresents.com for more info.
GIVE A HOOT: And returning to Borgata's Music Box are Philly's own The Hooters, who'll be at the Big B Aug. 30. Tickets are on sale now and can be had by calling (866) 900-4849, or by visiting www.theborgata.com.
A WARM WELCOME: That's what I've mostly received so far from some who read my initial CasiNOTES posting the other day...NOT!
But hey--better to be hated than ignored, right?
Note to George Tomezsko: Yo George! Assuming you're who I think you are, nice to hear from you after all these decades!
Greetings, and welcome to CasiNOTES, the Daily News' newest blog, and the first to cover the wild, wacky and wonderful world of casinos.
We hope to make this your "one-stop shopping" destination for everything about what's going on in casinos in Atlantic City, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. While Friday's "At the Casinos" column (in the DN's Big Fat Friday section) will focus on entertainment, dining and gambling, CasiNOTES will be the place to catch up on gaming industry news and gossip, the latest on Atlantic City's ever-expanding dining scene and reviews of events not covered in the weekly print column.
Like any blog, this one won't be a success unless you get involved. If you have any tips (for instance, what's your favorite poker room, buffet or hotel?), or have a question pertaining to the casino-going experience, don't hesitate to ask. If I can't provide an answer, I will find someone who can.
So check back here regularly...And GOOD LUCK!
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