In case you didn’t turn on the news all weekend, the skies dumped about a foot of snow on the Atlantic City area Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, I had a serious case of cabin fever, so I dug out my car and headed to Atlantic City. Resorts had a five-times cashback promotion and Borgata was offering me $40 in free play.

   Well, Resorts was a ghost town. There was an eerie silence as there was little whirring of slot machines and credits adding up. A side benefit was that I smelled very little smoke. That’s usually a problem there, as they have no signs in the no-smoking section and people light up at will. I had a quick dinner at the Asian Spice noodle bar, and was surprised to have two or three other diners for company.

   Borgata was more crowded, but there was no problem getting on my favorite machines. They even had $10 blackjack tables as you entered from the parking garage. That’s unusual, it’s usually at least $15 on slow days. But there were more signs of life – and more cigarette smoke – than at Resorts.

   One note of interest. Although the towns I passed through on the way to Atlantic City had done a good job of cleaning up their streets, they were a mess in the city itself. Even the major arteries leading to the casinos were poorly plowed, and people were walking in the street because the sidewalks weren’t clear. Not good for a resort that supposedly wants to make itself attractive to visitors. It’s time for the city to clean up its act.

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