I am sitting here on the couch in my living room watching the Atlantic City Boardwalk and skylights. My studio is in a historical old hotel/condominiums sitting squarely on the Boardwalk with wide open views of the Atlantic Ocean and the billboards and light shows of the city.
My apartment is on the fifth floor of the building and I spend my days writing and observing pigeons and seagulls, and a rich variety of people, pets, and pushcarts that stroll the Boardwalk.
I am pretty sure that I have died and gone to Heaven. Every one of my senses explodes a thousand times a day. The aromas of pizza, steak, salt water taffy, Hot dogs, seafood, funnel cake, and the salt air mix into a heady elixir. The aromas are so rich that on some days I can actually taste the pizza and hotdogs. The sounds of a dozen cultures' music and always the beating of drums in a hypnotic rhythm; the click-clack of the pushcarts, the screeching of gulls, the lone clarinetist. Clowns and parades and high school bands march the Boardwalk; lovers of every age stroll with their arms entwined; little toddlers chase the pigeons and gulls and sink their toes into the warm, embracing sand.
The beach is becoming busier every day. Now brightly colored tents dot the sand, and white folding chairs sit in their shadows. The lifeguards are here with their towers and rowboats. The water is still too cold for many swimmers to brave the ocean, but people of all ages chase the incoming waves and wade along the edges.
There are so many shops on the Boardwalk, and Psychics, and oriental massage. Restaurants sandwiched between other restaurants; food from all over the world. Home-made chocolates and salt water taffy, exclusive shopping malls in the casinos, and casinos, and more casinos; Ripley's Believe It or Not, Hard Rock Cafe, Rain Forest Cafe and hundreds of tiny ethnic shops, hot dog stands, and Boardwalk Hall that gives free light shows every evening on the half hour.
Singers, Magicians, Dancers, Musicians give one-person shows hoping for donations. The energy is so high and it is a joyous, uplifting energy that makes you want to remain there and never return home. I love the feel of the weathered boards underneath my feet, and the feel of the brass railings and old street lamps.
In the evenings, the skies are bright all over the city. The casinos are all lit up and have towering hotels with colored-light scenes and advertizements that must be at least 50 stories high. The city has a strong beat, like the steady beating in "casino muzak" that seems to come from everywhere and gets into the rhythm of your heart beat (thus welding you emotionally to a particular slot or table).
Once Atlantic City gets into your consciousness you are forever drawn back to her unique spirit. Come visit us this summer and feel the unique passions that govern this city. Her history will grip you and keep you in suspense and wonder. When I stand in the elevator in my building and hold on to the polished brass railing I know that Al Capone and President Herbert Hoover (and others from both worlds) have also held onto this brass railing. Gives me the feeling that I am suspended in time.
My apartment is on the fifth floor of the building and I spend my days writing and observing pigeons and seagulls, and a rich variety of people, pets, and pushcarts that stroll the Boardwalk.
I am pretty sure that I have died and gone to Heaven. Every one of my senses explodes a thousand times a day. The aromas of pizza, steak, salt water taffy, Hot dogs, seafood, funnel cake, and the salt air mix into a heady elixir. The aromas are so rich that on some days I can actually taste the pizza and hotdogs. The sounds of a dozen cultures' music and always the beating of drums in a hypnotic rhythm; the click-clack of the pushcarts, the screeching of gulls, the lone clarinetist. Clowns and parades and high school bands march the Boardwalk; lovers of every age stroll with their arms entwined; little toddlers chase the pigeons and gulls and sink their toes into the warm, embracing sand.
The beach is becoming busier every day. Now brightly colored tents dot the sand, and white folding chairs sit in their shadows. The lifeguards are here with their towers and rowboats. The water is still too cold for many swimmers to brave the ocean, but people of all ages chase the incoming waves and wade along the edges.
There are so many shops on the Boardwalk, and Psychics, and oriental massage. Restaurants sandwiched between other restaurants; food from all over the world. Home-made chocolates and salt water taffy, exclusive shopping malls in the casinos, and casinos, and more casinos; Ripley's Believe It or Not, Hard Rock Cafe, Rain Forest Cafe and hundreds of tiny ethnic shops, hot dog stands, and Boardwalk Hall that gives free light shows every evening on the half hour.
Singers, Magicians, Dancers, Musicians give one-person shows hoping for donations. The energy is so high and it is a joyous, uplifting energy that makes you want to remain there and never return home. I love the feel of the weathered boards underneath my feet, and the feel of the brass railings and old street lamps.
In the evenings, the skies are bright all over the city. The casinos are all lit up and have towering hotels with colored-light scenes and advertizements that must be at least 50 stories high. The city has a strong beat, like the steady beating in "casino muzak" that seems to come from everywhere and gets into the rhythm of your heart beat (thus welding you emotionally to a particular slot or table).
Once Atlantic City gets into your consciousness you are forever drawn back to her unique spirit. Come visit us this summer and feel the unique passions that govern this city. Her history will grip you and keep you in suspense and wonder. When I stand in the elevator in my building and hold on to the polished brass railing I know that Al Capone and President Herbert Hoover (and others from both worlds) have also held onto this brass railing. Gives me the feeling that I am suspended in time.
No comments:
Post a Comment