Day 8: The Atlantic City of the East Coast: Welcome to Atlantic City!

04/16/2022

We actually manage to leave Washington DC at 8:30 with packed suitcases, a loaded car, and a paid parking garage bill of $180 (the husband is puking his guts out 🙈🥴🤮), and head towards Atlantic City. We had a great time here! Washington really surprised us in a positive way.

Today, we're heading towards the coast. Atlantic City is planned as an overnight stop. We want to do some shopping at the Tanger Outlets and then, depending on the weather and time, explore the boardwalk with its casinos and Steel Pier.

Unfortunately, we didn't anticipate the traffic on the interstate near Philadelphia and the detour over the supposedly "major" shortcut routes. When the GPS shows a bad traffic jam in the Greater Philadelphia area on I295, we decide to take the well-marked alternative route via US40, which forks off directly after crossing the Delaware River and seems to be the more direct and shorter way - without traffic.

The plan was great, but the reality was not. In Australia, we learned that anything called a "Highway" doesn't necessarily mean an actual freeway. Just like the "Bruce Highway," which was a single-lane road that snaked through coastal towns in Queensland at a speed limit of 25km/h.

Similar to that, on US40, what initially appears to be a 2-3 lane "highway" quickly turns into a single-lane road that takes us through every small town with a church, school, and numerous traffic lights. It's kind of nice at first because you get to see "something of America," but we just can't make any progress. Frustrated, we eventually decide to follow the signs for the "Atlantic City Expressway." It's a toll road - which the husband didn't want, but now it doesn't matter. We were actually hoping to arrive before lunchtime...

So we get on the toll road, and from then on, it's actually relatively smooth sailing, and we reach the Tanger Outlets around 12:30. A quick lunch stop and off we go for Part 2 of the shopping trip. Since we had bad luck with the Nike store in Woodbury (there was a kilometer-long line in front of the store), it's now at the top of our agenda. We spend the afternoon at the outlet until 6 pm.

Tip here as well: always ask about current discounts at the cash register! I provided my email address everywhere and got an extra discount of 10-20% on everything!!! No one tells you this - just ask!!

With a fully loaded car (we probably need to buy a 7th suitcase 🙈), we drive into a side street between the Showboat Atlantic City Hotel and the Ocean Casino Hotel, where there is a parking garage that's as big as 2 casinos. We spot a parking spot on the side street in front of the parking garage where the parking meter is still running, and we park there. We feed the parking meter a little more and then head to the beach.

It's incredibly cold and windy! Once we arrive at the boardwalk, we immediately rush to the beach. The sea is simply fascinating! In the strong wind, we see one sightseeing helicopter take off and land after another. Well, the passengers inside must be getting quite a bumpy ride.

In the falling dusk, we walk along the beach until just before the Steel Pier, where the Ferris wheel and other rides are already brightly lit. Since we're really hungry now, we decide to go to the first casino, the Hard Rock Cafe && Casino, and actually manage to get a table for dinner. The ambiance around us is great, but we have to wait ages for our burgers. They (our son has a salad) are only lukewarm, the fries are extremely soggy, and they are quite disappointing considering the price. But oh well, nothing we can do. With our bellies full, we leave the Hard Rock Cafe around 9:30 pm and drive back to the mainland to Absecon, where we have booked the Fairfield Inn && Suites by Marriott for tonight. The drive takes about 20 minutes, and it has started pouring rain in the meantime.

It seems like the hotel has been booked by a huge family party. Children in their pajamas are running around everywhere, and their mothers look like they stepped out of a Bollywood movie, wearing various types of traditional clothing, some with headscarves, and others are walking around the whole hotel in plush slippers and nightgowns. Okay, let's quickly check into our room, get some sleep, and then be there for breakfast tomorrow morning to secure a spot. With our additional shopping bags and the 6 suitcases, backpacks, and carry-on luggage, we settle into our room on the 4th floor and immediately collapse into the beds. Tonight is the last night when the four of us have to squeeze into a queen-size room; starting tomorrow, we'll have the luxury of two double rooms.

In this sense - good night - sleep well while a thunderstorm with heavy rain is raging outside 🌧️⛈️💦⚡...