I planned this trip out very carefully to make sure I didn’t end up driving through New York City with my trailer. That would have been insane. Skirting around it wasn’t that bad at all except for the traffic jam at the Connecticut-New York border. Driving down the Garden State Parkway was very easy except they like to toll you to death every few miles just like lower Maine. Aaargh! They don’t make it easy either since they don’t post the prices anywhere though I did finally see one sign with tiny writing right smack in the middle of the toll lanes and of course with my trailer I had to be in the far right lane. A couple of other things you should be aware of as well. The parkway has numerous arched bridges over it about 13’6″ high and it is best to be in the middle lane while going under them. Gas stations are few and far between off the highway but they do have numerous gas stations and food places on the parkway. To get to them you actually have to be in the left high-speed lane (brilliant planning, huh?). Be prepared to pay a premium price for gas at these but they are still considerably cheaper than gas up north.They may also snooker you with a cheap price shown but that price is only for those who pay cash. People still carry cash?
I stayed at an RPI (Resort Parks International) park in Port Republic which is just outside Atlantic City, NJ. I finally got to try out my RPI membership. I’ll get into the details of that in another post. Chestnut Lakes Resort is a NACO affiliated park. It was nice to have a pull-through site for a change. There’s nothing particularly fancy about it but who cares. With this park, it is entirely about location, location, location. The park was plenty nice enough and I enjoyed it.
The first time I headed out to do my tourist thing, I found my front tire completely flat. I aired it up with my handy dandy air compressor I carry but I could hear it leaking right back out. The valve stem had split. Ah well. I finally got to see how the spare tire system on the SUV worked. Yes, I do have emergency road service which I could have called but I wasn’t on the road and didn’t want to wimp out in front of all the other campers. I like to set a good example for other women when I can.
The first thing I went to see was Lucy, the world’s largest elephant. OK, wooden elephant. She was created by a real estate developer back in the early 1900s and has survived through fires, hurricanes, kids, etc. She is open for tours and is not only interesting but you get a great view of both the city and the seashore from on top in her houdah.
After Lucy, I enjoyed the sandy beach with 70 degree water, large intact shells, fishermen, and lots of people enjoying the sun and light rain. It was a great day for the beach. Even my good buddy George enjoyed it and worked on his sun tan. I stopped at the hotdog shack for a Jersey dog and a cup of fries (yes, I said cup). Both were excellent. I called my sister to rub in my good fortune and she made me go scavenging for shells to mail to her. Dang sister!
Another day, I drove through Atlantic City past all the great hotels such as Caesar’s Palace, Bally’s, the Tropicana, two Donald Trump hotels, etc. I quickly noticed that all the streets and towns sounded like part of Monopoly. I am told that the guy who really invented Monopoly lived here and sold it to Parker Brothers along with many other games.
I went to THE boardwalk. Wow! It is lined with dining, attractions, the Korean War memorial, amusements, casinos, and stores with lots of great 99 cent tourist junk. I walked up to the Steel Pier and had some fun there. I managed to pop a balloon with a dart without seriously injuring anyone and won a prize. I rode the ferris wheel. I got to smack a board with a hammer to test my strength and try to ring the bell. Didn’t ring it but I didn’t look like a snowflake either. 😉 For $15 I got a guy to push me back down the boardwalk in a rolling chair or stroller (this is normal there with bunches of guys and gals to choose from). Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is there. There are helicopter rides over the area and go karts to race. Then, of course, there is the beach right there as well. It was a wonderful day. I now have 2 pink flamingoes to tease my Florida neighbors with and a new western hat of denim I found for 99 cents. I picked up a big box of peanut brittle too for that price. No gambling. Not my thing.
Had I been able to stay longer, I could have caught some great shows. All the biggest entertainers play here. As you drive into Atlantic City, the road is lined with their pictures on billboards and the date they are playing there.
For more pics click here.
