Great Loop: Atlantic City

Days 127-131: May 24-28, 2023

It was a long day through the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic: 11 hours in total. Phew! The weather window to get up the coast was not promising later in the week so we all decided to do a marathon day, skipping Cape May. We also had heard mixed reports about going inland between Cape May and Atlantic City so another reason we went for the outside run.

Most of the day was comfortable with the waves picking up later in the afternoon when we were approaching Atlantic City and quite ready to be done. The short video below gives a brief idea of the waves when we were approaching Atlantic City and turning in.

The marina was a bit pricey and since we were staying multiple nights, we opted to anchor on the other side of the Absecon Inlet in Brigantine Bay. It’s a huge anchorage though it has one problem. The channel to get to there is shallow and very, very narrow. Luckily a local was going home when we arrived so we had the direct line to follow. A little bit of a pucker-up moment though and Steve wasn’t entirely happy on arrival. Boris and I were walking the dog and watching from the beach when he arrived. He made it through unscathed.

The next day the girls decided to get massages, so we all headed into town to check out the boardwalk. While Tonia and Mayli were getting pampered, us guys had a nice bite to eat and found the local beer hall. Imagine that. HB took me back to Oktoberfest!

After the girls finished up, it was time for happy hour. We were just in time to get in line before Dock’s Oyster House opened and snag some bar stools. It was highly recommended by multiple loopers for their Pommes Soufflé, which is a fancy potato chip. I thought the rest of the food was more delicious, though the Pommes were definitely worth trying.

The next morning Tonia and I kayaked over to the nearby beach for a little stroll. The beac is definitely a happy place for Tonia.

That afternoon it was back to town to check out more of the sites. We walked until we couldn’t walk anymore. Then hopped on the Jitney (Atlantic City’s shuttles) and headed out to the Golden Nugget for an obligatory buffet dinner. The kids loved it of course.

We had to check out Hell’s Kitchen in the Caesar’s Palace Casino. Boris, Mayli, Tonia and I weren’t able to get a table. However, like at Dock’s we were able to get seats at the bar, which turned out to be an amazing experience as the bartender was great to chat with, had excellent drink suggestions, and accommodated our dining requests.

We opted to share the tasting menu and it was a great meal!

For our last day and night in Atlantic City, Tonia and I decided to stay at the marina and take full advantage of the pool access offered at the adjoining hotel. Boris and Mayli joined for a bit (kids opted not to since pools were not heated and they weren’t allowed in hot tubs) and later Steve and Toni, who was joining our trip through NYC, came to hang out with us and have some poolside munchies.