Taj Mahal Closes

Another one bites the dust, . . .

The Taj Mahal, Atlantic City (as opposed to the Taj Mahal, Agra) closed at 05:59 this morning, New Jersey time.

From the New York Daily News :
"Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union, said virtually all of the striking workers feel the same way.

'Everybody has their Popeye moment: ‘That’s all I can stands; I can’t stands no more,’ ' he said. 'The workers made a choice that they weren’t going to accept benefits and terms of employment worse than everyone else’s. I applaud them: for the first time in 30 years, workers stood up to Carl Icahn and made him throw in the towel.'

Icahn reached his own Popeye moment on Aug. 3, when he determined the $350 million he had lost investing in, and then owning, the Taj Mahal was enough. It was then that he decided to close the casino, fearing he would lose an additional $100 million next year.

'Today is a sad day for Atlantic City,' he said Monday. 'Like many of the employees at the Taj Mahal, I wish things had turned out differently.' "

I'm still baffled about the overall decline in Atlantic City. I get that casinos are everywhere now so its no longer a gambling destination - but its still a beautiful shoreline that developed nicely.

Ocean City, Myrtle Beach, and Virginia Beach all seem to be doing ok with tourism. Nobody wants to go to Atlantic City.

Atlantic City Woes
__It's not just the casinos.
Oh, and Atlantic City has been ranked as the second most "sinful city in America," right behind New Orleans, by the Trulia real estate website, based on . . . actual data such as violent crime rates, obesity among citizens, and the per-capita number of "adult entertainment" sites.
There goes the family-vacation business.


The Fall of the Boardwalk Empire
__It is the casino operators' fault, . . . combined with inadequate leadership in local government.

What Happened to Atlantic City
__"The casinos aren’t spectacular enough to be an attraction on their own, and the hotels and piers from the forties have literally crumbled. Atlantic City might try to dress itself up as a glitzy club destination or a family-friendly haven, but the truth is that the town has to offer what it has always offered: a beach, a boardwalk, and some places to gamble. Once upon a time, that sounded like a lot."
i.e. Times Change.

Going for Broke
__"Atlantic City in the '30s, just as the Depression hit, attracted 16 million people a year. That's about half of what Vegas attracts now, but the country was a quarter of the size that it is now. This was a mass resort in its heyday. Atlantic City during this period is a kind of remarkable city of firsts. It is the place where saltwater taffy is invented, which has no saltwater in it. It is the place where the Miss America Pageant starts. It's where the CIO of the AFL-CIO is born and also where Martin and Lewis first start performing. And of course it lends its street names to the most famous board game in American history, Monopoly."
i.e. Times Change.

I probably won't ever go back there, because I don't regularly travel to the east coast like I used to. I loved that White House subs place, near the board walk. It looks like the Borgata is the only remaining luxury hotel.

atlantic city fall boardwalk empire

The article is quite correct. Thank you DD for the article.

When gambling was legalized in the 1970's, it was "supposed" to be the savior of Atlantic City.
Two blocks from the boardwalk still resembles Fallujah, as it did in the 1970's.

We used to go a few times per year, now maybe once a year. The casinos & their employees had a build & they will come mentaiity & never treated their customers well. Once other casinos opened, there was no need to go to AC.

Oddly the bay casinos do well, while the oceanfront casinos are the ones struggling.