1. TEPLITZKY’S, THE CHELSEA HOTEL Feel like you’ve stepped into a Brady Bunch episode. The diner is located in The Chelsea, and the authenticity is frightening—with waitresses looking like something out of Twin Peaks.While the menu offers healthier stuff for breakfast (a protein shake), you can also gobble down chocolate French toast, Belgian waffles or pickled herring on a bagel with a strong black coffee in retro-cool pitchers. It’s probably the most comfortable place to nurse your hangover—far from the ching-ching of the slot machines.
111 S. Chelsea Ave.; 609-428-4550
2. SAKE DRINKS AT IZAKAYA Style Network star Michael Schulson’s modern Japanese restaurant might offer enough sushi to feed the hungry (and deep-pocketed) traveler, but the real draw of Izakaya is the sake. There are 50 varieties to choose from, including a $59 bottle of the Heaven’s Door brand, and, like the sushi rolls, all of them are different and worth trying if you can stomach the price.
The Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa 1 Borgata Way; 609-317-1000
3. VIEW FROM CHELSEA PRIME Sitting in a banquette at this glamorous, 1940s-style resto will make you wish that smoking was back in vogue. It feels like old Hollywood, with heaps of oysters, hunks of aged steak and enough sex appeal to get you ready for a room. But it may be the retro appeal coupled with the knockout view of the sea that keeps you revved up for later.
111 S. Chelsea Ave., 609-428-4550
4. GOSPEL BRUNCH AT HOUSE OF BLUES You can catch a show every evening here, but it’s the Sunday brunch that will really get you going. But we think you should get there early—really early—so you can try to catch a beautiful sunrise that will break through your boozy, woozy vision.Wait for the epiphanies to surface.
801 Boardwalk, 609-236–BLUE
5. POKER ROOM AT THE TRUMP TAJ MAHAL There are plenty of places to lose money, but since we’re not usually high rollers, we prefer the Taj since they have poker games that you can’t find any place else: like $4- $8 Omaha Hi-Lo with a kill button. Go ahead, try and beat that. 1000 Boardwalk, 609-449-1000
6. OLD HOMESTEAD RESTAURANT The warm wooden tones and classic steakhouse menu promise this New York City meat festival in a Jersey incarnation.The 137 year-old beef institution offers the staple cuts of prime Kobe beef, “whale sized lobsters” (a minimum of four pounds), raw seafood bar and waiters clad in ties and aprons.We’ll take one of each. 1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000
7. BOARDWALK HALL At
over 100 years old, Boardwalk Hall has hosted Louis Armstrong,The
Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, Bon Jovi and more. A recent
$90 million overhaul makes the space a prime destination for touring
bands that want a stop somewhere between Philly and New York to play a
show, gamble away all its earnings and sell its gold for tour bus gas
money.
2301 Boardwalk, 609-348-7000
8. CONCERTS AT BORGATA It might not have seaside charm, but con certs
at
the Borgata feature some big names in an unusually intimate club.
Upcoming shows include No Doubt, Depeche Mode and Mary J. Blige and the
in-house nightclubs (there are five) are open afterward to ensure an
epic night without having to leave the building.
The Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa, 1 Borgata Way, 866-692-6742
9. FIFTH FLOOR OF THE CHELSEA You
may end up forgetting that everyone else came here to gamble since this
floor of the classy hotel is so much fun to hang. With old-school board
games, a classy bar and a fireplace, it has all fun of a Lower East
Side scenester bar—without all the achingly awful attitude.
The Chelsea Hotel, 111 S. Chelsea Ave., 609-428-4545
10. LOBSTER CORNDOGS AT SEABLUE There’s nothing to dislike here. SeaBlue is plenty fancy, but that doesn’t get in the way of eating deep-fried meat encased in cornbread batter. Sure, whole-grain mustard is subbed in for the yellow stuff and it’s frou-frou fish, not…well, whatever hot dogs are made of. Still, this is what summer should taste like. The Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa, 1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000
11. THE WALK, OUTLET SHOPPING Open from 10 a.m. to 8 every day except
Sunday
(when they pack up at 6),The Walk boasts over 80 shops and places to
nosh at especially discounted prices. Live out the New York dream of
quality discount stores devoted entirely to Calvin Klein underwear,
Converse sneakers, or Samsonite luggage (to bring home all the crap you
buy!).
1931 Atlantic Avenue, 609-872-7002
12. POOLS AT WATER CLUB While most hotels are content to let you lounge around in a pool, the Water Club inside the Borgata couldn’t rest until it had five for guests to choose from.Whether you’re into splashing in one of the outdoor pools off of the lobby (who cares about winter, they’re heated!) or want to take in the view from the pool in spa on the 33 rd floor, the Water Club definitely lives up to its name. 1 Renaissance Way; 800-800-8817
13. RED SQUARE AT TROPICANA In a town gripped by rampant consumption, there’s something charming (if not slightly strange) about a Communismthemed restaurant—especially when it serves entrees, like clams Kruschev, with double-digit price tags. Still, amongst the touristy bars in the Tropicana’s Quarter, this is the one with the most pizzazz and tastiest grub.
The Quarter at Tropicana; 2801 Pacific Ave., 609-344-9100
14. PLANET ROSE KARAOKE While
your best friend screeching “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is usually the
only sinning at the karaoke bar, Planet Rose pro vides plenty of
mischief with deliberately sexy bartenders and constant flow of
affordable liquor.With tiger-print furniture and 15,000 songs to belt,
Planet Rose Karaoke will bring out your inner Susan Boyle.
2801 Pacific Ave., 609-344-6565
15. BOARDWALK PEDICABS The only activity more lovely than an afternoon stroll down AC’s famous boardwalk—which is over four miles long and part of one of the longest boardwalk chains in the world—is that same journey in the relaxing decadence of a pedicab. Much like the pedaled machines that swarm the streets of New York, these are a great way to see all four miles without burning holes in your new outlet-bought Sketchers.
16. FRALINGERS SALTWATER TAFFY We would sell our firstborn to know the science-defying secrets of this delicious concoction. Chew it slowly, and Fralingers caresses your taste buds like a gentle and yielding lover; chomp too hard and it seizes up like a fast-setting epoxy. Sampling all 17 flavors would be worth losing some fillings over.
1325 Boardwalk, 609-345-217
17. ACES TO AC Since February of last year, NJ Transit has been running the ACES (Atlantic City Express Service), which offers a train that leaves from Penn Station, arrives in Atlantic City in about two and a half hours. What better way is there to get a head start on the festivities?
1 Atlantic City Expy., 800-872-7245
