Atlantic City, Here We Come... on a bus????

When I moved to New York City, I vowed never to leave Manhattan. Well, at least not for the first few months. But hey, I've been living here for .... can it really be ... three whole years now and a gal's gotta get some new scenery.

But to Atlantic City, on a bus no less? So not this Manhattanite's style... or so I thought. My luck and pre-conceived notions changed when I got an offer to check out the Greyhound Lucky Streak, driven by bus driver extraordinaire Leon. Full disclosure, it was a free-of-charge field trip offered to bloggers by the good folks at Greyhound, with no obligation to blog or tweet or FB about it. But after a 27 hour romp, here's why I'd recommend shelling out some (nominal) dough and heading shoreside:

1) The Lucky Streak bus is a blast. Very comfy, great seats, all clean and shiny... and best of all, WiFi and outlets for you to plug in your computer. Having full internet access made the 3-ish hour trip go by in a heartbeat. And Greyhound is doing a lot to make the buses more eco-efficient, plus getting more tourists on a bus means less cars on the road means less air pollution.. you get the drift. Its also pretty cheap, and they have special fares and promos, so check it out.

2) The hotels know how to make you feel special. We stayed at the Hilton and everyone was just so, well, darn sweet. A reception at the Top of the Trop at the Tropicana showed just how hospitable a place can be.

3) Let's face it, gambling is the main draw (wink). The casinos were pretty cool, I gotta admit. On the first try at the slot machines (my favorite) at Bally's Wild Wild West Casino, I won 82 bucks!

4) Nothing compares to the boutiques in NYC, but some of the AC shops were open until midnight! Nothing like a little late evening dressing room action. (ok, that sounded slightly dirty...I didn't see THAT side of Atlantic City, darnnit.)

5) Pampering? Yep. I got a complimentary spa treatment at Bally's. The salt water taffy scrub left me blissed out (although I was slightly disappointed it was given with sea salt and not taffy, but it was so divine I'll get over it). My spa specialist described it as a 'human car wash.' Noted.

6) Just plain getting away for a day or two, in easy breezy style, is a true treat. I feel refreshed coming back into the city.

So, Atlantic City as a casual destination for fun, frolic and freedom? Aces. Check out the Atlantic City CVB for more details on what to do there. I may just head back when the beach isn't covered with snow...