The Rise and Fall of Atlantic City (A Tale of Urban Decay) - IT'S HISTORY

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  • Опубліковано 27 гру 2024

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  • @ITSHISTORY
    @ITSHISTORY  3 роки тому +22

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      @angusrumplemeyer1791 3 роки тому +9

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      @blowinkk9396 3 роки тому +10

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      @angusrumplemeyer1791 3 роки тому +3

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    • @JerryCrow
      @JerryCrow 3 роки тому +5

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  • @MrButch-ls8vl
    @MrButch-ls8vl 3 роки тому +497

    A tiny bit of Atlantic City history resides in my Philadelphia home. You see when the Sands Casino Hotel was going to be demolished (2007) they held a big sale of all the hotel's furnishings, equipment, etc. I went to that sale. While most people were rummaging through the dated and worn hotel furniture a security guard tipped me off there were items for sale on the top floor penthouses: the Frank Sinatra Suite and the Dean Martin Suite. I didn't care for the Sinatra furniture because it was all gold trimmed French Provincial but the Martin Suite was much more to my taste: it was silver trimmed Art Deco/Art Moderne stuff (much more understated ... more akin to the look of Miami Beach of the 60s and 70s - you know, the Morris Lapidus aesthetic ) and I picked up two gorgeous upholstered arm chairs for a song. People still admire my two matching armchairs and there is a story that goes with it!!!

    • @bballkid7409
      @bballkid7409 3 роки тому +11

      That’s pretty cool 😎 I grew up going to Atlantic City and have many fond memories. Haven’t been back since 2013 but wow was it a totally different place from the glory days I remember. Can’t imagine it today.

    • @LususxNaturae
      @LususxNaturae 3 роки тому +10

      I’ve missed every single hotel closing sale and my Grandmothers who live down there will not let me forget.

    • @jamescameron6819
      @jamescameron6819 3 роки тому +7

      That's a great story. Almost as good as actually having Dean Martin's chairs

    • @MrButch-ls8vl
      @MrButch-ls8vl 3 роки тому +5

      @@jamescameron6819 I'm sure Dean sat in them!

    • @bigtonythabagmanrobinson3753
      @bigtonythabagmanrobinson3753 3 роки тому +4

      Sounds like really good furniture

  • @joannerush8402
    @joannerush8402 3 роки тому +186

    I worked at Resorts in the early 1980's at the front desk and met many, many celebrities that walked up to the desk to register for their rooms. It was so fun to see the players of the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies along with politicians and actors. I remember watching Miss New York check in with one of the agents, you know her better as Vanessa Williams. Great memories!

    • @lostintime8651
      @lostintime8651 3 роки тому +5

      And now it's all done with an app.

    • @erin19030
      @erin19030 3 роки тому +9

      Yeah they all squat to pee like you and me. Nothing special about them.

    • @thehammer4625
      @thehammer4625 3 роки тому +5

      @@erin19030 maybe so, but they sell tickets to events and concerts. So I guess that’s special.

    • @the_gilded_age_phoenix8717
      @the_gilded_age_phoenix8717 3 роки тому +3

      @@erin19030 ...but, but, but....their pee is Golden!

    • @reneepeterson4877
      @reneepeterson4877 3 роки тому +7

      I worked in Resorts in the mid 80s as a cocktail server

  • @Billy-lr8mx
    @Billy-lr8mx 3 роки тому +164

    It's called a jitney! A jitney was a nickel! I lived between Tropicana and boardwalk hall for a few years. Definitely a sketchy town, but a lot of cool stuff rolled through. If you are ever in the area, it's worth a visit!

    • @RazorRoman
      @RazorRoman 3 роки тому +8

      This. Lol

    • @jojobean4211
      @jojobean4211 3 роки тому +1

      Every thing not 4 everybody bro

    • @tula1433
      @tula1433 3 роки тому +4

      I have a funny memory of a fight on the jitney. They are filled with casino guests along with a mix of local scum trying to get a cheap ride. Some drunk scumbag got mouthy with a girl and my friend defended her. He started running his mouth and my friend silenced him with “UNLIKE YOU, the rest of us are actually VACATIONING in Atlantic City” and the whole Jitney was roaring. Seeing a group full of strangers all laughing together to silence a bully was hilarious and one of the funniest memories I have of AC.

    • @irsmedic
      @irsmedic 2 роки тому +6

      My uncle purchased a parcel of land just to acquire a 1919 Overland that was stashed in a barn in rural Connecticut. 50 years later. Son his restoring. Finds a schedule with stops along Rt 44 into Willimantic. He tells me the car was used a "jitney." So perhaps the term was not so localized as to AC. But any ride that was a nickel?
      But yeah, you must have a ton of cool old stuff.
      My guess is you have expertise stripping boards down and climbing down into things.
      And keeping secrets.

    • @daffers2345
      @daffers2345 2 роки тому +19

      He also mispronounced "Reading," as it is supposed to be "REDD-ing" and not "REED-ing" ... otherwise a good video!

  • @zach1810
    @zach1810 3 роки тому +162

    As a resident of NJ, Atlantic City has mixed feelings. You covered it quite well. I hope that I will see the day when the city itself, and not just the casinos are brought out of the dump they are in today.

    • @bigpoppa3277
      @bigpoppa3277 3 роки тому +10

      I wouldn’t hold my breath lol. Place is worse than a dump

    • @treasurethetime2463
      @treasurethetime2463 2 роки тому +6

      NJ also. Great early memories and recollections of the despair beyond the glitz.
      Fact of the matter is you can't make ocean front property. It's finite. That means time. Time is all that matters. Ocean City NJ is getting 800k for 2 bedroom condos. Other shore towns have had a nice run up but one serious recession, one summer of vacancy, and you will see prices come down and people look for better investments.

    • @zafiruzoma6234
      @zafiruzoma6234 2 роки тому +2

      Hahah like someone said already don't hold your breath. It's state locked and it's owned by new jersey they're trying to buy out everyone in the hood so they can put down more highways and resorts

    • @DevilsPleasure1
      @DevilsPleasure1 2 роки тому +2

      I live here also and AC and its such a shithole anymore. The roads are one of the worst in the state. It's been ran by Democrats so long that it may never come back

    • @ExplizitDuester
      @ExplizitDuester 2 роки тому +1

      Brigantine is still nice to live but expensive

  • @jantschierschky3461
    @jantschierschky3461 3 роки тому +63

    Been to Atlantic City twice, in 2000 and 2015, a big difference in that time. 2000 place felt optimistic and had a flair. 2015 seeing the decay, abandoned buildings. The flair and optimism was gone, however still had a great time walking on the board walk.

    • @davyjones7177
      @davyjones7177 3 роки тому +10

      AC has definitely gotten better since 2015. You’d be surprised the amount of change as the vibe is definitely more optimistic today but for better reasons. They are actually investing in non gambling actives compared to early 2000s when they were just trying to buy more slot machines.

    • @jantschierschky3461
      @jantschierschky3461 3 роки тому +1

      @@davyjones7177 I take you word for it, hope you right

    • @tula1433
      @tula1433 3 роки тому +6

      In the 90s Atlantic City was magical. Even up til the mid 2000s. There was a slump but it’s better now.

    • @davyjones7177
      @davyjones7177 3 роки тому +3

      jay bruno Every city isn’t perfect. I can take you to spots in Miami, LA, Las Vegas, NYC, New Orleans, D.C. that are worse compared to AC.

    • @davyjones7177
      @davyjones7177 3 роки тому

      jay bruno lol

  • @TracySmith-xy9tq
    @TracySmith-xy9tq 3 роки тому +71

    Jitney, not jitty.
    I lived in NJ in the 60s and 70s. Most NJ residents did not swim there, as it was considered a tourist trap. NJ residents preferred other towns, such as Wildwood and Ocean City.

    • @c.e.1238
      @c.e.1238 3 роки тому +3

      Lol thank you someone said it I was like waaatttt you mean the jitney?

    • @chaddog313
      @chaddog313 3 роки тому +4

      My family prefers long Beach island for summer vacations and Atlantic city for weekend getaways in the winter.

    • @qjtvaddict
      @qjtvaddict 3 роки тому

      Easily accessible by frequent even 24/7 bus service from 552 and 507 sort of

    • @rogerknights857
      @rogerknights857 3 роки тому +1

      Also, ITS, not IT’S.

    • @just4funallday508
      @just4funallday508 2 роки тому +2

      I grew up on Philly and went to AC a few times '65-75. The video skipped over this period, probably because AC was ABYSMAL. Crumbling hotels, the boardwalk was practically empty because no gambling was allowed (including games of chance like ring toss, etc.). The casinos may have added some glitz for a few years, but they also brought considerable crime and have been in decline since they began. Wildwood was a much better place. The casinos in AC turned Wildwood into a dump for a few years 1980-~2000, but since the cleanup 2000-2010, Wildwood is once again a great beach resort.

  • @mrgrfitz
    @mrgrfitz Рік тому +5

    I worked the AC boards the Summers of '78-'79 at an arcade between Texas and California Aves called Playcade. It's still in operation today!

  • @hungrysoles
    @hungrysoles 3 роки тому +76

    My grandmother remembered visiting Atlantic City as a child in the 1910s.Women wore the bathing suits with stockings. She rolled hers down on a hot day and a policeman told her to roll it back up. There is an old seafood restaurant in Pittsburgh called The Old Oyster House. The original owner used to visit Atlantic City for the Miss America contests. On the walls of the place are large photos of past winners and their courts over the years besides famous celebrities who enjoyed their fish sandwiches.

    • @fritztm9261
      @fritztm9261 3 роки тому +7

      I mean this as no offense but how old are you that your grandmother can remember the 1910s? I’m in my late 20s and my grandmother can tell me of the 1960s easily.

    • @MultiPetercool
      @MultiPetercool 3 роки тому +3

      “Well I love may have died
      And our love has gone cold
      But with you forever I’ll stay
      We’re going out there where the sand turns to gold
      But put your stockings on ‘cause it might be cold”
      - Bruce Springsteen “ Atlantic City”

    • @MultiPetercool
      @MultiPetercool 3 роки тому +2

      @@fritztm9261 she’s old enough to remember a song by Bruce Springsteen.

    • @rickjames2.0
      @rickjames2.0 2 роки тому +1

      @@MultiPetercool 🤣😂

    • @richfoureva
      @richfoureva 2 роки тому

      They mightve dined at Docks oyster house. Been in the city for a long time.

  • @genekelly8467
    @genekelly8467 2 роки тому +7

    A cautionary tale-the fact is, gambling NEVER brings prosperity to a dying town. Everybody forgets that multiplier effect of purchasing-every dollar you spend at a retail store, restaurant, etc. turns over about 7 times. This creates jobs for suppliers, repair people, cleaning firms, etc. In contrast , every dollar spent in a casino leaves the local economy. Las Vegas worked (from 1950-2000) because it was built for one thing only, and it was the only place where you could gamble-now almost every state has casinos. I am seeing the same thing unfold in Springfield, MA. Springfield is an old , dying ex-industrial town that got an MGM Casino 6 years ago. It is surrounded by a wilderness of vacant lots, abandoned buildings, and mentally ill homeless people. Of course, the politicians made lots of $$, but the city isn't any better. What attracts industries and jobs is honest government, low taxes, good schools and services..none of which are improved by casino gambling.

  • @Phightins
    @Phightins 2 роки тому +41

    Atlantic City is honestly what you make of it! My girlfriend and I have made that our getaway spot for over a year now and it’s so nice to experience a really nice hotel/casino experience with the lush ocean view. We’re from Philly so it’s not far for us.

    • @blushdog
      @blushdog 2 роки тому

      Thats great, make sure to check out the history there too

    • @74lawann
      @74lawann 4 місяці тому

      @@Phightins I agree. My husband and I live in Upstate NY and enjoyed the venture to AC. It’s a 5 hour drive for us but we enjoyed the getaway.

  • @devinmarbury4967
    @devinmarbury4967 3 роки тому +23

    Went to Atlantic City this past April and absolutely LOVED it

  • @nelsonricardo3729
    @nelsonricardo3729 3 роки тому +15

    My favorite part of the Raid ad was fast-forwarding through it.

  • @migue4793
    @migue4793 3 роки тому +8

    Hurricane Sandy did a lot of damage to many of the buildings. That storm was crazy mad.

  • @amyt2400
    @amyt2400 3 роки тому +24

    A visit to “Steel’s Fudge” on the Boardwalk is still a reason to visit Atlantic City (try the Chocolate, Coconut or Pistachio Fudge). Another foodie destination spot (though not on the Boardwalk) is the super famous sandwich spot, “White House Subs”. The beach in AC is still superb in the Summer...nothing like a long stroll on the Boardwalk!!! 🌊

    • @Phightins
      @Phightins 2 роки тому +2

      Can’t forget Gilchrist!!

    • @sitdowndogbreath
      @sitdowndogbreath 2 роки тому

      @@Phightins assume the position

    • @barrygrossman6758
      @barrygrossman6758 2 роки тому +1

      Cross from the White House, towards the outlets, check out the fish store.

  • @erikvanconover
    @erikvanconover Рік тому +3

    Hard to believe it took 17 years to build the first road but these ornate European castle like structures popped up over night. Tartarian buildings. Great video overall

  • @normangoldschmidt4018
    @normangoldschmidt4018 3 роки тому +50

    Did anyone else notice how many of the photos are NOT Atlantic city? The street cars are in Toronto, and Buffalo ( they are labeled Toronto and Buffalo, Hamburg and Aurora). Now I have to re-watch and see how many other photos are recognizable as other cities

  • @davyjones7177
    @davyjones7177 3 роки тому +23

    Great video. I would say that AC definitely seems to be getting better within the last few years. A lot of new development is occurring and hopefully that trend can continue.

    • @jeremyheintz1479
      @jeremyheintz1479 2 роки тому +2

      No one wants to drive 2 hours to gamble when PA has casinos

    • @davyjones7177
      @davyjones7177 2 роки тому +7

      Jeremy Heintz Yea but they are just casinos. Most of the casinos in AC are actually mega resorts and have much more to do than gamble not counting the beach and boardwalk. I live only 40 mins away so it’s worth driving the extra 15 minutes for better amenities. Casinos in and around Philly are nice, but they aren’t world class like the Borgata or Ocean.

  • @NicksElixir
    @NicksElixir 3 роки тому +25

    I'm starting this video now and I'm excited to watch because I grew up in and around Atlantic City. My maternal family has lived in the city for at least 5 generations. Sad to know that it peaked way before I was born, but when I learn how glamorous it used to be, I wonder if it can be restored to its former glory. I don't live in Atlantic City anymore, but I'm hoping I can help play a big or small part in its revival while I'm alive.

    • @ilahildasissac1943
      @ilahildasissac1943 2 роки тому +3

      That is a sweet and respectable attitude. I feel that way about my neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.

  • @dirkbonesteel
    @dirkbonesteel 3 роки тому +30

    Anyone into Atlantic City should watch Boardwalk Empire series. Great digital reconstructions with fantastic plots

    • @reneepeterson4877
      @reneepeterson4877 3 роки тому +2

      I used to clean the Judges home, he wrote the book about his father.

    • @Dylagm
      @Dylagm 2 роки тому +4

      One of the greatest shows ever made! I’m currently rewatching it again now since my new girlfriend has never seen it and it’s one of her favorite shows already. Great acting, script, cinematography, etc.

    • @arthurgearheard4701
      @arthurgearheard4701 2 роки тому

      That took place in the twenties!

    • @ilahildasissac1943
      @ilahildasissac1943 2 роки тому

      I liked the historical aspect,but found the show too sexually explicit and violent for my taste.

    • @TonyVerrazano
      @TonyVerrazano 5 місяців тому +1

      One of my favorite shows ever

  • @richdiscoveries
    @richdiscoveries 3 роки тому +10

    I stayed at the Clarion back in 2008. It had its issues with water and other minor things but such a beautiful old Historic Hotel. So happy I had the opportunity to experience it while it is still with us

    • @mommadukes7010
      @mommadukes7010 2 роки тому

      We stayed there around 2016....we loved it. Was clean and still had remnants of the past

  • @Dsdcain
    @Dsdcain 3 роки тому +11

    No Ryan! NOOOO! Raid Shadow Legends got you too! Noooo!
    Just kidding to be honest. This happens to be one of my favorite history channels. I hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas. 😎

  • @lynnessabacon6632
    @lynnessabacon6632 3 роки тому +7

    Atlantic city.. The Best and worse times of my life..i still love u...and believe u can be great again ❤️❤️❤️

  • @keelin6942
    @keelin6942 2 роки тому +1

    I’m originally from Northfield and recently lived in Atlantic City for a few years until moving cross country last summer. Definitely learned something new from this. The history of the city is fascinating and yes, as there are many rough areas, there is beauty that still remains.

  • @Dalt21
    @Dalt21 3 роки тому +21

    It’s easy to say Atlantic City has fallen. However it seems to have improved in the last few years. Stockton University has added an AC campus which has added a younger vibrancy to the city. The Borgata is one of the best casinos in the USA. New projects have been developing across the city (indoor water parks new apartments, etc) also AC has huge beach concerts which draws big names and large crowds. It’s seemed more lively lately than in the 90s-2010 range.

  • @richardawatterson1526
    @richardawatterson1526 Рік тому +3

    Even though Atlantic City is pretty much dead i still love going there. Walking on the boardwalk the shops and the history makes it still unique.

    • @2pugman
      @2pugman 2 місяці тому

      DO NOT attempt to walk one block the boardwalk due to crime. The boardwalk itself isn't safe during the day. Web had a friend who was beaten and robbed after winning four thousand dollars and walked outside the casino. A girl gang attacked her and nobody helped her defend herself. We stopped going there in the early 1980's.

  • @danielbagnell9135
    @danielbagnell9135 3 роки тому +8

    As being from Ventnor, next to AC, you did an awesome job. You got alot of forgotten information! Good Job!👏👍

  • @flying0possum
    @flying0possum 3 роки тому +6

    These are my favorite type of videos

  • @Kevin-yh9yt
    @Kevin-yh9yt 3 роки тому +73

    From the very beginning of legal gambling in AC, the casinos never put one dime into anything beyond their own property and the boardwalk access to it. They allowed the rest of the adjacent city to rot and become a crime-filled hellhole. Then the city, in the name of 'revitalization' tore down all the beautiful old buildings on the side streets. They are now empty lots in a desolate poverty-stricken ghost-town. The minute people had nicer, safer places to gamble they fled for their lives and wallets. This wont change back soon.

    • @whiskeytangofoxtrot9403
      @whiskeytangofoxtrot9403 3 роки тому +15

      The American history is gone for cheap and flashy. It's not by accident and the cancer has spread across the nation.

    • @died4us590
      @died4us590 3 роки тому +14

      When you have to put your name all over casino's, and worry about your pockets, and tax avasion, that says a lot about a person that people forget. All the world is a stage, and trust no one, but God. God bless.

    • @thehammer4625
      @thehammer4625 3 роки тому +25

      Since casino gambling was legalized, the casinos in New Jersey have paid over $14 billion in taxes and employed thousands of locals with good paying jobs that allowed folks to raise a family.
      One of the things that led to the decline in AC is competition from surrounding states that have allowed casino gambling. Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts all have legalized Gambling.
      The second thing that has hurt is the zoning laws in AC do not permit residential development. If you could see the neighborhood just north of Ocean Casino, there are many empty lots dotted with a few homes of people that didn’t sell out to developers like their neighbors. In any other city along the ocean, these lots would sell for millions. There will never be another new casino developed in AC, the market can barely support 9 casinos as it is, and in fact, the only growth has been in internet gaming and sports betting. But wait until NYC permits two casinos, when that happens, that will draw more business away. The economy needs to diversify away from gambling and more towards tourism, like adjacent communities of Brigantine, Ocean City, Margate, Ventnor.
      The casinos have paid billions in taxes, it has been state and local politicians that are addicted to this revenue stream who turn their back on the city and it’s residents.

    • @allegedly2111
      @allegedly2111 3 роки тому +1

      Still true

    • @8bitorgy
      @8bitorgy 3 роки тому

      I'm sorry but nothing you said is an identifiable fact of any sort

  • @asullivan4047
    @asullivan4047 11 днів тому

    Interesting/informative/entertaining 😉. Excellent still-motion photography pictures 📷/drawings/maps. Enabling viewers to better understand what/whom the orator is describing. Enjoy viewing 👀 the horse 🐎 drawn wagons/gothic architecture/ cars/buses/trolley cars/indoor & outdoor lighting of that era😉. Enjoyed a few areas of the Jersey shore off season last century.

  • @henrycheng6361
    @henrycheng6361 3 роки тому +32

    JITNEY, WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING JITTEY?

  • @kylerebman5094
    @kylerebman5094 2 роки тому +5

    Living in the tiny island next to AC (Brigantine, can be seen at 2:42), it's interesting to see unfold and the changes have definitely been drastic. I delivered food to parts of AC for 3 years and it's interesting seeing remains of what has built decades ago.

  • @gregsummerson6524
    @gregsummerson6524 3 роки тому +6

    I was at Atlantic City about 50 years back, mom and dad went to some hotels that had rooms that shared bathrooms, never saw that anywhere else in the country!!!!!!! Well mom and dad found a much newer hotel . Another crazy thing was the bus service, they weren’t actual buses they were smaller, they were called “ jittneys “ and all of them had brakes that screamed like hell when they stopped. This was back in the late 60s.

  • @wickedcoolbro
    @wickedcoolbro 2 роки тому +4

    I have lived and worked in AC my whole life. I love my city, but it needs some love. However, it has made many improvements in the past few years. Come visit y’all!

  • @MultiPetercool
    @MultiPetercool 3 роки тому +6

    “Everything dies, Baby that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back”

    • @mrsuns10
      @mrsuns10 2 роки тому +1

      Put your makeup on and your hair up pretty

    • @gracedagostino5231
      @gracedagostino5231 2 роки тому +1

      @@mrsuns10 "and meet me tonight in Atlantic City"

  • @Scsibut
    @Scsibut 3 роки тому +26

    Did you know that Boardwalk Hall is still home to the largest pipe organ in the world

    • @Billy-lr8mx
      @Billy-lr8mx 3 роки тому

      It's incredible to see a performance!

    • @thehammer4625
      @thehammer4625 3 роки тому

      Before Covid, they would have tours of the organ once a week.

    • @nickmyers1085
      @nickmyers1085 4 місяці тому

      @@thehammer4625 still do!

  • @cowabungabonzai
    @cowabungabonzai 2 роки тому +1

    Thank you so much for this. Gonna share this with everyone. Thank you for talking about the Lenni Lenape🙏🤘

  • @WorldsFairNYC
    @WorldsFairNYC 3 роки тому +9

    I’m a professional wrestling announcer that works in Atlantic City multiple times a year. Every time it gets sadder and sadder. I told my friend that Atlantic City will one day be ruins just like Chichen Itza or The Colosseum.

  • @barrygrossman6758
    @barrygrossman6758 2 роки тому +7

    Appreciate the trip down memory lane...
    The key failure of Atlantic City’s recent decline: Hoping the "kasinas" (sic) would save the city. The first statewide referendum failed and only passed when it only specified AC.
    Leading up to referendum all old buildings were grazed- there were tracts of land available. Local residents thought developers would purchase the entire city. There was no thought to creating a total community.
    The city did not realize the goal of casinos is to keep people inside to gamble.
    Most of those undeveloped tracts remained undeveloped.
    Why didn't people venture to Atlantic Ave? The casinos had stores inside. It was people like Rease Palley who would open a shop inside the casino.
    Most of the boardwalk attractions stayed in the 1960s- they were lost in time.
    Instead of visiting Las Vegas to see what the competition was doing, Atlantic County officials buried their heads in the sand.
    Yes, today there are some great non casino attractions and the state used the city as an ATM machine for many decades.

    • @jeffreyg201
      @jeffreyg201 Рік тому

      And current county executive Dennis Levinson (R) continually claims that Atlantic County is "the best run county in the state". Now, is that a joke or what?

  • @bradydaniel3576
    @bradydaniel3576 3 роки тому +2

    Sir thank you so much for including the indigenous history Its so important

  • @njunderground82
    @njunderground82 3 роки тому +26

    Yeah, I grew up outside AC and it's been pretty sketchy all my life (80s onwards).

    • @guntherhiggenbottom6195
      @guntherhiggenbottom6195 3 роки тому +7

      Me too! Where about are you from? I’m from ocean city.

    • @njunderground82
      @njunderground82 3 роки тому +4

      @@guntherhiggenbottom6195 Williamstown, about 30 minutes away from AC. I always loved Ocean City!

  • @gingerbell07
    @gingerbell07 2 роки тому +3

    Loved this video, love Atlantic City, and I love my home state. That is all.

  • @Brian_rock_railfan
    @Brian_rock_railfan 3 роки тому +4

    great video Merry Christmas everyone 👍🎅🎄

  • @johnlouisgood
    @johnlouisgood 3 роки тому +3

    Coney Island next? I hope so, thank you!

    • @MIKIEEYEZ1975
      @MIKIEEYEZ1975 Місяць тому

      Coney Island has a shot at one of the 3 Downstate Casino Licences. Aqueduct & Yonkers will get a License. There will be one license left. It will be between Coney Island, West Side , NYC, Nassau Colosseum & Queens near Citi Field..

  • @RedcoatsReturn
    @RedcoatsReturn 3 роки тому +2

    Fascinating history! The early history was completely new for me, bravo👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊😉👍👍

  • @Flipdodge392
    @Flipdodge392 3 роки тому +6

    Great video once again!

  • @desertdawg3409
    @desertdawg3409 2 роки тому +1

    Worked on the Boardwalk and North End/Inlet and lived on mainland... Moved from there in '88 and haven't been back since.

  • @misselaine2460
    @misselaine2460 3 роки тому +15

    I just competed in the Miss'd America pageant in October at the Hard Rock aCd I perform regularly at the Tropicana. Ac is rough around the edges but I love it and hope it will rise again!

    • @tula1433
      @tula1433 3 роки тому

      There used to be a really great dance troupe at the Taj also. The angels I believe

    • @rick-be
      @rick-be 2 роки тому

      We called a nickel a jit when I was a kid
      and I have taken many a jitney ride in the
      TAWDRIEST CITY on EARTH many a time
      and will again this summer.

    • @dearbrad1996
      @dearbrad1996 Рік тому

      You appeared as comedy relief?

  • @MelissaK_Dr.Petty_
    @MelissaK_Dr.Petty_ 3 роки тому +6

    Atlantic City NJ Resident and life long Margate Resident with my family being from here and cherry Hill (that side vacationed here, how my great grand parents met) My great grandfather was the Superintendent of Atlantic City school system. Oh.... and it's not JIDDY..... it's JITNEY.

    • @vmx445
      @vmx445 2 роки тому

      Hey Melissa its George S

  • @TransitChuckG678
    @TransitChuckG678 3 роки тому +3

    Our family spent a week of vacation in Atlantic City every year , we stayed on Montpelier Ave. Breakfast on Atlantic Ave., they on to the beach for the day, after dinner, a walk on the Boardwalk.Circa 1950's.

  • @Piterdeveirs333
    @Piterdeveirs333 Рік тому +2

    I grew up in NJ and my dad was in a local union working as a glazier. A glazier works with glass and windows. He ended up working on a lot of buildings in South Jersey and the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Pretty much any casino built between the 80s to the 2000s he worked on. I remember him talking about working on the Taj Mahal. Then in 2003 I was working for one of the glass shops his union worked with. So I ended up installing glass in some of the windows that were going to the Tropicana when it was getting renovated. Unfortunately for me all of the jobs being done in that shop were finished around July of 03 and I got laid off. If I wasn't scared shitless of heights I would have become a glazier for that union too but there ain't no way I was gonna hang off the side of a building and install windows

  • @SpicyPotato8675
    @SpicyPotato8675 2 роки тому +5

    AC today has a small area where the shops are in a nice place, and the boardwalk. But the rest if the city is like a slightly better Camden.

    • @johnnyboy55
      @johnnyboy55 2 роки тому +3

      Or as I called it- Camden With Casinos.

  • @chrisherman7531
    @chrisherman7531 3 роки тому +7

    My wife and daughter went there 8 years ago... had fun but not thrilled.
    I went with them 4 years ago.... what a dump. Closed stores, casinos and their Mall on the Pier....
    One block out and you're in poverty and decay....
    Had to pay to park everywhere.....We agreed....NEVER again.

  • @bwanna23
    @bwanna23 2 роки тому +4

    Beatles played Convention Hall not Steel Pier.

  • @Maya_Ruinz
    @Maya_Ruinz 2 роки тому +1

    Incredible history, the sea of humanity on the boardwalk really shows how packed the crowds were, it must have been a glorious sight in its prime.

  • @charleswagner284
    @charleswagner284 2 роки тому +1

    The transportation is called a Jitney, with an N. Not Jitty. My grandparents ran the mini golf course at Texas ave and the boardwalk.

  • @bmjv77
    @bmjv77 3 роки тому +6

    Watch the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" if you want a good idea of what AC was like in its hey-day.

  • @scottobrien3071
    @scottobrien3071 3 роки тому +16

    I worked in AC while I was going to school around there and got a job as a valet manager in the Claridge, one of the oldest still standing hotels on the beach. (Still in some of those black and white pictures) but the hotel there has some secrets left over from prohibition. There’s the closed Monroe suit at the very top floor under the bell tower that was a 3 bedroom unit with its own bar and two fireplaces. And there’s a rumor that a speakeasy still existed there that was only accessible from a service elevator which is why it never got used cause it didn’t have a fire exit, but now it just sits empty with no furniture as just an empty room.

    • @PGHammer21A
      @PGHammer21A 3 роки тому +2

      My first trips to Atlantic City were pre-casino (because I was under gambling age at the time), thus I grew up during the Legal Casino Age (1979 - present). Why did Atlantic City die? Competition - largely from outside New Jersey. If you wanted to gamble, you no longer had to go to Atlantic City to do it. There were "racinos" (casinos at horse-racing tracks) especially in Pennsylvania and Delaware. You could STILL go to Atlantic City for reasons OTHER than gambling - however, how many do even today? (My last trip to Atlantic City - in the WINTER of all things - was to the Atlantic Club (the former Hilton Atlantic City) - I had fun doing it; however, how many folks would go to Atlantic City in the winter?

    • @carpathia0117
      @carpathia0117 2 роки тому +1

      How have I not learned of the Monroe suite?
      Local resident history buff and regular at the Claridge ...thanks for sharing!

    • @PGHammer21A
      @PGHammer21A 2 роки тому +1

      @@carpathia0117 - The same is true of the former Hilton Atlantic City (later the Atlantic Club, then the Revel Hotel - before it shuttered) - and I stayed there when it was the Hilton, and later - in the winter! - when it was the Atlantic Club; it felt darn weird to be near the Boardwalk - let alone the Atlantic Ocean - during a blizzard. It was the second casino to have its own windmill; the other is the Borgata - which preceded it.

    • @carpathia0117
      @carpathia0117 2 роки тому

      @@PGHammer21A I walk by the old Atlantic Club almost daily.
      Shame about that place!

    • @PGHammer21A
      @PGHammer21A 2 роки тому +1

      @@carpathia0117 - Agreed - and that was despite my last visit being a wintertime one during a blizzard. I actually had my room on the windmill side of the Atlantic Club - by choice - and had no sleeping issues. I simply got used to non-winter visits.

  • @stephendoss8375
    @stephendoss8375 4 місяці тому

    thanks. new subscriber .. grew up there in the 50's - 80's .. family owned principle boardwalk properties and beachfront homes 'down island' .

  • @JoiceVaderd
    @JoiceVaderd 2 роки тому +3

    I've lived in NJ for almost 7 years, now. The longest I have ever lived anywhere. I always heard about people going "to the shore" for summer trips. I first went to a New Jersey shore town, a year ago, and it was very disappointing. You have to pay to go on the beach, the beach is packed with people and absolutely nobody in the water. It was not a great first impression. I have been to many beaches. I've been to Hatteras Island and it was beautiful, there. I also went to a beach up in Maine, and you can just walk into the beach. It wasn't packed, and people enjoyed the water. Definitely a sight to see.

  • @1wwtom
    @1wwtom 3 роки тому +2

    Dad's folks lived in NJ maybe 30 miles from Seaside Hts where I loved to go as a kid. I recall wanting to see AC which was farther downshore from where they lived. When they relented and took me there in the 60's I was disappointed seeing most everything closed up. Seaside & Asbury Park were my favs. Then in the 90's I discovered the Casinos in AC and loved to vacation there which eventually led me to fly to Las Vegas 2X a year for 10 yrs. Now being older I'm Not doing that all day air travel ordeal to LV anymore when I can drive to AC from MD in 3hrs flat in my own comfort. AC ain't LV but it'll do!

  • @jacobmartinelli7496
    @jacobmartinelli7496 Рік тому

    good video. will this channel ever run out of historical events to elaborate accordingly?

  • @Ralphie_Boy
    @Ralphie_Boy 2 роки тому +1

    *Remembering my visit to A.C. many times in the very early 1980s...* 💓👍

  • @jonathanlee7355
    @jonathanlee7355 Рік тому

    I spent a lot of time in AC in my early 20s.... My exgirlfriends grandmother was a heavy gambler at the Taj mahal, so EVERYTHING was on comps.. food, alcohol, even concerts, all "free". We would go down every other weekend. Getting a suite every once in a while. AC really became a 2nd home. It's been at least 10 years since I've been there.

  • @dappergenesis822
    @dappergenesis822 3 роки тому +5

    My family has always gone to Atlantic City and have a couple homes on Brigantine Island only accessible by AC.

  • @joellamoureux7914
    @joellamoureux7914 3 роки тому +2

    Went here when I was a child. I rode the fastest roller coaster on the east coast and went to the best go-kart track I have ever seen. It was three stories high,had indoor and outdoor sections AND Karts that went more than three miles an hour we have today

  • @TenguTalks
    @TenguTalks 3 роки тому +14

    The only time(s) i ever went to AC for the convention Anime Next, which seemed to fit the city pretty well. But like, those blocks just off the Tanger always look sketch AF, even now. One of my friends lives in Blenheim, and she used to tell me about how the city ebbed and flowed, and she was never surprised by any news/scuttlebutt she heard coming from there.

  • @maureenkelly-thompson7101
    @maureenkelly-thompson7101 Рік тому

    My dad was an Atlantic City native. He grew up there in the 1920’s and 1930’s. We spent our childhood summers in Atlantic City (this was in the 1960’s). Eventually, we started to spend our summer vacations a little further down the shore in Sea Isle City, Wildwood, and Cape May. Even with the casinos, we saw the decline of Atlantic City. Sadly, AC could never and will never rival Las Vegas, although it certainly tried to do that for awhile.

  • @skgate
    @skgate 2 роки тому

    Glad I got to visit in 2005… America has changed so much but I cherish my childhood memories of all the places I’ve seen and remember.. poor kids today only know new new new

  • @LanceGrey
    @LanceGrey 3 роки тому +1

    Went once from Chicago. One of those $15 Round-trip Junkets abt.~1987.
    Supposed to gamble X number of hours but I spent more time walking on the Boardwalk.

  • @TonysMusic1974
    @TonysMusic1974 3 роки тому +12

    10:14 . . . . did you really just pronounce "debut" as "Day-Bute??" Really?

    • @aintnolittlegirl9322
      @aintnolittlegirl9322 3 роки тому +1

      That's what I thought I heard.

    • @K-Riz314
      @K-Riz314 3 роки тому

      😆😆😆

    • @davewilson7255
      @davewilson7255 3 роки тому +3

      Yes, he did. And "jitty" instead of jittney. He did a pretty good job overall, though. it would take hours to tell the whole history of AC but this was informative.

    • @rogerknights857
      @rogerknights857 3 роки тому

      And he put an apostrophe in ITS.

    • @poopisgood3752
      @poopisgood3752 2 роки тому +1

      i dont know if its a american thing but in canada everyone calls it day- bute

  • @josephschroeder7778
    @josephschroeder7778 2 роки тому

    My mom and grandma used to go to Atlantic City often during the 90s and early 2000s. Once they allowed casinos in Pennsylvania, they no longer had a reason to travel the far to gamble.
    My brother and I would always walk the boardwalk while they gambled. Not sure if it's still there, but I remember a mall on the boardwalk that was shaped like a ship

  • @jeffreyg201
    @jeffreyg201 Рік тому

    I worked at the Sheraton Deauville on Brighton Ave. & the boardwalk in 1979 - 1980 which was the original Chelsea Hotel. The hotel on the other side of Brighton Ave. was The Ambassador Hotel which stood empty for a while. Eventually it was purchased by Ramada Corp. I think, and I witnessed the demolition of it, but keeping the steel structure which eventually became the initial tower of Tropicana.

  • @jensmith7331
    @jensmith7331 2 роки тому +5

    Went to AC for the first time in 2021. My husband was born & raised there (graduated from AC High School in ‘82). His aunt has a gazebo in her honor on the beach in Longport. While I saw the “urban decay”, it was neat to go. He & his dad were AC Beach Patrol & the latter receives a pension. Tony Boloneys & hearing people say “wooder” rather than “water” were a trip in itself.

    • @barrygrossman6758
      @barrygrossman6758 2 роки тому +1

      If you find the older locals - ArKansas instead of Arkansas Ave. 🤣

    • @jensmith7331
      @jensmith7331 2 роки тому +1

      @@barrygrossman6758 So funny- I live in Arkansas! Or AR-Kansas 😜 I had to look to see if I wrote that in my comment. Weird!

  • @kasssmith2404
    @kasssmith2404 3 роки тому +1

    Never mentioned the Children's Seashore house...I have been trying to find info on this hospital..I still take day beach trips almost every week..my favorite spot..any street near Bartram clean beautiful beach...private to😎

  • @averyaustin-curry2887
    @averyaustin-curry2887 2 роки тому +1

    Ac used to be paradise that hour and a half drive from Philly was so easy

  • @PatoSwag
    @PatoSwag 3 роки тому +2

    It’s wild now was walking on the boardwalk and a guy casually popped out from under it

  • @bigbeartanner
    @bigbeartanner 2 роки тому +2

    Its crazy to me how all these soldiers came home in 1918 from ww1 just to be told they can't drink alchohol in 1919.

  • @thurstonpowell8687
    @thurstonpowell8687 Місяць тому

    I'm surprised Atlantic City has not been reborn into a likeness of Miami Beach. Summer condos are just what this city needs.

  • @ItsSoldierBoii
    @ItsSoldierBoii Рік тому +2

    I love Atlantic City. I will live there one day!

  • @donkeyboy585
    @donkeyboy585 3 роки тому +18

    When they brought in gambling they told everyone the profits would trickle down to the rest of the city. Nope it went from beaches and slums to casinos and slums

    • @Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent
      @Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent 3 роки тому

      Yeah. Trickle down to the rest of the city. Elitist make the money then money transfers down for the rest. yeah sure. Trickle down economy doesn't work.
      Look how it screwed up the middle class and cities and infranstructure to the us with the Reagan era idea of trickle down economy.

    • @qjtvaddict
      @qjtvaddict 3 роки тому +1

      Trickle down economics sounds like economic policies of 3rd world countries lol

    • @Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent
      @Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent 3 роки тому

      @@qjtvaddict Your not to far off.
      Many 3rd world countries had a primary elite group, with a poor middle class or poor class. The elites make the money and what ever scrapes trickled down the pipe to the common folk.
      The Reagan Era had this idea in the 80s and only recently is its being confronted. For over 30 years the Trickle down economy idea never worked and it showed.
      Atlantic cities trickle down idea is essentially a scaled down version of the same thing.
      Elite, the Rich, the Companies (Casinos, Tourist, Owners) Make the money. It trickles down to the city and local area providing money that benefits everyone. Reality is it doesn't, they take most of the money and what ever is left is never enough essentially they don't contribute, but they sure don't want you improving a area too unless it benefits them.

    • @rick-be
      @rick-be 2 роки тому +1

      Slums,I think not,
      away from the Boardwalk there is fine housing,
      a few decent projects and many small businesses.

  • @annachick54
    @annachick54 2 роки тому

    My dad is old enough to remember spending a day in Atlantic City and seeing the diving horses.

  • @WayneDavisDA_ILLESTalive14
    @WayneDavisDA_ILLESTalive14 3 роки тому +4

    Can you do the evolution of time square? I think that’ll be a pretty quick video

    • @riproar11
      @riproar11 2 роки тому

      The first time I visited it was 1986 when most of the signs were neon. It was an amazing spectacle but those signs were incredibly expensive to build and then maintain. All of those giant LED signs are sterile in comparison and the place is a former shadow of itself.

    • @Gail1Marie
      @Gail1Marie 2 роки тому

      @@riproar11 I would've loved to see the signs that featured steaming cups of coffee or smoking cigarettes. I understand that one cigarette advertisement even blew smoke rings.

  • @Supesfan88
    @Supesfan88 2 роки тому

    The pic of the streetcar at 12:30 is a TTC Peter Witt street car :) Those streetcars only had a wood/coal burning furnace in it for heat and the add-ons they had during rush hour didn't have any source of heat whatsoever.

  • @tessw9744
    @tessw9744 3 роки тому +1

    @10:15 the word is "debut" (Deh-byoo). The "t" is silent.

  • @erin19030
    @erin19030 3 роки тому +1

    My last visit to AC was 1959 to see Rick Nelson on steel pier..

  • @interwebtubes
    @interwebtubes 3 роки тому

    Nice piece, ,and report

  • @briangriffin4937
    @briangriffin4937 2 роки тому +1

    In a shoe box somewhere in the basement is an old 8mm home movie of little me frolicking in the sands on the beach at Atlantic City. My family went there several times in the late ‘50s - early ‘60s. For a kid It was the closest thing to Disneyland: I loved seeing Planter’s “Mr. Peanut” walking up and down the boardwalk greeting visitors and twirling his cane. Does anyone remember the “Crime Bus” complete with police badges from all over and a mock-up of a real jail cell? The family returned in 1976. The grand old hotels were taking their last breath and when we returned in the early ‘80s the glitzy casinos seemed revitalize the fabled resort town, but no.

  • @rickkarrer8370
    @rickkarrer8370 2 роки тому +1

    Great video. I've lived within 20 minutes of Atlantic City for about 75% of my life (currently 15 mins away now), I was just at Tropicana last night. The biggest hurdle for AC (what we call it here) is the crime, drugs, crumbling infrastructure, and poor city planning / layout. Most of these stem from the fact that the casinos are the majority of income, and they're struggling most years. I don't care for gambling (it's not a moral thing, I just find it uninteresting), so I rarely ever go into the city. The boardwalk isn't very nice compared to Ocean City, that's just a quick drive south, so I've never once been to AC specifically to visit the beach. And while the Casinos can pay well, they're also notorious for being difficult to work for.
    PS: Yeah, Miss America is pretty vile lol. It amazes me that we still have beauty pageants in the 21st century.

    • @cd2220
      @cd2220 2 роки тому +1

      The roads can be pretty abysmal. I work at the Hard Rock and having to drive down Pennsylvania Ave every day is seriously doing damage to my car.

  • @randyromano2854
    @randyromano2854 2 роки тому

    Nicely done video.
    Just bought a house in AC, been going to the beach for decades. ok, Its not perfect but its the most affordable area to live being near a beach and boardwalk, - hoping AC will rise again soon.

  • @michelledotson7130
    @michelledotson7130 Рік тому

    I live in Reading Pa and always took bus day trips to AC they use to run twice a day from here..... they started building casinos in all of the surrounding states that's what hurt the casino business there....I was just there on March 18th for a New Edition Concert...I still love AC

  • @Videosop23
    @Videosop23 2 роки тому

    Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall contains the world's largest pipe organ (the Main Auditorium organ), and over the last 15 years, significant restoration work has taken place on both the Main Auditorium organ and its smaller companion, the Ballroom Organ. As of 2020, the Ballroom Organ had been nearly completely restored and was 95% operational. The Main Auditorium Organ is about 50% operational, but considering its size, that's still quite impressive. Prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the Historic Organ Restoration Committee offered tours of both organs; if you're planning to visit Atlantic City, consider contacting the HORC a month or two in advance to find out when they're conducting tours and giving recitals.
    Even Atlantic City enthusiasts can be forgiven for not knowing about the organs or the HORC. With a couple of exceptions, those restoring the organ have failed to do any meaningful public outreach beyond an insular and obscure community of organists. On the bright side, if you happen to walk by Boardwalk Hall on a day when a recital is scheduled, you won't have trouble finding a seat. Whether or not the music or the personnel will be to your liking is another matter. Still, the organ is there, it's a remarkable and fascinating (if underused and underappreciated) achievement of the early 20th century, and it deserves the attention of passersby.

  • @anthonyandreula3978
    @anthonyandreula3978 7 місяців тому

    USCG STA Atlantic City, NJ and STA Great Egg, Ocean City, NJ. 2002-2006. SEMPER PARATUS!!! Great memories.

  • @dearbrad1996
    @dearbrad1996 Рік тому

    You said the demolished hotel had hot and cold running water in the rooms
    I don't understand why.

  • @dillonvossen1144
    @dillonvossen1144 3 роки тому +1

    great content - less about the BIPOC tho would be nice

  • @christiansmith2775
    @christiansmith2775 6 місяців тому

    Nice video

  • @normanbarkley1850
    @normanbarkley1850 2 роки тому +1

    Please forget the commercials at least half of them

    • @eddiew2325
      @eddiew2325 2 роки тому

      jake paul must be stopped

  • @vassa1972
    @vassa1972 2 роки тому

    Interesting video facts

  • @dwainegabriel1807
    @dwainegabriel1807 Рік тому

    Wow I live In New York City there’s a beautiful bridge named after him I always wondered who the bridge is named after 🤔

  • @thillee8800
    @thillee8800 3 роки тому

    Dude i love this