Atlantic City

I was there this week for a conference. The conference went well and I had fun with a great group of people (just wish that I had gotten more sleep and that J had been there too). Here are a couple of thoughts on Atlantic City:

Casino's suck!
I am amazed at how much money people spend (face it, most people lose money) in such crappy places. No windows or clocks to let you know what time of day it is. No phone signal to allow you to connect to the outside world. Smoke clogged air. Watered-down, fishy tasting, drinks. Tacky decor. Desperate-looking people. And people complain about working in the bunker - at least we get paid, have clocks, and it is a smoke-free!!! Believe me, I have my vices, but gambling isn't one of them. Based on what I saw in Atlantic City, I don't think it will become one. Maybe Vegas is nicer...I hear that there is a group trip in the works (apparently bogged down in the planning stages for quite some time).

Running along the ocean rocks!
I had a great run on the boardwalk one afternoon. The boardwalk is a great, wide, wooden expanse - perfect for running. I headed north, and once I left the commercial area I could see the beach and the ocean as I ran. I really enjoy running around water for some reason (guess it's that whole astrology thing and being a Cancer) . The sound of the ocean crashing on the rocks and the waves hitting the beach was really awesome. Along the 7 mile run I only ran into three other runners though - total contrast to when I've run in California where there are always tons of other runners. Even in the 'noke I run into a lot more runners and bikers when I head out...