DOWN THE SHORE

That's how we say it in NJ.  Not 'at the shore', but 'down the shore'.  I have no idea why, of course.  Just one of those odd regionalisms. 

Thursday I needed to go to Ocean City to pick up some goods I bought through an online government surplus auction, and I decided to make a day of it.  I started by checking out the OC boardwalk, which looked like most others except for one thing.  Ocean City is one of those silly puritanical dry towns scattered throughout New Jersey.  Needless to say I didn't hang out there for long but slipped north to Atlantic City, where the beach is free and beer can be had with your lunch.

It was an excellent day for a shore visit - not too windy and in the mid-70's, and I had lunch on the outside deck at Margaritaville.  I wasn't impressed with their beer selection (I guess they focus on margariras, duh) and the Cuban sandwich was dry, so be warned if you go.  I did try to walk lunch off with a long walk.  The boardwalk is about 5.5  miles long (1.5 miles of it are actually in Ventnor City) so I didn't make much of a dent, but I gave it my best shot.

A couple sat near me on one of the thoughtfully-placed benches, and I heard the woman ask if the little birds were pigeons and the big ones were seagulls!  Rightly guessing that they were not 'from around here', I struck up a conversation.  Turns out they were from a town near Denver, but had escaped any damage from the floods.  They were surprised that the story had been broadcast nationally.  We talked about the terrors of driving in Manhattan, where they had been on the previous day, and they quizzed be about the Jersey Devil.  The husband was a hockey fan, I guess, and had heard that there was a story behind the name of New Jersey's hockey team.  I did suggest they stop in at Bill's Gyros, which is a favorite of mine in AC.  I've no idea how long they've been there, but they serve the best gyros you'll ever have this side of the Atlantic in the oddest dive imaginable.  Nearly every surface is covered with currency, most of it dollar bills, and nearly all with some good luck wishes written on it.  They are open 24/7/365, so you can get beer and a meal at 3AM if need be.

I did go into the casino for a bit.  I've never been much of a casino gambler.  I don't like the mindlessness of the slots, and am not good enough at Blackjack to survive long at the tables (I cannot play poker).  But I did spend a short while at one of the electronic blackjack machines.  Showboat has only a few, but I know where they're hidden.  Played until I won ten bucks and found I had lost interest, so I left.