Let's go bar hopping

After discovering how very expensive every little thing is in “Harrah’s World” we decided to spend the day on Tuesday “off campus”. Our first stop was a breakfast/lunch restaurant Ladd had researched. It is named “Gilchrist Restaurant” and in located in Gardners Basin. (Although we later learned that they have another location “off shore” and a third to possibly open elsewhere.) “Gilchrist Restaurant” is on the water and definitely fits the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The outside may look like “just another diner”, but this is not the case. The inside was well-kept and FULL. (It was full of mostly locals, yet again a good sign!) We checked out the specials board, and I ordered one of those: a crab/bacon/tomato /cheese omelet.(Another special I debated ordering was Peach Hot Cakes. AFTER I ordered my crab omelet, Ladd told me the Peach Hot Cakes are one of their “famous” signature dishes. Rats! Oh, well, I’ll just have to go back some time!) Ladd ordered an Italian omelet that had mushrooms, sausage, peppers, and cheese. Both of our omelets came with toast and home fries. It was way too much food, but every bite was awesome! We talked with our excellent waitress, Jane, and also with Candy at the cash register. They mentioned that “Gilchrist Restaurant” is (or will soon be?) on Facebook, and we told them we would “sing their praises” on our trip blog. So here’s to Jane, Candy, and the fantastic “Gilchrist Restaurant”!
After our incredible brunch we drove around as Ladd searched out some places he’d been to for work about thirty years ago. We also looked for a bank to get some cash in order to avoid paying SIX DOLLARS ($5.99 to be exact) to use the cash machine at “Harrah’s”….yikes! There are little buses called Jitneys that seat 20-22 people that travel around Atlantic City 24/7. Ladd found out about Senior passes for the Jitneys: 10 tickets for $7.50…a great deal. So we found the place and got those Jitney tickets.
Back at our hotel room we rested a little as Ladd did more computer research for our next “action plan”. We wanted to see the boardwalk and walk part of it, but not all. We both have memories of long ago on the Atlantic City Boardwalk! I won’t bore you with all of our “in-the-old-days” memories, but one of my favorites is when I was a little girl on vacation with my parents and grandparents in Atlantic City. As we were walking on the boardwalk I got the VERY FIRST EDITION Barbie Doll! (Oh, boy, do I wish I still had that! Can you imagine what it would be worth now? But honestly no regrets because my Barbie Dolls and Barbie House, Car, clothes, etc…provided years and years of fun.) One other memory both Ladd and I remember is witnessing the diving horse dive off the Steel Pier at Atlantic City Boardwalk. We could not remember the name of the famous diving horse, so Ladd researched it and told me it was “Red Lips”. So off we went to make new memories on the boardwalk. We took the Jitney and began our “Happy Hour Tour” along the boardwalk. Our first stop was the “Mountain Bar” at “Bally’s Resort and Casino”. “Bally’s” old-west style decorations were very cool. There were indeed “mountains” behind the bar, along with a model train running through the “mountains”.( I WISH we could show you some pictures, but I did not bring a purse with my camera and the batteries in Ladd’s camera died. Rats! Sorry.) We then walked down the boardwalk. This thankfully was warmer and more crowded than Ocean City’s boardwalk! Our next stop was “The Irish Pub”. This was packed, but turned out to be a disappointing stop. First of all, you stuck to the floors when you tried to walk. Then when the bartender asked me what I’d like, I asked him if he could recommend any “special drinks”. In response, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, what do you like?” Still attempting to get some “help” from the bartender and considering that it WAS an “Irish Pub”, I said, “Perhaps something with Bailey’s Irish Cream?”  His response was another unresponsive shrug of the shoulders. At this point, I gave up and said, “Just give me a glass of wine.” I would NOT be able to recommend this spot based on this particular bartender. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to leave there and not get stuck permanently to the floors. Walking down the boardwalk our next stop was the “5 O’Clock Somewhere” bar in the “Resorts International” hotel/casino. The bar was pretty…and clean, too. Now think of Jimmy Buffet and “5 O’Clock Somewhere” and I bet you’ll know what I ordered here. Yup: a margarita! And it was one of the best margaritas I’ve had, too. As we talked with the young, professional, efficient, and friendly bartender, named Ruslan, we discovered that he was from Ukraine. Of course, we started talking with him about his views about what is happening in Crimea and its possible impacts on Ukraine. Ruslan is very intelligent, (perhaps not a surprise since his mother is a University Professor), and we enjoyed our very interesting conversation with him! (My apologies to Ruslan because we forget what you told us about your father. I guess I should have taken more notes on my napkin…LOL!) We wish you and your family all the best, Ruslan. Thanks for a super discussion! Our last stop on the “Boardwalk Tour” was “Tony’s Baltimore Grill”. We had a great dinner here of rigatoni with sausage and meatballs. Then back on the Jitney to head back to “Harrah’s”. I decided to try my luck one last time on our last night there. Again I set a $20 limit on myself. At one point I was “ahead” with $23, but I was having fun on the game and stayed until the balance said 0. Good thing I am really not “into” gambling, but I did have fun within my “limits” <g>.
I hope this doesn’t sound corny, because it’s true: This “40th Trip” was absolutely amazing! Ladd and I relaxed, learned, had fun with new and old friends, and enjoyed every single place and minute!!!