A million winking lights, but we knew where we really were. We were almost home. I took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting colder sha, la, la, la, la, la sha, la, la, la, la, la sha, la, la, la, la, la sha, la, la, la, la anthony oh, enchanted land of my childhood. A cultural petridish, from which regularly issues forth greatness. New jersey, in case you didnt know it, has got beaches, beautiful beaches, and theyre not all crawling with roidraging trolls with reality shows. I grew up summering on those beaches, and they are awesome. Jerseys got farmland. Beautiful bedroom communities where that woman from real housewives who looks like doctor zaius does not live, nor anyone like her. Even the refineries. The endless clover leaves of turnpikes and expressways twisting in unknowable patterns over the wetlands are, to me, somehow, beautiful. To know jersey is to love her. Fort lee, you may have heard of it. Some of governor christies minions allegedly conspired to jam up traffic for a few days. Its a town with a jokey history of corruption. Its also where my beloved hirams is. Open since 1932, and pretty much unchanged ever since, my dad started bringing me and my younger brother chris here in the 50s and they still honor tradition. Hirams waitress two chili cheese dogs. Anthony my happy place. Sometimes i just need that old time flavor, you know . As soon as i could chew food, basically, my dad would take me here. It is a great point of pride and personal satisfaction that ive convinced my daughter that these are the finest hot dogs in the land. She gets very excited to come out here, which makes me very happy. Thank you. Thank you. Now this is key, these tooth picks just like 1958. Some things just shouldnt change. My dad used to love piccalilli, red relish. I love this stuff. Look at that beauty. Oh yeah, i come here to feed my soul. The cultural wellspring that is new jersey. Its the antidote to every other place. This place is perfect. The dogs are amazing. There are not a lot of people in this world crageous enough to not change. Down the shore. Yeah, we actually talk like that. It was what we did. Go down the shore. Not just our family from Bergen County near the bridge, but middle class and working class families from philly and all over whod pack up the kids in the Station Wagon from the seemingly interminable trip to long beach island. Just getting out of the driveway was a big deal. Chris plus, it always took three extra hours just to load the damn cars, you know . Anthony there was always drama. Chris strapping crap to the roof of the car. Anthony where once we were over the manahawkin bridge, the excitement would ratchet up. Ship bottom, then surf city, harvey cedars, loveladies, ticking off the town names until finally, finally, barnegat light. Thats new. These are all new. Thats original. Chris yeah, definitely. Anthony in fact, i think i know who lived there at one point. Thats awesome. Chris thats definitely old school. Anthony but, look, lets face it. Its been how many years . I mean, like, 40 . Chris uh, theres a four on it, i think. Anthony jesus, were old. And the lighthouse chris i definitely remember going to that lighthouse a lot of times. Anthony ah, the good old days. I want some fried clam strips. Chris absolutely. Anthony well, our options are limited, shall we say, but holy crap this place is filling up. Chris i think because its the only place. Anthony yeah, but still, who lives out here year round . Chris were about to see every single one of them. Anthony lets be honest. When wed come here in the summers, i was the bad one. Chris yes, your recollection is correct. Anthony i was up to every variety of criminal antisocial behavior. I didnt smoke dope for the first time here. I was looking for dope, but as a 12yearold, it was hard to come by. Chris i think i vaguely remember you walking off with some kind of cute girl. Anthony first kiss that was an important passage. Oh, this is good. Chris this is good. Anthony i realize now that i hitchhiked regularly. Chris yeah. Anthony mom, dad, you know, im going to go down to ship bottom tonight, you know, with some friends. How are you getting there . Well, ill hitchhike down. Okay, have fun. Chris that was cool. All the kids were hitching here, thats how you got places here. Anthony summertime. Do you know that sound . Just out of the water, ears pressed up against the beach blanket, the squeak of bare feet on sand nearby. Classics illustrated comics waiting for me back at the house. Id play with my little Plastic Army Men in the dunes. And theres a smell of beach grass in the dunes. You know . Can you remember it . Chris i still crave it. I love it. Anthony and on special occasions, clams in drawn butter. No matter where i find them now, they always bring me back here. Anthony i remember this place with nothing but fondness. I mean, i cant remember a single bad memory here. Chris it was great. People you knew from last year were here. Youd roll out onto the street your parents didnt need to be with you. Have a campfire on the beach at night. You can set off firecrackers. All the stuff they wouldnt let you do at home. Anthony the beach would look different. For a couple of days, the whole beach would be, like, this weird foamy surf, like, this giant, like, frothy bubbles. Oh yeah, here, now, were talking. Thank you. Chris yeah, or there would be the jellyfish delivery sometimes. Where thered be, like, millions of them all over. Anthony infestation of jellyfish, right. I try to block that out. Chris that wonderful feeling of, you know, you were with other 10yearolds alone at night, you know, on the beach. It was great. Anthony love clam strips. Chris these are great. Anthony this is awesome. So far, so great. Im happy. Properly battered pieces of fish and some good tartar sauce. What were your favorite activities . Chris building a fire on the beach. Anthony right, overturning the lifeguard stand. Chris yes, had to go. Anthony they were representatives of the man. Chris firecrackers on the beach. Anthony firecrackers on the beach. Chris i have some firecrackers in your car by the way. Just saying. Anthony good. Set them off in the elevator at the casino. Chris perfect, perfect. Thank you. Anthony it was paradise. Americas first dream vacation. The beach, as far as america was concerned, meaning bathing suits and swimming in the surf, was pretty much invented here. Atlantic city. Rich, a working class, it was here for you. Back then you dressed up to walk the boardwalk. It was capitalism at its purest and most assertive. It was a democratic dream designed from the beginning for everybody. Flashy, utilitarian, upright, deeply unapologetically corrupt. The knife and fork inn was right there through it all. In many ways its story, a perfect reflection of changing times. Established in 1912 as a socalled gentlemans dining and drinking club, the second floor originally had curtained alcoves and a separate ladies lounge. Private rooms on the third and fourth floor were set aside for games of chance and perhaps other activities. Vicki gold levis dad was the chief photographer for Atlantic City from the 1930s to the 1960s. He saw it all, and by extension so did vicki. What was it like here as a kid . Vicki it was fantastic. Walking down the boardwalk in the summertime was like walking in a carnival in midway. The cacophony of noises. Anthony there were still remnants of the 20s. Vicki yeah. Anthony that sensibility, that look, handlebar mustaches, victorian Graphic Design and illustration, a weird stuck in time feel was still very much in evidence, even in my time here in the early 60s. The boardwalk was over six miles of amusements, entertainments, parades, and pageants. A neverending carnival. Vicki every place you went down the boardwalk was Something Else to see, and all the stores were like mom and pop stores. All very unique. Anthony yes. Vicki i love that. Anthony the world famous steel pier, amusements arcades, barkers, novelties, saltwater taffy. Anthony i love the joke shops. Vicki the joke shops anthony it was a wonderland of juvenile delinquency, cause, like, id go in and just buy dog, you know, plastic dog crap and plastic vomit and smoke powder and it was just something very sinister and forbidden and, you know, my parents indulged me when i was here. The menu has changed somewhat since the original. For me, a very tasty pretzel crusted swordfish over lump crabmeat. For vicki, pan seared scallops. My memories of Atlantic City are largely built around the time before gambling. Times were not good. I mean, the marlboroughblenheim, i remember it well, was largely empty, but it was a magnificent structure. Vicki i mean, you and i like the nostalgia and people who like coney island like it, but i dont know about the young people. Anthony beautiful buildings are beautiful buildings. You know . A beautiful view is a beautiful view forever. Vicki well, yes. Anthony theres no place with this kind of history and legitimacy. This place has deep romantic allure. Vicki i agree with you. I believe in the transition thats coming. I really, really do with all my heart. Anthony theyre the kind of businesses that you talk about that used to be here. Its not a matter of, gee it would be really great if that kind of thing happened again. It is inevitable that that will happen again and its worth fixing. Atlantic city could be chic, easily because the bones, the skeletons of this city are beautiful. Vicki im glad you feel that way. Anthony there is, even in very young people, particularly now, beautiful old things. A beautiful old restaurant with really great food, for instance. Vicki like were eating in right now. Anthony yeah, is much more interesting that a glass box with good food. Three states away. Son i can do whatever i want. Mom i can drive up here anytime i want. Mom hes going to be so homesick. Son this is gonna be so sick. No matter if your journey takes six years. Or 72,000 miles. Your volkswagen is covered with americas best bumpertobumper limited warranty. Over. Hey, want to try it . Ok here you go. Over. Under. Hey whoa, pop, pop. Your shoes untied. Ensure hes well taken care of, even as you build your own plans for retirement. See how lincoln can help protect your savings from the impact of longterm care expenses at lincolnfinancial. Com. Pardon the interruption but this is big now with tmobile get the Samsung Galaxy s10e included with unlimited data for just 40 a month. And your mother told me all her life that i should fix it. Now it reminds me of her. Im just glad i never fixed it. Listen, you dont need to go anywhere dad. Meet christine, shes going to help you around the house. The best home to be in is your own. From personal care and memory care, to help around the house, home instead offers personalized Inhome Services for your loved ones. Home instead senior care. To us, its personal. Not this john smith. Or this john smith. Or any of the other hundreds of john smiths that are humana Medicare Advantage members. No, its this john smith. Who we paired with a humana team member to help address his own specific health needs. At humana, we take a personal approach to your health, to provide care thats just as unique as you are. No matter what your name is. Anthony the names of Atlantic Citys streets were imprinted on generations of americans who grew up playing monopoly. Drive down ventnor avenue today, and you see history. The ebb and flow of americas hopes and dreams played out in the buildings and homes you see as you pass by. Magnificent mansions mixed in with inexpensive twofamily houses, cheap takeout, the footprints of a lost world. The riviera of the northeast, still there if you look between. With jet travel in miami and an expanded highway system, things declined, as they do, but a few visionary geniuses presented a solution. A cure that would overnight make everybody well. Make Atlantic City shiny and new and prosperous again. Men like donald trump. Donald i think its going to be really very beneficial to everybody. We look forward to operating the taj mahal successfully for many years to come. Anthony vast new xanadus would be constructed and wouldbe kublai khans rushed to Atlantic City, eager to tap into what was assured to be a neverending gusher of prosperity. Casino gambling. When casino gambling was sold to the state of new jersey, to Atlantic City, as the cure all, it was going to bring it back to its glory days. Did that ever happen . Brian i mean, you drove around today, did you think this place is better than it was then . Do you think, do you think it helped . Anthony no, i dont. New jersey native Brian Donahue is a reporter with 20 Years Experience focusing on south jersey. Docks oyster house, an establishment that survived prohibition, the great depression, two world wars, numerous declines and rebirths, still here, still great, a symbol of what Atlantic City was and should be again, could be again. Brian to bring a city back after its decline is a really complicated, hard, process and they wanted easy answers and casino gambling was seen as an easy answer. Anthony yes, it sure sounded like a good idea. Brian they were going to put this plan in effect. 12 casinos here, bring everybody up from the top down. It hasnt worked. Now youre left with just 12 casinos. Anthony and if youre looking for an example of lemming like lurch towards a shiny new cliff face from which to tumble, look no further than this 2. 4 billion goat rodeo, the revel. It opened in 2012 and closed less than two years later the most expensive casino in new jersey history. Brian they just forged ahead with it. The hubris was incredible. Anthony what were they thinking . Brian shortterm money and at a time when all these other casinos were opening all over the entire east coast. Anthony which is nuts. Its economics 101. Anthony casinos, of course, by design neglect the citys existing assets. Salt air, a walk by the glorious north atlantic, the greatest of all earths bodies of water, the classic attractions, the restaurants. Brian this is what its going to take for Atlantic City to come back. Its going to be on places like this. We celebrate the ghosts, you know . Anthony some nice crab cakes at docks. A big freaking lobster stuffed with crab imperial, pommes souffle, those things are bad for business the business of taking your money. Anthony thank you so much. Lovely, thatll work. Thats good. Yeah, oh, thats good. I dont want to sound like im down on Atlantic City because i see this incredibly, almost ludicrously, hopeful place, so whatever left of it should be, to my mind, hung onto because theyre going to come around. Theres nothing funny about losing all your money. Yet casinos are steady employers of that most hardworking species of entertainer. Comedians rich voss and Bonnie Mcfarlane are two of the hardest working people around, married to each other and new jersey. Rich its so much money to live here. I drove three exits on the jersey turnpike. It was 7. See, if you drive the whole new jersey turnpike, when you get to the end, you have to give them your car. Bonnie im going to tell you guys something that i dont generally tell people right away. Im a vegan. Im very passionate about it. Its all about eating a cruelty free lifestyle. No animal or animal byproduct of any kind. I do cheat a little. I eat veal. Its so good. Its so tender. How do they get it like that . Anthony im very sentimental about jersey italian, particularly spaghetti and meatballs. Thats what i was going to go for. Rich ive eaten here at least five to ten times and ive never had a bad meal, ever. Anthony oh, okay, i know what exactly. Rich i wouldnt get the meatballs. [ laughter ] anthony proud, longtime residents of new jersey . Bonnie no, ive lived here nine years, but only been proud maybe the last two. It took me a long time to sort of anthony get up to speed . Bonnie yeah. Anthony born and bred . Rich yes my whole life. Bonnie he wont leave. I had to make peace with it. Anthony whens the first time you played Atlantic City . Rich there was a club at the sands. Many times i would get paid on thursday and i would lose it all and then id have to work for free. Theres no worse feeling. Anthony oh i know that feeling. Rich its a nightmare. You ever watch a couple in Atlantic City . Okay dear hold this money, dont give it back to me no matter what i tell you. I dont care what i say. An hour later. Give me my god damn money. No im not fooling around. Youre lucky i even brought you here, bitch. You better give me my money. Youre the reason im losing. Touching my arm when im shooting craps. Anthony is there a specifically jersey sense of humor that you notice . Bonnie yes. I love jersey audiences now so much because ive never one time ever said anything where people in the audience have gone, aw. They never get offended. We all have our words, you know, that we dont like. The ones that affect us the most. I have my trigger words as a white woman. The word i dont like is no. I dont hear it that often, but when i do, mmmmm. Rich heres the deal with jersey, people land at newark and they drive up the turnpike. They dont turn off and go up into the nice anthony they see the refineries. Rich they think thats new jersey. Anthony but see how sick is that i think its beautiful . Bonnie more horses per capita than any other state. Anthony northern new jersey is the embroidery capital of the world. Rich yeah. Bonnie what . Anthony apparently. I dont know where thats happening. Rich my exwife worked for an embroidery company. Bonnie no. Rich i swear to god. Ill call her right now. Anthony this is the taste of my youth. For all of the marvelous things about new jersey, will people ever come across the bridge and the tunnel in the other direction . Bonnie no. Anthony no . Okay. Bonnie i did not have to think about that. Anthony lets go out to club in jersey. No. Rich no, but you know what . Its all relative. A 25yearold guy or girl is going, were not going to jersey. A 60yearold person is going, im getting the [ bleep ] out of the city and im moving to jersey. Bonnie theres your answer. Theres your answer. Its never going to be hip. Rich you know what . Where does hipness stop . At what age . Bonnie hey, hipness is overrated. Rich yeah, it is overrated. You know what, i love living here. I love it. Pine valley, the best golf course in the country. Trump has a beautiful course here. Anthony now wait a minute, trump. I am not a fan. Rich who is . Anthony every minute that he walks the ear