HWAY AMERICA -ATLANTIC CITY N.J. PLUS AMAZING LIGHT SHOW

HIWAY AMERICA -ATLANTIC CITY N.J. AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE STATE

HIWAY AMERICA – ATLANTIC CITY N.J.

first. The area was developed in the nineteenth century as a resort and became extremely popular; its famous beaches and easy access from Northeastern cities made it one of America’s most prominent holiday destinations for over a century. After a decline in the 1960s, the introduction of gambling in 1978 allowed Atlantic City to reinvent itself and the Boardwalk to regain some of its former prominence.

Atlantic City’s Development

In the early 1850s, Dr. Jonathan Pitney, an Absecon resident, felt that the island would make a good health resort. However, he realized it would need better access. He and his partner Richard Osborn began the construction of the Camden-Atlantic City Railroad. On July 5, 1854, the first tourist train arrived from Camden, New Jersey.

The island quickly became a popular vacation spot; luxurious hotels and cheap rooming houses sprung up all over town. However, sand was a major problem: Visitors would track it everywhere, including railroad cars and the lobbies of expensive hotels.

The Boardwalk

“In 1870,” says Atlantic City Online, “Alexander Boardman, a conductor on the Atlantic City-Camden Railroad, was asked to think up a way to keep the sand out of the hotels and rail cars.”

He and hotel owner Jacob Keim presented the idea of a boardwalk to the city council. Running from the beach to the town, and costing half of Atlantic City’s 1870 tax revenue, an 8-foot-wide boardwalk was built. In 1880, it was replaced by a larger version.

National Prominence and Miss America

Atlantic City grew rapidly after the Civil War. “Lavish hotels, enormous electrical signs and rambunctious, colorful amusement piers started to hug it from both sides,” says AtlanticCityNJ.com.

A serious problem the town had, though, was that the tourism-based economy slowed massively in winter. As an attempt to keep tourists around past Labor Day, a beauty contest was held on September 8 and 9, 1921. At first called the Atlantic City Pageant, the contests quickly became nationally famous.

World War II

Convention Hall, on the Boardwalk, was made a U.S. Army training facility during the Second World War. Reports AtlanticCityNJ.com, “Squads of armed forces could be seen marching up and down the boards. Mock beachfront invasions and war bond rallies were common as well.”

In response to fears of German submarines watching along the coast, Boardwalk lamps were shaded.

1950s and 1960s

In the decades after the war, the Boardwalk was popular with celebrities. “Some famous feet to tread upon the boards,” says AtlanticCityNJ.com, “included Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Durante, Ed Sullivan, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby. The Beatles ate the city’s world-famous subs on it. Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon opened a bowling alley” there.

Decline

The rise of cheap air travel, an increasingly sophisticated population and a general demographic shift away from the Northeast led to a sharp decline in Atlantic City’s fortunes in the late 1960s. In 1978, the first casino was opened in an attempt to reverse this decline, bringing Atlantic City back to prominence in a different form.

http://blog.achotelexperts.com/history-of-the-atlantic-city-boardwalk/

AMAZING LIGHT SHOW AT ATLANTIC CITY CONVENTION CENTER

Related articles

• AC boardwalk shored up for Miss America crowds (mysanantonio.com)

HIWAY AMERICA -LUCY THE ELEPHANT MARGATE CITY,N.J. WATCH THE VIDEO

IN 2012 THE NEW JERSEY SHORE SUFFERED A DEVASTING HURRICANE, LUCY SURVIVED ONLY GETTING HER FEET WET AND THE PARKING LOT DESTROYED.

http://www.history.com/videos/go-inside-lucy-the-elephant#

 

AMERICANA-A SLICE OF AMERICAN LIFE-THE U.S. DINER

HEY

I WAS SITTING HERE ON MY SOFA AFTER A HARD DAYS (NIGHT!)  OF BLOGGING YESTERDAY, WHEN IT SUDDENLY IT OCCURRED TO ME WHY NOT ADD THE SUBJECT “AMERICANA” TO MY BLOG-

MY HUSBAND AND I DROVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR 3 OF MY POETRY TOURS. WE TRAVELLED DOWN ROUTE 1 AND ROUTE 66. I WROTE MANY ROAD POEMS ACCOUNTING THE HISTORY OF AMERICA’S OLD AND FAMOUS AND NOT SO FAMOUS BI-WAYS AND HIGHWAYS THAT WE DISCOVERED ALONG THE WAY.

BEFORE THE INTERNET THERE WERE BOOK STORES FILLE WITH CUSTOMERS. ONE SUCH BOOKSTORE WAS  “FARLEY’S IN NEW HOPE PA. WHERE WE LIVED, WE WERE REGULAR VISITORS. DAVE MY LATE HUSBAND WOULD PERUSE THE POETRY SECTION AND I WOULD LOOK AT THE TRAVEL BOOKS.

ARMED WITH BOOKS AND MAPS WE VENTURED OUT ON OUR TRIPS. DAVE THE DRIVER,ME THE PASSENGER, MY LAP LOADED WITH INFO. NOTEBOOK AND PEN IN HAND I WOULD  RAPIDLY SCRIBBLE, TO DECIPHER LATER!

WE WERE MADLY IN LOVE FREE, UNINHIBITED AND SOMEWHAT LAWLESS. WE SMOKED AND SNORTED OUR WAY AROUND THE COUNTRY.  MY GOD WHAT A TIME WE HAD-IT WAS FABULOUS, DAVE AS MY POETRY EDITOR ME AS HIS NEWLY DISCOVERED POET.

SO BACK TO THE SUBJECT AT HAND “AMERICANA-ALONG THE HIWAY”  I WILL ENJOY POSTING ON THE SUBJECT-AND I KNOW AS I OFTEN DO WILL FEEL DAVE IS HERE WITH ME IN SPIRIT.

I WILL BE SHARING SOME OF MY “ROAD POEMS SOON AND MORE ABOUT MY LIFE WITH DAVE. AND REMEMBER “ONCE A HIPPIE ALWAYS A HIPPIE.”

ANA

Expat Aussie In NJ

Share our expat adventures in NJ and learn about relocation from our point of view

 A slice of American life – the US Diner

EXPAT LIFE: What’s as American as apple pie?

How about the American diner?

This may be an icon in the US but even people outside of America have been absorbing diner culture since the advent of ‘Happy Days’ and the Fonz, into our living rooms, way back when.

Since the late sixties, countless movies and TV series have catalogued a bevy of onscreen imagery that includes cozy booths, counter top breakfasts, waitresses with attitude, and lots of “caw-fee”, all in a familiar rectangular-shaped building.

American diners are so iconic that at least two have been purchased and shipped to the UK and Germany, where, no doubt, they provide a very different alternative to local eateries. At home in the USA, their cultural value is so esteemed that some have even been added to the US National Register of Historic Places.

Diners occur throughout the USA but are much more concentrated in the northeast, including New Jersey and New York. New Jersey may be small but it is chock full of diners, with an estimated 526 throughout the state – the largest number in the US. This is almost one diner for every township. It’s no wonder that the humble diner is part of everyday life in Jersey.

Where did Diners begin?

The first true diner was a food wagon with walk up windows around the sides, introduced in 1872 in Rhode Island. This concept evolved into the Worcester Lunch Car Company which added seating to the wagon diner idea and sold their food in busy downtown areas.

It was in New Jersey where diners took off big time. Mass production of prefabricated diners was started by the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth. The concept of the modern diner was born. Shaped like a railway carriage with those shiny chrome and flashy looks that diners are known for. Amazingly, one of these original diners still operates today in Summit, New Jersey.

Since 1872, diners have attained a nationally acknowledged level of cultural significance. Michelin star material, they may not be. But diners are recognized more for their appeal as a place where people from all walks of life, can congregate to get a meal or coffee at almost any time of the day or night.

What are diners like today?

Early diners needed to be mobile so they could be moved around to set up for business in different places. The earliest modern diner designs maintained this ‘rail carriage’ look. The interiors were furnished with a counter bench with seats for patrons to sit at while eating, with waitresses behind the counter serving or preparing food. Booths were provided around the window-lined sides of the diner.

Since these early days, diner designs have diversified to include the addition of more showy interiors including chandeliers and candelabras. Designs of diner exteriors moved away from the traditional carriage look.

Older diners were renovated to add on modern areas. Additionally, newer diners were built from scratch using a variety of different formats. The influx of new multicultural owners into the diner business helped diversify the ‘diner’ image.

Even though diner designs are far more varied than they were originally, retro-style diners, sometimes classified as Art Deco, with their shiny metallic exteriors, are still very popular.

What sort of food do they serve?

Being classified as a diner today is more about the type of food and service offered than just appearance. They can offer almost any type of food with menus that often have multiple pages listing huge ranges of dishes.

While some specialize in certain cuisines, the typical diner offers casual American food, usually in big proportions and at a lower price than many formal restaurants provide.

Most dishes have a home-cooked style that appeals to the wider general public. Simple meals like breakfasts, burgers, fries and club sandwiches are common fare, served with “caw-fee”, of course! Diners have also been influenced by the influx of immigrants and different cultures. Menus now offer Greek, Jewish and Spanish (Tex-Mex) meals much more commonly than in the past.

And if you still have room after one of these sumptuous main meals, there is often a glass display case full of desserts to choose from.

No-one ever leaves a diner feeling hungry.

Highly Rated Diners in New Jersey

Here are some well-rated New Jersey diners, each with a very different style and offering:

1. White Mana – Hackensack
2. Tick Tock Diner – Clifton
3. Summit Diner – Summit
4. Skylark Diner – Edison
5. Silver Diner – Cherry Hill
6. Americana Diner – Shrewsbury
7. Barnegat Diner – Barnegat
8. Garden State Diner – Newark
9. Tops Diner – East New Newark

 – See more at: http://www.expataussieinnj.com/a-slice-of-american-life-the-us-diner/#sthash.UgNX7hqd.dpuf