By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
ATLANTIC CITY The transformation continues.
Even as casino floors closed this week because of a lack of government monitors, this long down-at-the-heels gambling mecca welcomed two more glitzy, Las Vegas-style developments the latest in a three-year effort to lure a more upscale crowd.
The unprecedented shutdown, fallout from a statewide budget battle that also closed New Jersey state parks and beaches, didn't stop the opening of a $200 million expansion at Borgata, the wildly successful, Las-Vegas-style mega-casino that kicked off the city's makeover when it opened in 2003. The 2,000-room property now boasts three more celebrity-chef-run restaurants (including Wolfgang Puck's first fine-dining eatery on the East Coast), another nightclub, an 85-table poker room (the city's largest) and a bigger casino floor.
Also new is The Pier at Caesars, a $175 million luxury shopping and entertainment complex from the developers of The Forum Shops in Las Vegas. It's home to Louis Vuitton, Tiffany Co., Gucci and other high-end retailers.
"Atlantic City reminds me of Las Vegas 15 years ago," says Puck, chatting at his bustling new restaurant, Wolfgang Puck American Grille. "I think this is really just the beginning here."
Puck was one of the first big-name chefs to open an eatery in Las Vegas, in 1992, when the city was just beginning an explosive decade. He says Atlantic City seems to be at a similar point. "I wouldn't be surprised if, in 15 years, this looks a lot more like Las Vegas."
Wide swaths of Atlantic City's ocean-facing boardwalk, and the casinos that line it, remain run-down, and many properties continue to rely heavily on a low-budget, bus tour crowd.
But the tide seems to be turning. Other notable Las Vegas-style projects that have opened in Atlantic bridesmaid dresses under 50 City the past two years include The Quarter, a $225 million Old Havana-themed retail, dining and entertainment complex at the Tropicana Casino, and a $58 million House of Blues restaurant, club and concert hall. More than $1 billion in additional development is in the works at the city's 12 casinos, including:
Construction already has begun on another, $325 million expansion bringing a 43-floor hotel tower with 800 rooms, more retail shops and a two-story spa (opens late 2007).
A $550 million expansion will bring a 47-story tower the city's tallest and 964 more rooms, including 183 suites and 13 "super-suites" for high-rollers (opens 2008).