Atlantic City Past, Present and Future

Nearly 80 years after it ended, Prohibition has helped to reignite popular interest in Atlantic City through the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire. 

Steve Buscemi stars as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, based on Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, a local politician with extensive interests in gambling, bootlegging, and other nefarious activities (many of which have moved from frowned-upon or illegal to acceptable, taxable, and mainstream).

The Ritz-Carlton may feature prominently in the show—and in the reality of 1920s Atlantic City, where it was home to the real Nucky—but the building is no longer a hotel and has been turned into an apartment complex. In today’s Atlantic City, meeting-goers have their choice of a variety of other hotel options—both luxury and budget-conscious—many of which have hopped on the Boardwalk Empire bandwagon and are offering specials or amenities themed around the show or Prohibition in general.  

In November, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa’s restaurant The Metropolitan announced a Sunday-night “Nosh like Nucky” dinner featuring fare that would have been popular in the ’20s, like Broiled Lamb Chops with Mint Jelly, Scallops Mornay, and Hearts of Lettuce with Roquefort Dressing. A complementary drink menu highlights classic cocktails such as the Sidecar, the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, and the Rum Runner. 

Groups are also getting in on the fun. The Atlantic City Classic Car Show & Auction, to be held this month at the convention center, is not only using Boardwalk Empire as its theme, but it will also auction an antique car that appeared in the first episode, display the 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that carries Nucky in the show, and showcase Boardwalk Empire-themed memorabilia, including photographs of the real Enoch Johnson and paintings and photographs of the famous hotels in Atlantic City during that era. 

“I thought that with the success of the show and the murmurs in Atlantic City about Nucky Thompson that this would be a good thing for us,” says John Chiara, organizer of the show and auction, which is now in its 39th year in Atlantic City and expects between 45,000 and 65,000 attendees this year. 

Chiara coordinated with the company that supplied cars to Boardwalk Empire to feature the two cars at his show and then sourced appropriate memorabilia on his own. This is not the first time the Classic Car Show has incorporated a recent film or television program in its event; “We’ve had almost anybody who’s ever built a car for the movies at our shows,” says Chiara, including George Barris, who created the Batmobile. “This is a natural for us.”  

Boardwalk Empire “has been a positive because it’s created interest in Atlantic City in general,” says Gary Musich, vice president of convention sales for the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority (ACCVA), who adds that he has seen billboards for the show across the country—publicity that the city embraces. “The interesting part is to look at Atlantic City as a tourist destination [on the show]. They talk about building a convention center and they are very accurate in a lot of the things they talk about.” 

The evolution of Atlantic City on the show is paralleled by the city’s more recent development, says Musich. “In our evolution, you have us maturing from a gaming destination 15 years ago to really focusing on bringing more and more meetings here,” he says. That goal has been furthered by the roughly $10 billion in development that the city has seen in the past decade, with more  projects in the works. 

One such project is the Resorts Casino Hotel, one of the Boardwalk’s original structures, which is being renovated under new ownership with a Roaring ’20s theme. The property offers 39,000 square feet of meeting space and a theater that seats 1,250; the new owners are making a concerted push for convention business. 

Musich credits this increased focus on group business from the casino industry and from the state government with Atlantic City’s growth and development, adding that because gaming in some form or another is legal in 43 states now, Atlantic City has been forced to develop its offerings in order to compete.

“As we’ve matured, those amenities have had to evolve,” he says. “There’s a lot to do—world-class restaurants, phenomenal retail, outdoor activities—there’s a lot to fill a three- or four-night stay now.”

The evolution is paying off: “Through November 2010 our convention room nights for 2010 were up 9 percent,” notes Musich, who also said that new events booked through the Convention Authority were up, including the International Code Council, which will bring its 2013 annual meeting of 1,500 attendees to the city, and the Pet Industry Trade Show, which is returning to Atlantic City for its 2011-2013 shows after three years in Baltimore. 

When making the announcement, International Code Council CEO Richard Weiland said, “The large participation from one of our biggest chapters and proximity to significant population centers in the Northeast should assure a great turnout. We are also impressed with the Convention Center site’s strong commitment to energy conservation and green practices, and the revitalized Promenade connecting the conference location to the famous Boardwalk.”