‘National Geographic’ mag names the Atlantic City Boardwalk — which also happens to be the nation’s oldest wooden walkway — among the best in the U.S.
ATLANTIC CITY — In an Associated Press story on Monday, Aug. 8, it was announced that National Geographic magazine had declared the Atlantic City Boardwalk among the 10 best in the nation.
The famed wooden way can boast not only a rich history but a promising future as well. Originally commissioned solely to keep beachgoers from tracking sand into oceanfront hotels and railroad cars, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk has grown into a highway of entertainment and one of the country’s most noteworthy shore-side playgrounds.
Rather than dim its spotlight, the popular resort boardwalks that ranked beside it testify to how far Atlantic City’s has come from its modest beginnings. The list — ordered alphabetically, not a preference rating — includes New York’s legendary Coney Island; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Ocean City, Maryland; Venice Beach, California; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Santa Cruz, California; the Sandwich Boardwalk in Massachusetts; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and another from southern New Jersey, the Wildwood Boardwalk.
Perhaps it is the A.C. Boardwalk’s history that sets it apart from America’s other notable boardwalks, a history as tumultuous as the times during which it stood. At various points in its upbringing, the A.C. Boardwalk has been expanded, uprooted, wrecked and destroyed entirely.
Like a lady who changes outfits to meet the occasion, the A.C. Boardwalk has transformed her appearance to meet the needs of its ever-growing, ever-changing audiences. Originally one mile in length, she has stretched to become the world’s longest boardwalk at roughly four miles. Multiple storms showed her the need to rise a little higher above ground and when more than a few of her guests fell from her heights, not the least of which from gawking at waitresses or flirting with female performers, she added railings along her sides.
At her start, however, the first boardwalk the nation had ever seen was nothing more than a simple wooden footpath built along the beachfront. Annoyed by the sand constantly making its way onto his passenger cars, in 1870 Alexander Boardman petitioned for the construction of the Boardwalk. At the summer’s end the boards were taken apart and put in storage until the following season. For many years the Boardwalk existed as an impermanent structure meant more for practical use than any form of play.
It wasn’t until a decade later, due to pressure from merchants and innkeepers, that the city council allowed businesses to cozy up closer to the boards. Another 10 years after that and the Boardwalk was lined with numerous enterprises.
The Boardwalk we know today, however, didn’t come to be until 1896. As for her personality, the outfit she now flaunts, well that’s seen a few costume changes. Not the least of which was her part in the training of troops during WWII — the shaded lights and darkened store fronts protected from enemy espionage, the fabulous stunts and first-time attractions that laid their claim to fame on the boards, including the Diving Horse and the original Miss America Pageant, not to mention the musical performers and films the Boardwalk has inspired.
“There used to be so many things happening on the beach and the piers and on the Boardwalk itself that they used to call people ‘rail birds,’ people that used to hang off the railings along the Boardwalk and watch the sand artists and the ocean and everything else that was going on,” says Vicki Gold Levi, a revered Atlantic City historian. Gold Levi, who’s father Al Gold was the official photographer for Atlantic City from 1939-1964, is a consultant on HBO’s drama series Boardwalk Empire (the second season of which is set to debut Sunday, Sept. 25).
The Boardwalk’s appearance these days has transformed to match the present pulse of the city. It has kept the rolling chairs and traded the animal acts at Steel Pier for 24/7 casino entertainment. But no matter whose tastes it’s currently catering to, for many, including Gold Levi, the Boardwalk is “the heart and soul of the city. It’s truly what connects us.”
A walk on the boards reveals a similar sentiment among old and young, new and returning visitors. Emily Pidcock of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has been coming to the Boardwalk for years. She first visited when she was just six. Earlier this week, she came down for her first time back in nine or 10 years, and as she warmly reminisced about the days when “women dressed in diamonds and furs and were pushed up and down the Boardwalk,” she mentioned she had come down just for the day to enjoy the ocean breeze.
A Long Island couple, Connie and Artie Versichelli, expressed different reasons for enjoying the Boardwalk — gambling. “I come down twice a year with my girls,” Connie told Atlantic City Weekly, “October and June. We’ve been coming since Resorts first opened [in 1978], just five or six girls every year for almost 20 or 30 years.”
Other strollers who spoke with Atlantic City Weekly earlier this week on a breezy afternoon mentioned similar reasons for their visits to the boards, including the vicinity of the beach and ocean as well as the varied selection of shops, arcades, and food spots. And of course, some just come to relax.
For many families, a trip to the Boardwalk is a tradition passed down through generations, no matter how far they stray from the shore. Stacey and Jeffrey Huttman of Boca Raton, Fla., used to spend their summers perusing the A.C. Boardwalk when they lived in Philadelphia. They now make it a point to give their children, Masyn, age four, and Chase, three, a similar one-of-a-kind summer experience — even if the trip is a little further than it used to be.
When asked why she loved the Boardwalk, little Masyn answered matter-of-factly, “The lights,” referring to the fountain light show put on every hour at The Pier Shops at Caesars. Her younger brother, sucking on a spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream, took a moment more before deciding, fittingly, “ice cream.”
It seems the Boardwalk holds a unique, but special charm for each of us. Whatever the reason may be, somewhere along the way, the country’s first wooden way of its kind grew to be one of its best. And who knows, maybe Chase is on to something — maybe it has to do with something sweet.
Cable TV giant HBO has released an official trailer for the second season of its award-winning and milti-Emmy nominated drama series Boardwalk Empire.
Steel Pier Associates, LLC, it was announced late Wednesday, Aug. 3, has become the new and latest owner of Atlantic City's famed Steel Pier, an amusement park with a rich history, which resides on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
The free and open-to-the-public AC Weekly partnered event, "Conversations & Storytelling - Plus Viewing Party," will feature a riveting panel discussion and Q&A segment with local historians and Atlantic City experts including Vicki Gold Levi, Allen "Boo" Pergament," Ralph Hunter, Pinky Kravitz, Israel Posner and James Waltzer on Sunday, Sept. 19, with doors opening at 6:30pm.
It is 1939, 10 years into the Great Depression. In Atlantic City money is tight but summertime on the Boardwalk is still a magical time with big bands on the Steel Pier, well dressed men and women strolling the boards, pitchmen selling their wares and teenagers looking to have a good time.
At Missouri Avenue, for many years, was the carnival-looking stand of the “weight guesser.” If he didn’t guess your weight within three pounds, after you stepped on his huge scale, you received one of the many prizes displayed.
One had only to take a “stroll” on the Atlantic City Boardwalk to have a wonderful and eventful time without spending anything! You could begin anywhere, but let’s start in the Inlet section at Capt. Starn’s.
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1. JerseyJoe said... on Aug 15, 2011 at 12:11PM
“funny ..how most of the media picked up this story saying the AC boardwalk was ranked No. 1 — when really the National Geographic list was in alphabetical order. Doh! Good researching AC Weekly!!”