Atlantic City Weekly

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ATLANTIC CITY — My name is Raymond Tyler and I am a graduate of Atlantic City High School (A.C.H.S.). I am a freelance writer, radio show host and producer. For the next few hundred words I’d like to tell you about my Atlantic City.


Today’s Atlantic City is a great place to visit, with attractions like The Walk, The Pier Shops and others, but I wish I could somehow take you back to the A.C. where I grew up — the A.C. where Captain Starn’s still existed in the inlet section, where my dad and I used to go to feed the seals, and where the sea lions would swim up almost up to your face. The inlet was also home to my favorite department store, Garwood Mills; the best toy I ever got from there was a Spiderman book and record album called Mark of the Man Wolf. I loved that record — even though it scared me half to death.


My cousin Shirley’s house was not that far away, and my mother would always stop by and let me visit with my older cousins Natalie, Kevin and Trisha. I would hang out in Kevin’s room — Kevin was an all-star basketball player at A.C.H.S — and Uncle Avery (Kevin’s father and Shirley’s husband) would box with me sometimes. I haven’t thought about Nat, Kevin and Uncle Avery in years and really miss them, and have been meaning to have lunch with Trisha at Johnny Rockets since they opened in town.


I grew up on Maryland Avenue. We played a lot of street baseball, and other street-based games with all kinds of extremely colored and non-MLB, NBA or NFL balls. The area was middle class then. There was a tennis instructor on my block, Mr. Quince, and a guy who would practice his golf swing on his little lawn, which made my brother Mark and I think that he had lost his mind.


My dad was a carpenter and Mr. Jay, who lived next door, was a trucker. My family had cookouts, we owned a dog named Samson, and we once shared a stray cat with everyone else in the neighborhood. We would have birthday parties and I loved taking my plate and eating on the steps leading up to the bedrooms. 


This guy who scarred my left cheek when we were both kids asked for my forgiveness about a month ago. We have both grown up and, like he did with me, today I wish I could track down several people I owe apologies to.


I remember the week the Ocean One Mall opened on the Boardwalk (where The Pier Shops are now) and thinking, “A mall shaped like a ship? People don’t have anything better to do with that money?” 


I remember hanging out at the stores Sun Vision and Complete Athlete after work every day. I remember so many good places that have been torn down. I remember the Club Harlem and not having a voice to help save it when it was torn down in the 1980s. I remember listening to WUSS, WAYV, Rock 104, Alison Wing, Bob Shivers and Diane Pryor, and thinking one day I am going to have a radio show. 


Atlantic City is no different from Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles, in that the old eventually gives way to the new. This is the last “City Beat” column, and I wanted to go back and talk about the Atlantic City that I loved one more time. However, for stories about the Atlantic City that often flies under the radar, I leave you in the capable hands of Turiya Raheem, whose new (currently online-only) column is called, appropriately, “The Other Atlantic City.” While Turiya is a marvelous writer, I would like to think that you, the readers who supported this column “The City Beat” for six years, played a small role in bringing another writer of color to the pages of Atlantic City Weekly. The other 99.9 percent of the reason why she’s writing for this publication, however, is just because Turiya is an outstanding writer. Period.


I will be continuing “The City Beat” as part of my radio show and at my Web site, TheArtsExchangeProject.com. In the meantime, look out for my brand new Atlantic City Weekly column called “The Music Beat,” which will debut in June. The column will cover the southern New Jersey music scene, from the communities in Atlantic County and some in Cape May County, to the casinos in Atlantic City. 


Local musicians and DJs, please make sure you have your up-to-date music and contact information at the ACWeekly.com “Local Music Guide” page, which can be accessed at acweekly.com/localmusic. To submit your band’s info (all genres, from cover bands to hip-hop to jazz solosists are welcome) simply create your free page at acweekly.com/submitmusic,