Gambling for Family Fun

Our boys beg to go to Atlantic City. Not to gamble, of course, although they have seen the gaming floors, filled with one-armed bandits and roulette wheels, as we trek from parking garage to the infamous boardwalk, but to go to their favorite restaurant, The Rainforest Cafe.

There are many reasons why they enjoy this outing. The restaurant is decorated to look like you're dining al fresco in the rainforest. Every so often, the already dim lights flash and the room fills with mist as life size, animated jungle animals yelp and screech. (The boys love this part. Charlotte, not so much.) The highlight, I believe, is light-up drinking cups. Filled to the brim with lemonade or chocolate milk, these plastic cups sparkle in the restaurant's darkness. Plus, they can take them home, making them a drinking vessel and souvenir all in one. So, when Craig and I feel like driving for 30 minutes, finding a parking spot in an overpriced casino garage, and spending $100 of our hard-earned cash on lunch, we're happy to oblige.

If this were an SAT question, I'd say the Atlantic City Boardwalk is to the Ocean City Boardwalk as Barney Miller is to Andy Griffith. Take the OC Boardwalk, add alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and pawn shops, replace surreys with pedicabs, and you have the AC Boardwalk. I don't know if I'd ever venture there with the kids on my own, not just because it is a slightly rougher destination, but also because I'm not sure I could ever navigate back through the casino to the car.

Yet, people watching and shopping on the AC Boardwalk can't be beat. We dined today at the Rainforest Cafe, the result of some good behavior and several weeks of begging from the boys. With full bellies, and empty pockets, we walked off our lunch by exploring the near-by shopping mall, The Pier Shops at Caesar’s, an extravaganza of overpriced designer stores overlooking the ocean. We never buy, just look, despite the Siren call of the technicolor candy store, It'Sugar, the home of giant gummy bears and other cavity-inducing treats.

At the end of the mall, on the first floor, is a fountain that displays a water show once an hour, on the hour. I wouldn't plan a trip around this attraction, but it sure was fun to watch. Loud music played as the fountain spouted water at difference heights and speeds, accompanied by flashing, multi-colored lights. Imagine fireworks, but with water instead of ammunition. The kids' reaction reminded me of watching 4th of July fireworks on the beach this year. Charlotte, wide-eyed in amazement, clapped away, unprompted by me. She clung to me like a koala bear, slightly taken back by the display, but intrigued nonetheless. Carter jumped in time to the music, raising his fists in the air, giving high fives to imaginary onlookers, his excitement both palpable and contagious. Will watched in awe, as Craig and I did as well. What an unexpected treat for us all.