Between outdoor concerts, rooftop hotel parties, and patio brunches, it’s safe to say that summer in the city is all that and a bag of chips– until you get totally sick of it. Ever notice how the city seems a little more serene once Friday rolls around?  That’s because, by weeks’ end, those of us “blessed” with full-time employment are ready to get the eff out of here. Even the most devout Manhattanite can admit that spending weekend after weekend inCentral Park doesn’t erase a weeks’ worth of deadlines, angry clients, and paper cuts.
Most of us don’t have a house in the Hamptons to run away to each weekend, and even more of us are clinging so desperately to our jobs that we wouldn’t dare ask for a few days off. I know, honey.You need a vacation, a foot rub, and a one night stand with no repercussion but the options are far from boundless. While I find myself going through the same inner-dialogue every Friday (I hate New York, I need a tan), it was last weekend that I finally decided to do something about it. With limited means and the heart of a lion, I packed my bags for Atlantic City.  Job and budget be damned, I’m going away for the weekend if it kills me.
The trip almost did kill me, but in a good kind of way. I ate half of the Atlantic Ocean, and drank twice as much liquor. And that was before I got off of the train.
The ACES train is the hottest way to get to Atlantic City when time is of the essence. When you’re only going away for a weekend, do you really want to spend six hours sitting in stifling traffic while Lady GaGa plays every 7.5 minutes on loop? (An aside: does anyone else get played on the radio besides Lady GaGa? What the eff is going on? Does she have a lovechild with the Chairman of the FCC?)
$29 will buy you a coach ticket through the end of July, which, when compared to a NYC Subway, is the equivalent of riding in Air Force One. Each train boasts several food cars (I recommend the beef & brie wrap) and an even sexier bar car (with shockingly delicious Bloody Mary mix and ex-investment bankers). Hit that baby up once the train crosses into Jersey– land of (some) indoor smoking, drinking on wheels, and all things fun that square ol’ New York has outlawed already.
As if reclining chairs, clean bathrooms, and a stocked bar weren’t enough, the train also has a lounge area– complete with flatscreens, iPod docks, and a mini-dance floor. Party the entire way to the second city of sin, where you will subsequently drink too much and lose all of your money (like yours truly).
While the promotion is on its way out, ACES will be running different promos all summer– next up is a beer and wine tasting when you ride down to AC on the Friday night “after work” train (check out ACES Media Room for the latest news and promotions).
