Hey all,
Sorry it has taken so long for me to post. I have been very busy lately. So..I decided that I like Vegas so much I am moving there..seriously! Time will only tell whether or not I will stay for good but I know that I am not moving back to New Jersey unless I have no other choice. I really like Atlanta as well so if I ever leave Vegas it will be for Atlanta.
Atlanta is awesome, the food, the atmosphere, the people (except when they drive, ha ha), etc. Vegas is awesome because the people there are really diverse and the environment has so much to offer. Life has brought a lot of twists and turns so Vegas should provide the perfect reset.
Where are some places that you have visited throughout your travels that you wouldn't mind living? What do you like about these places? Is it the people? The atmosphere? It is important that we take risks in life sometimes and if we make it, then great, if not then so be it. It is better to take a risk and to fail (and try again) than to remain stagnant and run the risk of becoming dull, boring, and stifled.
I will be posting a lot more soon (several times weekly) but for now my posts will be about once or more a week until I am done packing. You think cross-country travel is hard..try moving ha ha! I hope all is well with you and that your holidays are going great thus far. Whether you are traveling this holiday or staying home, always remember to be grateful and to let your family know that you care no matter what. If there are any unresolved issues remember, the holidays are a time for forgiveness :-)
In the meantime, check out my other blogs and sites!
Writers: http://shakyshelf.blogspot.com/
Renters: http://rentersnet.blogspot.com/
Soundoff: http://thesoundoff1.blogspot.com/
Stop Skyping the old-fashined way!
http://jeruzz1.wix.com/skypeout#!page4/cfvg
Showing posts with label new jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new jersey. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Empire City Casino
Recently, my husband and I went to Empire City Casino in Yonkers, New York. Previously, I had seen commercials about it and I wanted to check it out. I asked my husband about it on occasion. He was not really interested because he felt like it may have been a fake casino. I had my suspicions as well. However, I figured I would give it a shot. We wanted to do something else that day but it fell through. I thought that Empire City Casino would be a nice choice since it was only about forty minutes or so from where we were.
When we arrived, it was a bit confusing. There was a sign for valet parking and an officer standing in the lot to direct crowds across to the casino entrance. At first, we did not see any signs for general parking so we asked the police officer where it was. He told us to leave that lot and make a right, a right, and then another right. That was simple enough we thought. Although, I found it a bit strange that we had to go back into the city to get there, but it was close. The lot was crowded so we had to go toward the end of the lot to find parking. We made note of our location via the numbered/lettered marker and headed toward a shuttle stop. We asked some people standing there if it was free and they told us that it was. Okay I thought, "Free parking and a free shuttle!" So far, so good! This was a change from Atlantic City because in order to get free parking at one of the casinos, you had to be a member. The shuttles "Jitneys" in Atlantic City are not free either so that was a plus.
After waiting about fifteen minutes for the shuttle, we got on and sat down. The driver was friendly and made some small talk with my husband. The shuttle was however crowded and there were people at the next stop who could not get on. After we arrived at the casino we saw the racetrack with the horses. I asked him if we could go check it out before we went into the casino. there were some friendly people there who passed out racetrack magazines and one lady even offered tips on who to bet on! We stood there for a few minutes and watched the horses walk around (the races had not started yet).
We entered the casino and immediately, we noticed how grim it was. The lighting was absolutely horrible! it was so dark in there that we were very uncomfortable. We were both thirsty and tried to find a waitress so that we could get a few bottled waters. They were nowhere to be found. We did not want to go to the bar for it and we did not see the cafeteria area at first. We did find water fountains and decided to have a drink of warm water. We were not satisfied as the warm water hardly quenched our thirst. We asked one of the attendants if there was a restaurant nearby. He told us that there was a cafeteria and pointed it out. We went and found some overpriced soft drinks at $2.75 to $3.75 per bottle. We purchased a drink and headed back onto the casino floor only to find a waitress. It is funny because we had not seen one when we were looking around, now there were a few of them.
After getting our player's cards and a nifty five-dollar ticket for free play, we headed toward the slots. We looked around and found that many of the slot machines were not only taken, but they had people in line waiting for them. We sat down at the few available ones and began to play. Immediately, we both lost the money that we had put into the machines. We tried more machines, same story. This continued on throughout the night until we both found one good machine each that at least let us win more than the standard "two cents" that the others did. We played those for a little bit until the machines began taking their money back. At least we did find those two machines out of the whole casino. We were well-aware of the fact that every machine has a certain payout but these machines had horrible odds. We also noticed that most of the machines did not have bonus play. Many of them were standard thee-pay line machines. They were tailored toward the 'golden' crowd. This was the main crowd that was in the casino anyway. Since we are young, we wanted and expected a more diverse group of people in terms of age. I guess we were used to Atlantic City. My husband had been to Vegas many times but I have never been there. However I did have a few casinos to compare it to. I had been to Atlantic City casinos and Foxwoods. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between a casino, and a building with slot machines in it. This was a building with slot machines in it. It was only two floors although the second floor only had a few machines and a restaurant on it.
As we played, a waitress came and asked us if we wanted drinks. We asked her what she had and she told us that she had coffee, tea, soda, etc. What?!! Where are the "real drinks?" Are you serious? Not hat we wanted any alcoholic beverages but the mere fact that they were not even offered was very disappointing. We got our "standard" Pepsi and sent the waitress on her way as we kept losing our money. We decided that it was time to go. We did visit the racetrack on the way out and placed a few small bets. We won a few dollars and lost a few dollars but the race itself was fun to watch. There were people outside selling grilled foods. The cost was not that bad.(except for the small bottle of six dollar beer).
After we watched the races, we got on the shuttle and then in our cars vowing never to return to that awful place! My advice to you "if you live near the area, go to Atlantic City" unless you feel like going to Foxwoods. Save your money and do not go to Empire City. For such a glorious name, this so-called casino is mediocre and unappealing. They should have kept this place a raceway and nothing more because this is not a casino! I would rather have a root canal with no anesthesia..thanks!
When we arrived, it was a bit confusing. There was a sign for valet parking and an officer standing in the lot to direct crowds across to the casino entrance. At first, we did not see any signs for general parking so we asked the police officer where it was. He told us to leave that lot and make a right, a right, and then another right. That was simple enough we thought. Although, I found it a bit strange that we had to go back into the city to get there, but it was close. The lot was crowded so we had to go toward the end of the lot to find parking. We made note of our location via the numbered/lettered marker and headed toward a shuttle stop. We asked some people standing there if it was free and they told us that it was. Okay I thought, "Free parking and a free shuttle!" So far, so good! This was a change from Atlantic City because in order to get free parking at one of the casinos, you had to be a member. The shuttles "Jitneys" in Atlantic City are not free either so that was a plus.
After waiting about fifteen minutes for the shuttle, we got on and sat down. The driver was friendly and made some small talk with my husband. The shuttle was however crowded and there were people at the next stop who could not get on. After we arrived at the casino we saw the racetrack with the horses. I asked him if we could go check it out before we went into the casino. there were some friendly people there who passed out racetrack magazines and one lady even offered tips on who to bet on! We stood there for a few minutes and watched the horses walk around (the races had not started yet).
We entered the casino and immediately, we noticed how grim it was. The lighting was absolutely horrible! it was so dark in there that we were very uncomfortable. We were both thirsty and tried to find a waitress so that we could get a few bottled waters. They were nowhere to be found. We did not want to go to the bar for it and we did not see the cafeteria area at first. We did find water fountains and decided to have a drink of warm water. We were not satisfied as the warm water hardly quenched our thirst. We asked one of the attendants if there was a restaurant nearby. He told us that there was a cafeteria and pointed it out. We went and found some overpriced soft drinks at $2.75 to $3.75 per bottle. We purchased a drink and headed back onto the casino floor only to find a waitress. It is funny because we had not seen one when we were looking around, now there were a few of them.
After getting our player's cards and a nifty five-dollar ticket for free play, we headed toward the slots. We looked around and found that many of the slot machines were not only taken, but they had people in line waiting for them. We sat down at the few available ones and began to play. Immediately, we both lost the money that we had put into the machines. We tried more machines, same story. This continued on throughout the night until we both found one good machine each that at least let us win more than the standard "two cents" that the others did. We played those for a little bit until the machines began taking their money back. At least we did find those two machines out of the whole casino. We were well-aware of the fact that every machine has a certain payout but these machines had horrible odds. We also noticed that most of the machines did not have bonus play. Many of them were standard thee-pay line machines. They were tailored toward the 'golden' crowd. This was the main crowd that was in the casino anyway. Since we are young, we wanted and expected a more diverse group of people in terms of age. I guess we were used to Atlantic City. My husband had been to Vegas many times but I have never been there. However I did have a few casinos to compare it to. I had been to Atlantic City casinos and Foxwoods. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between a casino, and a building with slot machines in it. This was a building with slot machines in it. It was only two floors although the second floor only had a few machines and a restaurant on it.
As we played, a waitress came and asked us if we wanted drinks. We asked her what she had and she told us that she had coffee, tea, soda, etc. What?!! Where are the "real drinks?" Are you serious? Not hat we wanted any alcoholic beverages but the mere fact that they were not even offered was very disappointing. We got our "standard" Pepsi and sent the waitress on her way as we kept losing our money. We decided that it was time to go. We did visit the racetrack on the way out and placed a few small bets. We won a few dollars and lost a few dollars but the race itself was fun to watch. There were people outside selling grilled foods. The cost was not that bad.(except for the small bottle of six dollar beer).
After we watched the races, we got on the shuttle and then in our cars vowing never to return to that awful place! My advice to you "if you live near the area, go to Atlantic City" unless you feel like going to Foxwoods. Save your money and do not go to Empire City. For such a glorious name, this so-called casino is mediocre and unappealing. They should have kept this place a raceway and nothing more because this is not a casino! I would rather have a root canal with no anesthesia..thanks!
Holiday Inn is anything but a holiday!
Ahh traveling..I love it! It is one of the things that gives me great joy. The feeling that you are going somewhere makes it hard to sleep the night before, and easy to wake up the morning of. Sometimes the journey is just as fun as the destination. Whether flying and looking at "Sky Mall" mag or enjoying the open road..it's just plain fun! However, when you have a bad experience during the trip, it makes you think about what you could have been doing instead (getting those reports done at work, getting your car detailed, cleaning your home, etc.) Nothing annoys me more than knowing that not only have I wasted my time on a trip, but I wasted my money too!
Because of the nature of my experience, I am writing this article a bit differently. I am showing recent events before I share the background of this story. Recently, my wonderful husband and I celebrated our third anniversary. We went to Atlantic City for a few days. I had this crazy idea to save a few dollars by cashing in on the "free" room that was owed to us by Holiday Inn (more on that later). However, I had been leaving messages for the guy who was supposed to set it up for us. I did not receive a call from him (in his defense, it was fairly short notice). I did receive a call from another manager at the site saying that he was trying to get in touch with the person who would set up our free stay. Needless to say, we did not hear from him in time so we ended up paying for the night. This was on a Saturday. Because of our experience, we decided that we could not do another night there.
What we found:
We stayed at the Absecon, NJ location (there are no Holiday Inns in Atlantic City itself and this was only a few minutes away). I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the modern decor and amenities that the main lobby-area had. The colors were well put together and it was relaxing overall.
Upon check-in, we met a nice man at the desk who checked us in. He seemed to enjoy his job (despite the poor standard of business that this company has). He told us that he was from PA (about 1 1/2 hours-2 hours away) and that he spends several nights there every week. He gave us great tips on how to bypass the AC expressway and we were appreciated not only the information, but the great conversation! We grabbed out room cards and headed to our car to grab our bags. We went upstairs to our room and I thought the overall design was quite nice. However, upon further examination and doing our usual room check (sheets, towels, wash cloths, tub, etc.) we found some nasty stuff. There were questionable stains on most of the towels, hand towels and washcloths. They were frayed and blood-stained..yes BLOOD stained! There was also something on the bottom of the bathroom wall underneath the counter area. Too me it looked like blood, to my husband, it looked like someone spilled something and they used a strong cleaner to get rid of it. I didn't buy it. I think he said that because he knew I was freaking out already and did not want to exacerbate the situation. Since the room was clean overall (most importantly the sheets), we decided to stay but got the towels and washcloths changed. However, we didn't unpack because we knew that we would not be staying another night.
The next morning, we woke up and decided to see what they had for the "free hot breakfast". What a joke! Most of it was continental (muffins, danishes, etc.)The few hot items included; "eggs". "ham", biscuits, pancakes, and gravy. Well, against our better judgment, we decided to try it. The "eggs" were cut into a flat circle. We bit into them and almost hurled! They had the consistency of wet fat and they were flavorless! They tasted like water. that is the best way I could describe it. The "ham" was flavorless and nasty as well. My husband tried the biscuits and gravy and hated that too. There was a cool device that they had that I never saw before. This device made pancakes automatically. The batter is preloaded and you touch a button. The pancakes come out hot..and unfortunately disgusting and hard (very cool idea though..sign me up for the improved model). After "breakfast"..we grabbed our bags and hurried to Atlantic City to get some real breakfast at our favorite spot (look for the review on "Country Kitchen" in an upcoming article).
You are probably wondering how we ended up at the Holiday Inn and why we were entitled to a free room. Well, here is the original email that I sent to their corporate office (after I got no response from the original letter I wrote to them via the form on their site):
"I am forwarding this email to my husband. I left all of the details on the form on your site. I will tell you that we were at your location in Hazlet, NJ and it was last winter and that my husband went to use the towel in our room and he ended up wiping someone's semen on his hands (after just washing his). Also, there was excrement on another towel. Obviously, this worker was disgruntled and nasty!! Also, in that room and the next, the rooms were FILTHY and there was blood on the sheets in the first room and hair on the next sheets as well as various stains!! It stank something awful.
I have seen cleaner motels!! When we told the lady at the reservation desk, she simply shrugged it off and gave us another room. This ruined our ENTIRE night!! Imagine a man rubbing his hands in another man's sperm!! He did not want to tell me but I knew that something was wrong, he just threw the towel down but I kept prodding until he told me. He was embarrassed, that is why he did not tell me at first!! You took so long to respond that I am even more disgusted! If he had caught hepatitis or some other disease, you would have a hell of a law suit on your hands..ESPECIALLY since it took you MONTHS to respond to our complaint!! I am completely insulted as a customer! Not to mention the fact that, after waiting all this time to contact us, you don't even call, you send us an email AND you ask us to recount the events that happened over a year ago?? You need to contact my husband [name omitted] at [number omitted].
He has been waiting to hear from you for a while. We will NEVER stay at another Holiday Inn, we would rather sleep in our car! We have stayed in other Holiday Inns and they are ALWAYS sub-par (generally unclean). However, we never had an experience nearly this bad! We had no choice but to stay there because it was all we could get on such short notice (we were stuck on the Jersey shore because of the weather). I am a successful blogger and the only reason I have not yet written about this is because I do not want to embarrass my husband any further! I take it will not take another year to hear from you?"
To my readers:
I apologize if I seem so out of character but I was so disgusted with this situation and would never suggest addressing a letter to any business in this manner. Besides, there is more than one way to skin a cat! We stayed the next few days at the Tropicana Casino and Hotel.
After our vacation, we still have yet to hear back from the original manager at the Hazlet, NJ location. If and when we do, they will offer us a stay at one of their disgusting locations (which they owe us) and we will refuse. I do not want their room..want their blood! I am going to bring light to this situation so that consumers do not fall prey to their substandard health practices. I was told by one of the managers that one of my reviews has turned away customers. GOOD..I plan on continuing until they have none left because they do not deserve what they do not care about..YOU!
So..I will tell you, DO NOT STAY at HOLIDAY INN! God forbid someone has some type of disease and you end up bathing in or sleeping in someone another person's fluids!!
Long live the power of the consumer!
Because of the nature of my experience, I am writing this article a bit differently. I am showing recent events before I share the background of this story. Recently, my wonderful husband and I celebrated our third anniversary. We went to Atlantic City for a few days. I had this crazy idea to save a few dollars by cashing in on the "free" room that was owed to us by Holiday Inn (more on that later). However, I had been leaving messages for the guy who was supposed to set it up for us. I did not receive a call from him (in his defense, it was fairly short notice). I did receive a call from another manager at the site saying that he was trying to get in touch with the person who would set up our free stay. Needless to say, we did not hear from him in time so we ended up paying for the night. This was on a Saturday. Because of our experience, we decided that we could not do another night there.
What we found:
We stayed at the Absecon, NJ location (there are no Holiday Inns in Atlantic City itself and this was only a few minutes away). I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the modern decor and amenities that the main lobby-area had. The colors were well put together and it was relaxing overall.
Upon check-in, we met a nice man at the desk who checked us in. He seemed to enjoy his job (despite the poor standard of business that this company has). He told us that he was from PA (about 1 1/2 hours-2 hours away) and that he spends several nights there every week. He gave us great tips on how to bypass the AC expressway and we were appreciated not only the information, but the great conversation! We grabbed out room cards and headed to our car to grab our bags. We went upstairs to our room and I thought the overall design was quite nice. However, upon further examination and doing our usual room check (sheets, towels, wash cloths, tub, etc.) we found some nasty stuff. There were questionable stains on most of the towels, hand towels and washcloths. They were frayed and blood-stained..yes BLOOD stained! There was also something on the bottom of the bathroom wall underneath the counter area. Too me it looked like blood, to my husband, it looked like someone spilled something and they used a strong cleaner to get rid of it. I didn't buy it. I think he said that because he knew I was freaking out already and did not want to exacerbate the situation. Since the room was clean overall (most importantly the sheets), we decided to stay but got the towels and washcloths changed. However, we didn't unpack because we knew that we would not be staying another night.
The next morning, we woke up and decided to see what they had for the "free hot breakfast". What a joke! Most of it was continental (muffins, danishes, etc.)The few hot items included; "eggs". "ham", biscuits, pancakes, and gravy. Well, against our better judgment, we decided to try it. The "eggs" were cut into a flat circle. We bit into them and almost hurled! They had the consistency of wet fat and they were flavorless! They tasted like water. that is the best way I could describe it. The "ham" was flavorless and nasty as well. My husband tried the biscuits and gravy and hated that too. There was a cool device that they had that I never saw before. This device made pancakes automatically. The batter is preloaded and you touch a button. The pancakes come out hot..and unfortunately disgusting and hard (very cool idea though..sign me up for the improved model). After "breakfast"..we grabbed our bags and hurried to Atlantic City to get some real breakfast at our favorite spot (look for the review on "Country Kitchen" in an upcoming article).
You are probably wondering how we ended up at the Holiday Inn and why we were entitled to a free room. Well, here is the original email that I sent to their corporate office (after I got no response from the original letter I wrote to them via the form on their site):
"I am forwarding this email to my husband. I left all of the details on the form on your site. I will tell you that we were at your location in Hazlet, NJ and it was last winter and that my husband went to use the towel in our room and he ended up wiping someone's semen on his hands (after just washing his). Also, there was excrement on another towel. Obviously, this worker was disgruntled and nasty!! Also, in that room and the next, the rooms were FILTHY and there was blood on the sheets in the first room and hair on the next sheets as well as various stains!! It stank something awful.
I have seen cleaner motels!! When we told the lady at the reservation desk, she simply shrugged it off and gave us another room. This ruined our ENTIRE night!! Imagine a man rubbing his hands in another man's sperm!! He did not want to tell me but I knew that something was wrong, he just threw the towel down but I kept prodding until he told me. He was embarrassed, that is why he did not tell me at first!! You took so long to respond that I am even more disgusted! If he had caught hepatitis or some other disease, you would have a hell of a law suit on your hands..ESPECIALLY since it took you MONTHS to respond to our complaint!! I am completely insulted as a customer! Not to mention the fact that, after waiting all this time to contact us, you don't even call, you send us an email AND you ask us to recount the events that happened over a year ago?? You need to contact my husband [name omitted] at [number omitted].
He has been waiting to hear from you for a while. We will NEVER stay at another Holiday Inn, we would rather sleep in our car! We have stayed in other Holiday Inns and they are ALWAYS sub-par (generally unclean). However, we never had an experience nearly this bad! We had no choice but to stay there because it was all we could get on such short notice (we were stuck on the Jersey shore because of the weather). I am a successful blogger and the only reason I have not yet written about this is because I do not want to embarrass my husband any further! I take it will not take another year to hear from you?"
To my readers:
I apologize if I seem so out of character but I was so disgusted with this situation and would never suggest addressing a letter to any business in this manner. Besides, there is more than one way to skin a cat! We stayed the next few days at the Tropicana Casino and Hotel.
After our vacation, we still have yet to hear back from the original manager at the Hazlet, NJ location. If and when we do, they will offer us a stay at one of their disgusting locations (which they owe us) and we will refuse. I do not want their room..want their blood! I am going to bring light to this situation so that consumers do not fall prey to their substandard health practices. I was told by one of the managers that one of my reviews has turned away customers. GOOD..I plan on continuing until they have none left because they do not deserve what they do not care about..YOU!
So..I will tell you, DO NOT STAY at HOLIDAY INN! God forbid someone has some type of disease and you end up bathing in or sleeping in someone another person's fluids!!
Long live the power of the consumer!
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