Safety in AC
Part of the reason I ask, is that I can't ever get anyone my age (mid-20s) to go to AC. I think the reason is mostly because none of them want to gamble, but someone mentioned the other day they thought AC was a really bad area.
I rarely travel outside the resort/boardwalk/outlet mall (is there really a reason to?), but I've spent a good bit of time there and have never felt in danger or threatened by anyone. The only negative interactions I've had have been with craps players, but that's par for the course.
Quote: gamerfreakAfter seeing these weird threads I was genuinely curious about people's thoughts/experiences in regards to personal safety in AC.
Part of the reason I ask, is that I can't ever get anyone my age (mid-20s) to go to AC. I think the reason is mostly because none of them want to gamble, but someone mentioned the other day they thought AC was a really bad area.
I rarely travel outside the resort/boardwalk/outlet mall (is there really a reason to?), but I've spent a good bit of time there and have never felt in danger or threatened by anyone. The only negative interactions I've had have been with craps players, but that's par for the course.
As someone who spends 50+ nights a year in AC it's more than fine as you list. I have been at the following places late and have never had an issue:
Tony's Baltimore Grill
Duck town Tavern
AC Bar and Grill
Irish Pub
Vagabond Bar and Grill
Tun Tavern
Wingcraft
Like any big city in America, use you head and don't go looking for trouble.
But if you are not there to gamble, it isn't like Vegas with clubs and shows every night.
Just don't faint at the sight of a black person, and you'll be fine.
Quote: billryanAC is home to some pretty good nude bars. Places that serve drinks aren't allowed to be even topless, but places that don't can be nude. Most nude bars have a liquor/beer shop next door so you buy there, and BYOB to the club. There are a few rough neighborhoods in AC, but none that you will wander into by mistake.
Just don't faint at the sight of a black person, and you'll be fine.
This is getting scary, you and I are on the same page too much lately.
As always, common sense rules. Sad we can't teach it.
Quote: onenickelmiracleSafe and unsafe areas are not real, per se, just about perception. I walk the streets night or day without fear, I'm more afraid of Chase Bank and the boys than some random brown person.
Pretty much. There are very few neighborhoods in the United States where it is actually dangerous to say, go out to dinner.
Bad neighborhoods also have cheap gas, but there is a 100% chance of being approached by a pan handler.
But, if you want to go through life constantly wetting your pants in fear, enjoy.
Twice I have walked from Caesar's to Resorts via Pacific Ave at about 10 p.m.
Hookers and drug dealers were offering their wares.
Needless to say I wouldn't take this trip alone.
One needs to aware of your surroundings. Avoid isolated places and don't flash cash/jewelry.
Much of the time tourists get into trouble it is because they got involved in the underground economy of drugs and/or prostitution.
A guy was playing in Vegas and a hot young girl started a conversation with him. They ended up in his room.
She used the bathroom and came back and texted on her phone. A while later she received and read a text and said she needed to use the bathroom again.
She walked towards the bathroom but instead unlocks the door letting two goons in. He was roughed up and robbed.She texted the goons the room number, they texted when they were outside the door.
Apparently the guy was a flashy dresser with lots of bling. He was advertising his wealth. I have little doubt that is why he was picked out of the crowd.
Quote: dave12038457Atlantic City is seedy place, anyone who is truly honest with themselves and others will freely admit this.
Twice I have walked from Caesar's to Resorts via Pacific Ave at about 10 p.m.
Hookers and drug dealers were offering their wares.
Needless to say I wouldn't take this trip alone.
One needs to aware of your surroundings. Avoid isolated places and don't flash cash/jewelry.
Much of the time tourists get into trouble it is because they got involved in the underground economy of drugs and/or prostitution.
A guy was playing in Vegas and a hot young girl started a conversation with him. They ended up in his room.
She used the bathroom and came back and texted on her phone. A while later she received and read a text and said she needed to use the bathroom again.
She walked towards the bathroom but instead unlocks the door letting two goons in. He was roughed up and robbed.She texted the goons the room number, they texted when they were outside the door.
Apparently the guy was a flashy dresser with lots of bling. He was advertising his wealth. I have little doubt that is why he was picked out of the crowd.
I would say I agree with most of what you said, but at the same time, I don't think that a place can be categorized as, "Generally unsafe," because people who have consorted with drug dealers and prostitutes have had ill circumstances fall upon them. I would say consorting with prostitutes and drug dealers is unsafe regardless of the general area in which those prostitutes and drug dealers are found.
I also think one is taking a risk to go to a woman's room or to have a woman go to his room when they have just met. That's not behavior that I would consider safe. Does everything turn out fine more often than not? Probably. I wouldn't really know, but certainly, the potential for danger is there.
As far as walking from place to place is concerned, I've driven from GN to Resorts, Taj Mahal, Bally's at night, and no, I would not walk the same path (or any) that I drove from place to place. I'd walk the Boardwalk at night, and have, without much of a concern. I wouldn't necessarily advise people to do that, though.
I think that if one is not actively looking for trouble, it can generally (but not always) be avoided. I also think that people should avoid areas that they are fearful of because they project fearfulness and people looking for a, "Mark," pick up on that fearfulness. If you are walking in an area and you are comfortable walking in that area, then you will not project fearfulness, but rather calmness and comfortableness. Projecting confidence won't protect you 100% of the time, but I should think fewer unsavory types will see you as a mark if you do.
Wen i was 13 i went by myself to the nassau colosseum and purchased hockey tickets. All white neighborhood. Never felt safer
Got mugged on the way out by a white guy who slammed me against the wall and demanded i hand over the expensive tickets (it was the playoffs that year)
He was a huge guy. No way i could hav fought him. After i handed over the tickets he hopped into a porsche waiting at the corner
I dont feel safe in white neighborhoods now any more than hood neighborhoods
An area that is filled with such predators is unsafe, IMO.
It sounds like areas of AC are unsafe, just as areas of NYC (where I grew up) are unsafe.
Quote: gordonm888There are predatory people in the world who commit violence and/or steal and/or con money from other people who are inexperienced (or innocent, or naive or gullible).
Those people are called the U.S. Government.
Quote: IbeatyouracesThose people are called the U.S. Government.
There is wisdom in that.
Quote: gamerfreakPart of the reason I ask, is that I can't ever get anyone my age (mid-20s) to go to AC. I think the reason is mostly because none of them want to gamble, but someone mentioned the other day they thought AC was a really bad area.
My daughter (also a mid-20s millennial) was in AC a couple of weeks ago for the One Republic concert at the Borgota. Only one of her friends was interested in going with her despite the fact that she had access to several comped tickets. Partially this was due to the concert being on a Sunday night and people needed to be at work Monday AM but a big part is that other then her, none of her friends gamble. None of her friends have ever expressed concerns over safety as a reason for not going to AC.
As to my wife and I, our concerns over our daughter's safety when she's in AC without us isn't any greater than if she was in Philadelphia, NY, New Orleans, or any other US city. We're always worried to a degree (she's our daughter) but we know she's with friends and that she sticks to the casinos in the Marina district. Any time spent in the Boardwalk area or places like Wingcraft or Tuns is during daylight hours.
Quote: gamerfreakThe only negative interactions I've had have been with craps players, but that's par for the course.
And here I thought you were a nice guy.
If one simply stays in touristy places you will be fine.
If one goes down a dark alley in search of drugs or a street walker you run far greater risks. You are associating with the criminal class.
When the boardwalk is deserted say late at night or in the winter, you won't find me on it.
The sight of a lone person walking between casinos could prove tempting to the nefarious types.
Things do happen to inoccent people in A.C.
They get robbed, pickpocketed, phone stolen etc.
Criminals need a certain amount of privacy to ply their craft. By staying away from isolated places you deny them of this privacy. Criminals are predators scanning for opportunities and vulnerabilites.He may size up dozens before choosing his target. He may ask you the time or for a cigarette or a dollar. They want to take a quick measure of you as a person. The one thing these guys often have are instincts. Who looks scared or drunk. Who looks strong and confident.
If you don't want the attention of sharks, don't go in the water and look and act like a seal.....
Quote: dave12038457First and foremost A.C. has a lot of residents who live in poverty. Poverty breeds crime.
If one simply stays in touristy places you will be fine.
If one goes down a dark alley in search of drugs or a street walker you run far greater risks. You are associating with the criminal class.
When the boardwalk is deserted say late at night or in the winter, you won't find me on it.
The sight of a lone person walking between casinos could prove tempting to the nefarious types.
Things do happen to inoccent people in A.C.
They get robbed, pickpocketed, phone stolen etc.
Criminals need a certain amount of privacy to ply their craft. By staying away from isolated places you deny them of this privacy. Criminals are predators scanning for opportunities and vulnerabilites.He may size up dozens before choosing his target. He may ask you the time or for a cigarette or a dollar. They want to take a quick measure of you as a person. The one thing these guys often have are instincts. Who looks scared or drunk. Who looks strong and confident.
If you don't want the attention of sharks, don't go in the water and look and act like a seal.....
Well said
Quote: TumblingBonesAnd here I thought you were a nice guy.
You know the type. Short, bald, fat, sweaty guys wearing oversized sports jersey's, red in the face and ready to pop off because they're trying to win their rent money back.
People who live in california say they are scared of getting mugged or worse when going to nyc
Truth is while both can occur no one living in the immediate areas obsess about it. Earthquakes and nyc crime happen infrequently enough the residents live normal lives
Here we hav a lot of people from outside ac imagining all the crime that goes on. Im sure the ac residents are laughing at this thread
Does she at least carry mace in her purse ? Know where and how to park?
Not trying to be rude, but some girls have no idea how to avoid danger.
Quote: darkozPeople who live in nyc say they are scared of earthquakes wen going to california
People who live in california say they are scared of getting mugged or worse when going to nyc
Truth is while both can occur no one living in the immediate areas obsess about it. Earthquakes and nyc crime happen infrequently enough the residents live normal lives
Here we hav a lot of people from outside ac imagining all the crime that goes on. Im sure the ac residents are laughing at this thread
Not that many residents laughing " Atlantic City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes "
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/atlantic-city/crime
Quote: sixsistersNot that many residents laughing " Atlantic City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes "
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/atlantic-city/crime
That's a bullshit statistic because it goes by crimes per resident. Few towns or cities the size of AC have a tourist population that doubles the cities size on a daily basis.
It has 39,000 residents, add another 25,000 tourists and 5,000 employees in the casinos.
Quote: billryanThat's a bullshit statistic because it goes by crimes per resident. Few towns or cities the size of AC have a tourist population that doubles the cities size on a daily basis.
It has 39,000 residents, add another 25,000 tourists and 5,000 employees in the casinos.
My mistake. I thought the visitors came to gamble, and employees to work, and not to commit crimes My bad.
Quote: dave12038457to hear seagulls fart?
I would actually like to hear that, lol
A lot of guys aren't very keen on bad neighborhoods.
You don't know, but I do know it's mostly women that make or break an area. That's why women like to have big, strong men to keep them safe. If you're not, they'll just want to be friends with you.Quote: dave12038457I don't know if it truly is dominated by woman or not.
A lot of guys aren't very keen on bad neighborhoods.
AC is a total dump. It's so poorly designed. I don't know why anybody would ever want to go there except to gamble. It should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Vegas. They should blow the whole thing up and start again.
Quote: SandybestdogI would say that Atlantic City is the only place I've ever gambled at that I truly felt unsafe. Walking Atlantic Ave between Tropicana and Caesars at 2am is particularly not fun. Add the fact that I have $1000 in my pocket (a lot less than most of you I'm sure) and you start wondering what the he'll you're doing. I think it's different to compare it to any standard big city because generally in those other cities, a big percentage of the population doesn't have large amounts of cash with them.
AC is a total dump. It's so poorly designed. I don't know why anybody would ever want to go there except to gamble. It should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Vegas. They should blow the whole thing up and start again.
You should go to Harrah's Chester.
i've been there plenty of times. Never felt unsafe.Quote: gamerfreakYou should go to Harrah's Chester.
Quote: gamerfreakYou should go to Harrah's Chester.
While I've never been to AC, I don't know if it's worse than Hollywood Park.
My tactic in such places is to pay attention and make sure nobody gets very close to me when I'm in the parking lot or some other place where you are vulnerable.
Quote: RigondeauxWhile I've never been to AC, I don't know if it's worse than Hollywood Park.
My tactic in such places is to pay attention and make sure nobody gets very close to me when I'm in the parking lot or some other place where you are vulnerable.
Isnt that the new Rams Stadium
Quote: dave12038457No it isn't "bullshit". A.C. has gangs,drugs and a host of other problems. Why do you think they installed Shotspotter gunfire detection system to hear seagulls fart?
No one is denying that. However, crime stats are the cities population, not just its residents. Add the 50-75K visitors each day to the residents and divide it by the crime.
Or you can eliminate the crimes involving tourists and casino workers and you'll see that the chance of an AC resident being involved in a crime goes down drastically, from somewhere near the top of the state to almost the middle.
You'll see AC is not even in the top ten for crimes per capita in NJ.
Quote: aerulesIsnt that the new Rams Stadium
Yeah, I think so. They gussied everything up.
I haven't been there in over 4 years.
It was said to be far worse, before when I went there and it was pretty bad. Several people were foolish enough to leave with decent sized jackpots and were followed home and robbed and/or murdered.
That also happened at Hawaiian Gardens a few years ago.
Having said that, if you DON'T walk out the door with $50,000 in cash that the whole casino saw you win, I think you'd be OK.
Reminds me. Once this guy really wanted to beat me up over something in poker. He had been a high school football star or something, so I was a big underdog to even run away successfully.
However, he was a white dude from The Valley, so I said, "you don't want to go to jail in Inglewood" and it was obvious I was in the clear.
Do you have detailed access to crime reports in A.C. detailing the perps residence? Or is this a case of shooting from the hip?
Crimes do happen between casino patrons.
But the overwelmingly majority of serious crime occurs in the residential neighborhoods amongst residents or visitors of these residential areas.
Fortunately serious crimes are not very common in casinos or the boardwalk.
Those crimes tend towards crimes of opportunity cell phone thefts and such.
The drug problem is rampant outside the casinos, and all the crime it brings fo)lows.
The city was so poorly designed with plenty of alleyways and crevices to do crime right next to the casinos on the West side of the casinos and not enough police protection to clear it out and deal with the impoverished communities. So many streets heading up to the boardwalk simply come to dead ends, parking lots, etc. Atlantic and Pacific avenues are holes.
A well thought out plan would have resulted in a completely different outcome for the city.
The city was so poorly designed with plenty of alleyways and crevices to do crime right next to the casinos on the West side of the casinos and not enough police protection to clear it out and deal with the impoverished communities. So many streets heading up to the boardwalk simply come to dead ends, parking lots, etc. Atlantic and Pacific avenues are holes.
A well thought out plan would have resulted in a completely different outcome for the city.
Grab a Monopoly game and answer a simple question. How many of the twenty something named streets have you visited in AC?
Vegas probably has more convicts, ex-convicts and future convicts than most anywhere.
It's just a well run outdoor urban prison. That's the difference.
Don't like it, don't live in such cities.
Quote: boymimboAtlantic City is sad along the boardwalk. Casinos are old and need serious renovating. Beach can be nice in the daytime. The boardwalk would be far better with family friendly hotels along the boardwalk rather than the stinky old casino-hotels.
While the number of boarded up casino's and businesses is depressing, I think most of the casino's are just as nice as most strip properties. Bally' and resorts could use some renovation, but I think Ceasars, Borgata, Trop, and Harrah's are all very nice.
i'm a pretty big guy - i never had fear in a.c. and i spent lots of time there. yes there is crime; particularly prostitution and drugs but i was never bothered
for a woman alone the situation can be very different as there are so many asshole guys who will bother a woman even if they don't actually commit a crime against her. of course, that is true in all big cities, not just a.c. which is not really a big city. it's only big if you consider the population of tourists
i once had a tiny asian woman sit next to me at a blackjack table. she was crying. some guy on the street strong armed her and took her cash without a weapon. if i remember correctly he smacked her in the head. it happened right on the main drag in front of some casino on pacific avenue. so sad that she had to endure this.
Quote: lilredroosteri once had a tiny asian woman sit next to me at a blackjack table. she was crying. some guy on the street strong armed her and took her cash without a weapon. if i remember correctly he smacked her in the head. it happened right on the main drag in front of some casino on pacific avenue. so sad that she had to endure this.
She might've been trying to hustle you. I don't fall for these sob stories, especially in casinos.
My thoughts EXACTLY.Quote: IbeatyouracesShe might've been trying to hustle you. I don't fall for these sob stories, especially in casinos.
Quote: IbeatyouracesShe might've been trying to hustle you. I don't fall for these sob stories, especially in casinos.
except she had plenty of money which she said she got from the atm and also she didn't ask me or anybody else for money or anything. i didn't fall for anything. there was no transaction. not everybody is a hustler.
Quote: lilredroosterexcept she had plenty of money which she said she got from the atm and also she didn't ask me or anybody else for money or anything. i didn't fall for anything. there was no transaction. not everybody is a hustler.
If I got robbed, I'd be sitting in a police station filling out a report. Not gambling
Yes, Vegas outside of the strip and Fremont street is awful for crime, but all major US cities have major crime pockets. AC however has the major crime right next to the casinos due to its design and the lack of planning by the city and state when the casinos came. Mind you, I think it would have been difficult to plan given that the only experience in large scale casino experiments was Las Vegas.
