A New Casino to Roll the Dice

If you haven't been to Atlantic City recently you might not be aware of the new hotel commanding the northern end of the boardwalk. It's the 1,898-room, 47-story Revel which opened for previews in April and was built for the tidy sum of $2.4 billion.

In my opinion it is a most welcome addition to the skyline and to the gaming town. The casino is 130,000 square feet with 2,439 slots from penny to the one hundred dollar machine.

There are 14 restaurants; 31,000 square feet of retail space which will be opening soon; two nightclubs, one of which is Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly Burlesque, featuring classic burlesque in a sophisticated room; 10 pools; a beautiful spa and a huge theatre, Ovation Hall, with top entertainers like Barry Manilow coming in September.

I did get a chance to eat in one of the restaurants. Try as I may, I can only eat in one at a time. It happened to be Mussel Bar, described to me as a Belgian Gastro Pub with 170 beers. Take my word for it, this is more than mussels.

In short, I was quite impressed with The Revel. There is plenty of open space and something I don't think I've seen in other casinos: windows. These casino folks don't want any distractions from the task of removing money from your pocket.

I recommend a visit next time you're in Atlantic City. And don't ask me for my Barry Manilow tickets.