Atlantic City, N.J. - On stage a few weeks ago at the Music Box Theater at the Borgata Hotel, Idina Menzel (star of Broadway's Rent and Wicked) admitted having some anxiety about bringing her singing act to this seaside resort. A peasant dress she'd worn when performing in Manhattan the night before, Menzel said, didn't feel right for this evening. So, just before the curtain went up, she'd rushed out to buy a sexy black lace camisole and brassiere - the straps of which she flashed to her audience. They cheered with delight, and Menzel sighed with what appeared to be genuine relief.
Huh? When was the last time anyone, much less a Tony Award-winning actress like Idina Menzel, worried about being properly attired for Atlantic City, a place where the dress code is famously, even infamously, come-as-you-are.
After several recent visits here, however, I've determined that such a concern may soon be common. For Atlantic City, believe it or not, is becoming increasingly chic.
Just this summer, in fact, two flamboyantly fashionable hotels opened: the Water Club and the Chelsea. Representing a new trend of nongambling hotels, both hope to attract an affluent, style-conscious tourist. So, you there, sir, in the "Kiss Me, I'm Drunk" T-shirt, your pocket full of quarters for the slots - perhaps Atlantic City is no longer the place for you.
What a difference five years makes! This is how long it's been since the Borgata Hotel opened, an event heralded as the start of the "Atlantic City Renaissance." Similar to how Las Vegas was before it reinvented itself, Atlantic City is now thought to be at a crossroads - trying to juggle "mass" with "class," family fun alongside sensual temptations.
"Who would have imagined a luxury boutique hotel like the Chelsea in Atlantic City even five years ago?" asked Jeffrey Vassar, president of Atlantic City's Convention and Visitor's Authority. "This sets a new standard and shows what the future of Atlantic City can be." Some $15 billion worth of new development is under way, aimed at attracting tourists who live within a four-hour drive, said Vassar.
New Jersey's governor, who joined the celebration at the opening of the Water Club in June, is eager to spread the word about Atlantic City's transition from past peak to tres chic.
"When people talk this place down, we need to remind them about what's really up here in Atlantic City. The Water Club can stand proud with any resort property in the world," said Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
