Review: Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America

Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America by Bryant Simon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Boardwalk of Dreams is a very insightful discussion of the fate of the Atlantic City Boardwalk from the early 1900s through the early 2000s. Simon focuses on the city landscape and its racial segregation over time. Atlantic City went through many changes over the years. From a quaint entertainment resort at the turn of the century to a massive decline in the 60s and 70s, an attempt of revitalization in the 80s and 90s to the gambling escape it is today. Simon surmises that the decline of the Monopoly city came at a time when middle-class (white) vacationers felt less comfortable in the city as it began to desegregate and deteriorate. Public spaces like the boardwalk and the entertainment pier were opening up to the various ethnic groups that had long been segregated in town. The once opulent resort hotels, movie theatres, and entertainment clubs were beginning to show wear and tear and prices were increasing, making it a less desirable place to vacation. Competing with new vacation spots such as Disneyland and Disney World, Atlantic City became a "has-been" urban blight on the Jersey shore. It is only after gambling was legalized in the city that the once go-to vacation spot for young middle-class families began to make a comeback. Did this really solve the problems and bring back the glory to Atlantic City or has gambling merely redefined the city once again?

Although the focus of the book was not on the historical timeline of the city, it does give a nice overview of its changes over time. Atlantic City was once a thriving, iconic vacation spot, for a particular class of people and Simon does a very good job of placing the reader in the heyday of the resort town. It is very sad how quickly the town declined, and the author does discuss other factors, such as mob influence and realty speculation that likely contributed to its near demise. You are then left to consider if the town has really revitalized or just changed its focus on the gambling crowd, leaving the former gloried beach and boardwalk as afterthoughts.

For a really good and thorough history of Atlantic City, I suggest Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson.

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