Dusk Opening and Chelsea Update

On Friday night, I went to the pre-opening party for Dusk, a new club at Caesars in Atlantic City.

Nice place, especially considering it's in the space of what was once a Planet Hollywood. But I can't say it's radically different from what you'll find at other clubs in Atlantic City, which include:

1. Stripper poles (though I'm not sure you'll always find a Philadelphia gossip columnist pole dancing, as I did on Friday).
2. Girls in push up bras and short black dresses working bottle service.
3. Loud, fun mixes of music (a LOT of Michael Jackson).
4. Fancy drinks.
5. Cool light set ups. The main dance floor felt like a circus tent, which was nifty.

Dusk also has a separate room called Dawn, which was chiller and more relaxed. It was also a way for smokers to get onto the boardwalk without having to technically leave the club.

Dusk opens to the public this weekend, and I hope it does well. It's placement on the boardwalk will help (though you can only enter through Caesars). The Borgata has nice clubs, but if you're staying on the Boardwalk, it's a pain to get over to the marina area.

Like my last visit to Atlantic City, I stayed at the Chelsea. Despite booking a room in the annex (the less pricey side), we were upgraded to a room in the tower side (the nicer side). On Saturday, Bill and I hit the pool area.

I still think it's a cool idea -- this day time club called the Cabana Club by a pool -- but the waitress service was yet again awful. We felt like we were bothering our waitress by asking for anything, and it took some time to flag her down for service, and to pay our bill. I could have also done without the snotty attitude from the gentleman working the pool area. Yes, I get that the demand for seats by the pool is high, but there's no reason to treat me like an idiot for not getting to the pool at 10am. Really, kid? I know it's busy but there's no harm in asking. And thank you for telling me I'd never get a seat so why bother putting us on the waiting list...when a lot of people did get seated after I asked to be put on said list.

This is all very puzzling, especially considering the great service you'll get at their other property, Cape May's Congress Hall. The lobby at the Chelsea was also chaotic mid-day -- a lot of frazzled nerves on both the sides of patrons and employees.

Bill and I were just fine lying out on the couch area outside of the pool on Saturday, but those service issues have put the Cabana Club on the "avoid" list until September, when hopefully the attitudes will drop down. I still get the feeling that the Chelsea is trying to find its place in the Atlantic City scene. Let's hope they're just working out some kinks and this isn't a sign of a bigger issue.

P.S. Yes, this was there on Friday. Did anyone care? Not really. Just part of the crowd.