The one thing that struck me the most about the headquarters building is that it’s pretty much a fortress. I mean, it’s built like it could withstand any major natural disaster or attack. I honestly think that if a foreign country attacked the capitol, the USED building would be left standing – mocking the foreigners and their wimpy weapons. But that’s just the impression you get from the outside. Once you’re inside you see that it’s really just functional office space. I liked the mission statement of the USED, which was put up right on the wall for everyone to see when you entered the building. Take a look:

The USED's mission statement - give it a read

Pretty good mission statement for the USED, huh? I was down in Washington, DC for a conference on charter schools which I won’t get into in this blog entry. However, I couldn’t help but think that I actually helped build the impressive structure in which the charter school conference was being held in thanks to all of my student loan payments. It was a weird feeling – not necessarily a bad feeling, but one that made me take a step back and think, “Well, here’s the place where my checks have been going for the past few years.” It was just an interesting feeling.

What was not a good or interesting feeling, though, was the physical pain that I endured as I rode Amtrak’s Acela down to Washington, DC. Believe it or not, these asshats actually sold more tickets for the Acela than there were seats for the passengers. Sure, you’ll never get any official response from the Acela people saying that it was standard practice to do that or that they were sorry (apologizing is an acknowledgement of guilt). However, the conductor on the train – who was a very nice guy, by the way – told me and the fifteen other seatless passengers that this was common practice. It was outrageous. So, I rode down to the nation’s capitol sitting on this:

Imagine sitting on this for two and a half hours

Yeah… not comfortable at all. Anyway, I visited one of my two major student loan lenders last month. And while I don’t think that I’ll ever willingly or happily visit the headquarters building of the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (NJHESAA), I’m actually going to be really close to some of their associates starting tomorrow. Turns out that NJHESAA and my company will both be exhibitors at the New Jersey Charter Schools Association conference in Atlantic City this week. I don’t know if we’ll be anywhere near each other, but I feel like being in the same room as those people is going to drive me nuts. Frankly, I have half a mind to walk up to their booth and ask them why they felt the need to treat a highly intelligent, good-natured person (me) like a dumb, moronic piece of garbage every time I called them. And that same half of my mind wants me to ask them why they wouldn’t contact the credit agencies to report their mistaken even after admitting that they made a blunder when they reported that I made a late payment when no payment was actually due. Those idiots lowered my credit score for a few months until I had to go out of my way to get that stupid mistake wiped clean from my record. Idiots.

Anyway, enough of that tangent. The point of this entry is that I visited the USED headquarters building in Washington, DC and I was pleasantly pleased with the visit. I hope that they do their customers well as they continue to ramp up their student loan production.

Please note that clicking the image below will take you to a different website.

Enjoy!

While Las Vegas is in a similar situation and battling declining gambling revenues it at least has other revenue streams to fall back on, including the ability to cross-sell many of its offering such as MMA fights, which draw a steady stream of fans to Vegas to both attend the events and place wagers in sportsbooks. With no sportsbooks to fall back on more dated casinos and hotels in general, it’s a much harder sell for AC casinos to cash in on MMA mania.

MMA isn’t a magic bullet for casinos but it’s a step in the right direction, as far as getting out of the old-school mentality that all a casino has to do is cram in a lot of slot machines and table games in order to be profitable. Casinos have to fight harder for the dwindling entertainment dollars that customers are willing to spend, especially as more and more players embrace online gaming sites where they can play real money blackjack and other casino games without ever leaving home.

While recent steps by the New Jersey legislature to allow smaller boutique casinos in more locations and implement an intrastate online casino site are steps in the right direction, it remains to be seen if it’s a case of too-little, too-late for gambling in Atlantic City. With newer, slicker options available on nearly every front, it’s becoming a harder and harder draw to convince customers to come to Atlantic City to spend their gambling dollars.

“ATLANTIC CITY UNCONVENTIONAL”
DEF: BEING OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Atlantic City new jersey by the sea,….the ideal place to see and be.
a great resort to spend your vacation or visit for a day, easy to reach and only a short trip, away.

come by auto,bus, rail or sea, centrally located between New York and Pa.

Make Atlantic city deluxe hotels and casinos your second home and destination don’t think twice before you book your hotel reservation. You will love the luxurious accommodations.

enjoy the casinos, shopping, restaurants and all other attractions and activities you will find along the board walk, beach, marina or the bay. Welcoming hotel staffs will help make your day.

Enjoy the home of first generation shopping malls and outlets, golf, water sports events and world class entertainment and activities so, let luck be your lady tonight

Come roll the dice, to add some spice. Forget all your woes, worries And troubles,….as your champagne flows and bubbles.

Dine tonight at a world class restaurant, later, attend a show, Where famous stars perform nightly, while stage lights glow and Shine brightly.

catch the nightlife and entertainment at our caberets, clubs, lounges and casinos and don’t forget that championship fight.

allow atlantic city, the jewel of the new jersey shore to be your perfect host 24/7 for all your entertainment,leisure, enjoyment, business, pleasure and conventions needs.

Atlantic city, new jersey by the sea.

copyright revised 2009 joseph p.martino american writer, poet (1937~) millburn, n.j.

Have a great day!

So…I’ll be back in a few days. There are pre-written posts ready to be uploaded while I’m gone. Enjoy!

Sandwiched between Pennsylvania and New York, the state of New Jersey also known as the garden state has often been likened to a tapered barrel open at both ends. Overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, New Jersey is often not given its due by visitors, though it is a wonderland in its own right. Coasts, mountains, national parks, the arts, sports, theatres, amusement parks and casinos, New Jersey has them all.

Home to approximately 40 museums on themes as diverse as arts, aviation, military, children, agriculture, golf, mining and what not, New Jersey does not disappoint a knowledge crawler. Add to this, the 15 major theatre companies and concert halls that compete with the theatrical magnificence of Broadway across the bay and have over the years held fort. Evita, Cats and Annie are all there for the culturally inclined.

42 Parks, 11 forests, 3 recreation areas and over 50 historic sites and districts are enough to satiate your activity urge and keep you away from home and your nagging wife / husband long enough. New Jersey was a hotbed of revolutionary unrest during the American civil war days and there are many well preserved historical sights of American importance.

Keeping up to its promise of something for everybody, the state packs about 10 amusement parks including Fantasy Island, Clementon, Hurricane Harbor and the land of the make believe. Camden waterfront, sky lands and Cape May all add up to one big family adventure. Roll up your fishing rods; dig out your camping gear and get the RV ready for that long promised trip with the kids.

But any mention of NJ entertainment is incomplete without the mention of Atlantic City, which truly lives up to its slogan of “always turned on”. Atlantic City is much more than just a humongous Casino; it is NJ’s answer to Vegas. With events, nightlife, spas, golf, fishing and water sports vying with slot machines and roulette tables, it is a fantasy land, a “must experience” in any NJ entertainment plan. It’s a place where the high and mighty shake a leg with the wannabes, where dreams are born and hopes shattered at casino tables. Where the gambler and the rationalist in you shamelessly expose the multiple personalities we all have inside us. Bally’s, Trump Plaza and the famously infamous Trump Taj Mahal are all inviting you to roll the dice, coaxing you to stake, ready to seduce you with its glamor.

And towering above all this is the grand lady, the symbol of America to the rest of the world, the famous Statue of Liberty. Entertaining in its own ways with the loads of trivia surrounding it, for example, how many of us Americans are aware that the statue was made in France? And gift from the republic of France to the great new hope called America? Now that is entertaining, isn’t it?

Al is the author and webmaster of a New York Jersey Boys resource website.