Goodbye, Steel Pier

';Trump to redevelop another remnant of ‘America%26#39;s Favorite Playground%26#39;.';

See story in the Press of Atlantic City at:

pressofatlanticcity.com/news/…

Goodbye, Steel Pier

It%26#39;s a shame that with real estate prices so high this can%26#39;t be developed into somethin like it was in it%26#39;s Glory Days . You used to be able to see a top name band , another band for dancing , a top name act with several supporting acts , An amateur show , an afternoon DJ dance party , an %26#39;A%26#39; Movie %26amp; a %26#39;B%26#39; Movie , a water Circus with the Diving Horse , and it had a bunch of little shops and snack bars , ALL for an admission price that would equal about $25 today ! I would gladly pay $100 or more for that now . I saw the Beatles , Herman%26#39;s Hermits , The Everly Bros. , Jerry Lewis , Les Paul %26amp; Mary Ford , Dean Martin , and many others !

Goodbye, Steel Pier

';Fifty years have passed since a 10-year-old boy named John Baker visited Atlantic City on a summer day to enjoy the amusements on the Steel Pier.';

';......Baker, now 60, who returned to the Steel Pier this past week for the first time since his boyhood visit in 1956.';

';“If this city becomes nothing but a gambling town, there will be no reason to bring the children here,” Baker complained. “If they%26#39;re going to redevelop Steel Pier, it will be a big mistake. Where will the children go?”';

Things like this irritate me. Mr. Baker%26#39;s last visit was 50 years ago! Now he knows what will be a big mistake for Donald Trump?

Tho The Donald doesn%26#39;t come off like a brain surgeon in the article either!! LOL

';Trump said. “The pier is unique. It juts out more than 900 feet into the ocean.”';

I actually think their ';less likely'; plan of putting some casino space on the pier could be pretty cool!

You know, the picture of that horse diving off the pier into the ocean below will always be imprinted in my mind. We started going to Ocean City in 1955 when I was 5 years old and I think it was then or in the next couple of years when we traveled up the coast the 12 miles to AC and visited the Steel Pier. The diving horse and getting my feet massaged by a new massage machine are my only clear memories of that day (well, I also remember throwing up the hot dog and assorted other food items after the massage but we need not go there), but looking at he picture that accompanied the article I realized that what is called the Steel Pier today is nothing like the Steel Pier I visited as a child!

The reality is that if we were talking about the ';Steel Pier'; that I remember from my childhood being replaced by a shopping maul, it might be a bigger issue. But from what I see, beyond the name, there is little to tie this ';steel pier'; to the legendary pier of that name. Frankly, what would Atlantic City look like today if every ';historic'; structure that had fallen into wreck and ruin was deemed untouchable? I have a feeling it would look like the Atlantic City of the late 70s. I doubt Mr. Baker would find a reason to even consider bringing the children to that AC!! The reason the casinos came to town was because no one else did anymore!

Remembering what AC was like in the 50s is a nice trip down memory lane, but making decisions based on those memories rather than the reality of what we%26#39;re dealing with in 2006 is a huge mistake. Yes, it%26#39;s a shame the Steel Pier of Mr. Baker and my childhood is gone...but it looks to me like it%26#39;s been gone for a long time and ';saving'; what%26#39;s now called the ';Steel Pier'; will not bring it back!

Frank3, nice post.

Let%26#39;s not forget that the Pier at Caesars didn%26#39;t merely replace the godawful Ocean One mall, but that Ocean One began life as an amusement pier (the Million Dollar Pier) in 1906.

A.C. is not quite at the stage where they need to create real estate because there%26#39;s no available land (such as Manhattan, where you simply build vertically). But when it does reach that stage, the obvious opportunity for expansion is out into the ocean--redevelopment of old piers, and even building new ones.

A.C. in its heyday supported SIX amusement/entertainment piers, well-spaced from each other so that you still had nice expanses of uninterrupted beach. I%26#39;m as sentimental as the next guy, but 21st century pier development designed to appeal to the target A.C. market is, in fact, representative of the spirit of the A.C. of old.

I am very sad it is going away, especially as it is one of the few %26#39;kid-centric%26#39; attractions in AC. Since the boardwalk arcade closed [near Tennesee], only the Central Pier arcade remains.

My suggestion for a memory of the Steel Pier is to take the bungee ride. This is quick and fun! I can attest to it NOT causing a stomach upset [I had been drinking for several hours before riding it]. If they are not busy, the operators will offer you a 2nd ride at half price of the 1st, AND a 3rd ride at half price of the 2nd [I suggest taking them up on this offer]. The operators will film you on the ride and transfer it to a VCD [Video CD - will run video in a computer] or VHS for an extra charge so you can view it in the future. I am a cheapskate and did not bother to buy the video, but still think the ride was worth it!

If you go, try to go during the day as there is more to see from the ride %26amp; they tend to be less busy and more likely to offer the extra discounted rides.

Gosh, I AM GOING TO MISS THE STEEL PIER!

rship1~~I hope I can get on that bungee ride before it closes. Thanks for mentioning it. Yes, many things in our brave new world seem %26#39;Logan%26#39;s Run - esque.%26#39;

allure:

Wow, the Beatles played there? When?

I remember seeing the horse dive %26amp; Buddy Rich playing the drums.

Sorry to see the end of an era but its a different world now.

Look at the picture in the paper...it%26#39;s not the end of an era! The point I was making in my post above is that the era ended long ago...just the name remained!

skin