Atlantic City Discovers the Circuit

When Harrah's, one of the major casino-hotels that dominates the skyline of this New Jersey city, hosted its "Out in Atlantic City" weekend in September, it marked a coming out of sorts for the entire city. The casino-hotels recently rediscovered the gay market-and the party boys are beginning to take notice.

Once a gay destination on a par with Fire Island or Provincetown, this venerable resort can boast of the world's largest and oldest boardwalk, the invention of salt-water taffy, the first Miss America pageants, and the street names that dot the Monopoly board. Its Steel Pier was the first big entertainment venue of its kind in this country, with thrills like a horse that dove off a high platform into a pool of water.

But it also has an equally venerable gay backstory. In the days before Stonewall, New York Avenue was dotted with rooming houses and a dozen bars. Some believe that the city fathers drove away the scene after the New Jersey Legislature legalized gambling in the 1980s. Whatever the reason, there is only one bar left standing, the rakish but loved West Side Club, which Village Voice columnist Michael Musto calls a "David Lynchean hangout."

Promoting gay tourism

Whatever the reason, the latter part of 2009 has seen a resurgence of interest from the city and regional customers from New York and Philadelphia, which together make up the majority of Atlantic City's visitor base.

At the forefront of the effort is a newly formed group, the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance. The group's purpose is to promote gay tourism as well as provide a focal point for locals. By one estimate, the Greater Atlantic City region of 300,000 is 10% gay, which means 30,000 queers live in the city or nearby. "It is time for us to wake up and smell the pink champagne," GACGA President Rich Helfant recently said. "We are actively courting a return of the gay clientele."

Once better known for the day trippers who traveled down in discount buses, ate at buffets and played the slots, in recent years, the city has undergone a transformation into a high-end luxury resort. Brand-name chefs like Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay have opened outposts. Entertainers like Donna Summer, Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder and Robin Williams make it a regular stop. Even Madonna played here-the smallest city by far on her last tour. Dance clubs like Dusk,

mur.mur, and Mixx rival clubs in New York or Miami for size, lights and sound. The biggest names in clubland either spin here frequently or have taken up residency-everyone from Victor Calderone and Junior Vasquez to Samantha Ronson, Tiesto and Paul Oakenfold.

Gay Party Weekends

The big hotels are doing their part. The Borgata began the trend with the "True Colors" tour, which had a wild after-party two years ago. Cindy Lauper performed, while the party proved a big hit. In September, "Out in Atlantic City" brought down scensters like New York City promoter Daniel Nardicio and Musto. Both are longtime fans. Nardicio brought down his demented tour bus for an outing. "The Borgata ushered in a whole new era of luxury," says Musto, who is a frequent visitor.

He's referring to the Borgata, the casino-hotel that opened earlier this decade. Harrah's, the Trump Taj Mahal, Caesar's, the Chelsea, the Water Club and the Tropicana are other hot hotels. Harrah's weekend-long party was the first real stab at a Circuit-type event. It featured a full schedule of dancing, a pool party, a meet-and-greet with the cast of The L Word, and a "Recovery Brunch" with a drag bingo game.

Gay rapper Cazwell performed on Friday night at Club Worship at the Showboat, one of the many dance clubs, with the ever-fabulous transgendered icon Amanda Lepore, who performed her latest single and dazzled the mixed crowd. The face of Heatherette, MAC. and Mego Jeans, and personal muse to photographer David LaChapelle, Lepore compares Atlantic City to "a gay Disneyland."

She's not the only one who's taking a closer look. The Borgata is reportedly in talks with a major New York promoter about the possibility of a party. Harrah's definitely plans more weekend outings and is also talking to promoters. A Trump spokesperson tells noiZe that the organization is actively looking at a night at one of its clubs.

It's all part of what Jeffrey Vassar, head of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, calls a "major outreach. We're certainly a gay-friendly destination," he says. "But Harrah's took it one giant leap forward. We just have to keep the momentum going."

Larry Sieg, the ACCVA's senior director, also expects to see a lot more such events in the future. "For Harrah's to give up its ballroom for a Saturday night party speaks volumes," he notes. The height of "Out in A.C." was a huge dance party at Caesar's main ballroom. Hot go-go dancers writhed while Jai Rodriguez sang and (for a while) DJ'ed. Lance Bass was also there to meet and greet. Refreshingly, this was an equal-opportunity flesh fest: At the same time as the "Decadence" party at Caesar's, there was "LaLaLadies Night." The day pool party took place at The Pool, a huge year-round space that dominates the main floor of Harrah's complex.

With a climate control set at a comfy temperature, constant humidity, a sound system, bars serving tropical confections, and lots and lots of water to get lost in, this would seem to be a space tailor-made for Circuit boys. Harrah's also priced its weekend competitively: $160 for access to all events; or $80 for the girl-only or boy-only parties.

What’s In the Cards

The big question is whether the big hotels will give up one of their clubs-where bottle service brings in big crowds and big bucks-for a gay evening. There's also a question of making the city more compelling to gay visitors overall. "We're all looking at ways to attract that market," says a spokesperson for the Trump properties here (there are three-the Marina and Plaza in addition to the Taj). "We all agreed we have great dining, accommodations, shopping and gaming. The one thing we don't have is targeted entertainment. Then, suddenly, Harrah's-a conservative company-put a lot of money into this weekend, which was encouraging. We're all just kind of trying to see where this can take off."

What will help attract the gay crowd are the amenities. Aside from the world-class entertainment and food, there is the shopping: one of the largest outlet malls on the East Coast offers a cornucopia of designers. And the spas here have become world class, on a par or even exceeding Vegas or the Florida resorts. For now, gay visitors are welcome in the clubs, although they shouldn't plan on taking their shirts off. Aside from the West Side Club (a cab ride away from the Boardwalk or the Marina District, where the hotels are), the Ram's Head Inn, a local restaurant, is hosting "Out at the Inn" on Monday nights.

If the city takes off as a gay-friendly destination, it will probably involve more mixed evenings in the clubs than a stricter gayola policy. That's the trend everywhere, it seems. As Sieg (who is gay), says: "It's a chance for the gay and straight markets to come together. Who today thinks we have to have a gay or straight night, anyway?"