Once we were at Atlantic City and I was in the car for no reason. So I started deep thinking. That hour, I fell asleep. Hours later, Mom was shaking me. That minute, I awoke. I was SOOOOOOOOO confused. But it felt exciting, and crazy. But I like crazy things so I unbuckled and went out of the car.

There was a gift shop. We got tickets from the gift shop for the crazy thing. The person who gave us the tickets said it would take 5 minutes. It felt to me it was 10 minutes waiting.

Then a tour guide (a tour guide is someone who takes you around places like hotels) went outside with us. Then we got to go in. Just when we got in, I wanted to go out. We got to watch a movie in there.

After that, I wanted to be a tour guide and we got water ice. It was just great.

This is Robin typing now:

On our recent trip to Atlantic City (more posts to follow), I asked Cass if she’d like to see a six-story elephant… never really thinking about how odd that request must have seemed to her. The fact the she fell asleep on the car ride must have made it all the more surreal.

Lucy the Elephant is a 65 foot tall pachyderm that resides in Margate NJ, about ten driving minutes from Atlantic City (not hours). She was built in 1881 and has served as a restaurant, office, and tavern; she was briefly lived in as a summer rental. After falling into disrepair, a “Save Lucy” campaign was launched in the 70s and Lucy was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. As a result, she was moved just a few blocks down the street (fascinating to think about, since she weighs 90 tons and is made of nearly a million pieces of wood) and refurbished.

There is a small fee to see Lucy, and the guide takes up a group at a time. Thus, the short wait that apparently sticks out in Cassidy’s memory.

You have to climb up some very narrow stairs in Lucy’s enormous legs, and hang out in her belly, where you watch a video about Lucy’s history. There are also a bunch of photographs of Lucy at various times of her life, including the move. History buffs will really enjoy all the artifacts.

You are then invited to see the world— well, beach, really— through Lucy’s eyes.

Then up to the very top you go, which is pretty exciting when you’re vaguely afraid of heights like I am.

The steps back down were a harrowing experience, as Cass was wearing Crocs and a strangely asymmetrically-hemmed dress.

Afterwards, if you have been very good indeed, you can get some good eats and water ice at the Lucy Grille. It was decently priced, for beachfront food.

Lucy was clearly the highlight of our Atlantic City trip for Cassidy 🙂 If you’re in the area I highly recommend, but be aware the hours are limited so you may want to call ahead, 609-823-6473. Bring your camera!