Wanda Haynes-Certified Sommelier
I finally decided to retire from years of hard work as an educational administrator, becoming a tour bus escort felt like a way to merge those skills with travel.
Well, after six months of passing out day old doughnuts, settling arguments over the free door prize, and searching for lost passengers in public restrooms. My time as a tour bus escort came to a screeching halt!
However, I had fallen in love with the freedom of the open road, and I missed the bus trips. Months later, when I read the bus companies itinerary and saw the trip heading to Atlantic City, I signed up immediately.
We boarded the bus at 7am and our escort Lucky was full of energy. In his younger days he was a railroad man, and he has made a seamless switch to being a singer, doughnut distributor and tour bus escort. Lucky reminded us to tip him at least 20% and for the attractive single gals to give him their phone numbers.
Our driver a loveable grouch named Rasputin sternly warned everyone that in case of an emergency he leaves the bus first, women, and the disabled last. Traffic was miserable, rain came down with a vengeance, and the bathroom breaks were frequent. Especially since Rasputin threatened everyone not to use the restroom on the bus.
Finally, we reached Atlantic City, and the bus went wild with cheering and clapping!
The people in Atlantic City were wearing large pinkie rings and extreme manicures, and I knew in an instant I was in the “Garden State”. We stayed at Bally’s which is a gorgeous property minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, with plenty of restaurants on the main floor. The Atlantic City boardwalk is the longest in the US, around 5.5 miles end to end. Boardwalk cabs rides are available to transport you for a few bucks. They hold 4-6 people and offer your feet a break from walking. The board walk has monuments of the Korean war to view and remind us of the deep sacrifices of our soldiers.
Celebrity chefs have restaurants all over the boardwalk and in the casinos. I ate myself silly in an authentic British restaurant. The prices were sky-high and worth every shilling.
Even though I’m not a fan of a buffet it was a part of the trips package, and I joined in the food feast. However, I made several rounds to the wine tap machines and after my speech started to slur, I called it quits.
Lucky used plastic containers for his multiple trips to the buffet. He loaded the containers with enough food to last the entire trip. I was thoroughly impressed when he somehow managed to stuff an entire rack of spareribs into one of the small containers.
The last day arrived, and it was time to depart the charming hospitality of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
We were all worn out from the wonderful adventure and Lucky sang an out of tune version of “Happy Trails” as we headed home on bus 96.
