HARRAH'S CASINO ATLANTIC CITY

For many years we felt that Harrah's was the most under-appreciated casino in Atlantic City. It has a nice gaming floor and does everything well; the table games run efficiently and it doesn't have the aged grime that afflicts the older boardwalk casinos. It just never caught on as a high rolling casino for players or a hot nightlife spot with young people. That period of being overlooked is now over. Harrah's has done wonders over the last couple of years to put itself front and center in the minds of both the Atlantic City visitor and the locals who want to party. The major difference is the impressive $550 million expansion which broke ground in April 2006. Christopher Jonic, spokesman for Harrah's explained, "A need existed to really expand our non-gaming amenities in the interest of becoming more of a complete destination." Well Chris, you guys have done it. Harrah's alone is worth the trip to Atlantic City. Phase one of Harrah's three-part expansion added the Waterfront Shops including stores like Park Place Jewelers, Studio Shoes and Sony Innovations along with an absolutely unbelievable buffet. It took the place of the Fantasea Reef Buffet, the beloved underwater-themed eatery - but patrons now can enjoy made-to-order pasta, hand-carved rotisserie meats, a Sushi Bar and Dim Sum at the Waterfront Buffet. The next phase brought The Pool at Harrah's; a fantastic 23,000 square foot pool area that has cabanas, bars, palm trees and year-round temperatures in the upper 70's all enclosed under an enormous glass dome. It's simply unbelievable. The Pool has already hosted numerous parties that would put the Playboy mansion's famed Grotto to shame. Well...maybe not, but they've been awfully close. The addition of the pool area also included the opening of an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. The next phase built a massive 44-floor tower that has 961 guestrooms. 104 of these rooms are stunning suites and eight more are luxurious super suites. It also added some casual eateries and a couple more shops. All this is in addition to some of the existing highlights including the fun Eden Lounge and Polistina's Italian restaurant. Harrah's is no longer overshadowed by its neighbor, the Borgata, but now stands as a destination unto itself.