By Seth Briliant
My parents owned the Barclay Motel in Atlantic City, which was known in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s as “The World’s Playground.”
I worked at the motel during my teenage years, first as a bellhop, then as a lifeguard, snack bar cook, and finally as a front desk clerk. But my lunch hours and days off were spent on the Boardwalk, which was a wonderful place.
My favorite spot was the Steel Pier, which I could go to for free (using one of the passes that we were supposed to give to our motel guests).
My first stop was always the Music Hall, which offered several vaudeville acts plus a headliner such as Al Martino, the Three Stooges, or Pat Boone.
My next stop was the Water Circus at the end of the Steel Pier, more than a half-mile at sea. I loved to watch the amazing circus acts – trained seals and poodles, acrobats and tightrope walkers – and the High-Diving Horse, which dove 40 feet headfirst into a huge tank of water with a courageous woman riding on its back.
The Marine Ballroom offered live music with famous bands, and you could go right up to the bandstand, stand there, and listen.
I also liked to watch the Diving Bell take a group of 10 people down to “Davy Jones’ Locker” (actually only about 20 feet below the ocean surface), and then rocket up and splash to the surface. Usually the water was so dark and muddy that you couldn’t really see anything, but it was quite exciting and very fascinating to a 12 year old.
There were also two movie theaters, the “Tony Grant’s Stars of Tomorrow” kiddie revue, several funhouses to walk through, two scary dark rides, and many intriguing booths to visit.
For 10 cents, I got my fortune told by a parakeet that walked to a large basket of rolled paper fortunes, picked one up, and dropped it into my hand!
There was also the glassblower, who created beautiful swans and other figurines from glass tubing as you watched. And for $1, I bought a Svengali Deck – a pack of special playing cards that enabled you to perform amazing magic tricks. You could also visit the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum to see many unusual things, and walk through the General Motors exhibit, where you could sit in the latest model cars.
Not quite as long or as exciting as the Steel Pier, Steeplechase Pier still had great things to do. I grew up riding the smaller kiddie rides at the front of the pier – the Rocket Jets, the Donkey Carts, and the Boat Ride.
As a teenager, I could enjoy bigger rides like the Ferris Wheel, the Bumper Cars, and the Whip. Steeplechase also had a very scary vintage dark ride which I rode numerous times, but never opened my eyes once.
Central Pier didn’t have any rides, but it had a great collection of vintage pinball machines and games. Each game only cost a nickel or a dime, so I could always spend a few dollars and a leisurely hour or more there.
Convention Hall offered the Ice Capades every summer. This was a wonderful musical show of talented ice skaters, dancers, and comedians. We always looked forward to seeing the big searchlights in the night sky, which meant the Ice Capades was here!
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum was an amazing place, with lifelike figures of President Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Clark Gable, and many more, plus a spooky Chamber of Horrors.
Our motel was located on North Carolina Avenue, so Million Dollar Pier at Arkansas Avenue was a longer walk for me, but it was well worth it.
There was a great two-story dark ride there called the Oriental Express. Since it wasn’t too scary, I kept my eyes open almost the whole time. There was also a beautiful carousel, a Circular Swing, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and a Swirling Tea Cups ride that was lots of fun.
I also enjoyed all the culinary delights of the Boardwalk: Belgian Waffles piled high with strawberries and whipped cream; hot dogs covered with chopped onions, relish, and spicy brown mustard; pink lemonade; Taylor Pork Roll sandwiches washed down with ice-cold birch beer soda; James’ Salt Water Taffy; freshly fried donuts at Mammy’s Restaurant on Steeplechase Pier; warm roasted peanuts from Planters Peanuts; Steel’s Fudge; and chocolate-covered molasses pops at Fralinger’s candy store.
The Boardwalk I grew up with and loved is gone now, replaced by casinos and stores selling T-shirts and cheap trinkets. Compared to today’s faster-paced electronic thrills, many of these attractions may seem too sedate, simple, slow, old-fashioned, and perhaps even boring. But to me, they were a constant source of fun and wonder. The Atlantic City Boardwalk was a great place for a kid to be.
Seth Briliant is a retired attorney who enjoys reading nonfiction books about business, politics, and entertainment; biographies of famous and infamous people, scientific discoveries, and stories about popular culture. He lives in Egg Harbor Township.
