When 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 two months of passing out doughnuts, 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 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 7 a.m. and our escort Lucky was full of energy. He was a railroad man in his younger days, and 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 bathro

When 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 two months of passing out doughnuts, 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 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 7 a.m. and our escort Lucky was full of energy. He was a railroad man in his younger days, and 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 United States, around 5.5 miles. Boardwalk cabs rides are available to transport you for a few bucks. They hold four to six people and offer your feet a break from walking. The boardwalk 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 normally a fan of a buffet, it was a part of the trip’s package, and I joined in the feast. 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 those 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. We were all worn out from the adventure, and Lucky sang an out-of-tune version of “Happy Trails” as we headed home on bus 96. 

Wanda Haynes is a travel and leisure columnist and a certified sommelier.

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