And we truly believe that Atlantic City's best days are in front of it.īRADY: Hard Rock says 50,000 people applied for nearly 4,000 open positions. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Let me hear you make some noise.īRADY: It also featured acrobats, fire performers and the chairman of Hard Rock International promising a bright future. The Trump Taj Mahal went out of business two years ago, but today it reopened with a bang - literally.īRADY: A few people seemed scared at first, but as the fireworks and smoke machine started, it was clear this was part of the dramatic grand opening show. JEFF BRADY, BYLINE: Atlantic City is trying to remake itself from simply a gambling destination to a place where you can go and see a show, visit a spa, hang out at the beach and get a nice meal. NPR's Jeff Brady reports many in Atlantic City hope this is the start of a turnaround. Two of the big casinos have reopened under new owners. They've left thousands of people out of work.

In Atlantic City, casino after casino have shut down in recent years.