This is the 42nd tour of our series, THE REAL TOURS, in which we provide an in the moment glimpse into a place with off-the-cuff commentary completely intact! No research, no script, just RRR letting you in on their insights and observations walking the malls.

Everyone knows the Playground Pier mall by now. A shining example of a doubly failed and über dead mall, it is a stop along any dead mall enthusiast's itinerary for sure. With a prime location attached to the Caesar's casino in Atlantic City, NJ, it really should have been more successful. Known early on as The Pier Shops at Caesar's, it was a high end fashion mall catering to the aspirational upper middle class. Being in Atlantic City during the rise of legalized gambling in nearly every state in the country, this didn't fare well, as you didn't need to come to AC to gamble as a rich famous person anymore. So the mall suffered alongside the casinos. Fast forward to today and we have a husk of a building with maybe 5 tenants left total. The amazing synchronized fountain is long gone, first filled in, then the entire wing blocked off. The observation deck at the end of the pier has been closed for a long time and now the wing is blocked off. Seeing the decline of the city in general it makes sense to me.

This tour was recorded on September 2, 2023 at around 5pm.