It's been a long time since I lived near [Atlantic City], but I have vivid
memories before the casinos of the city being a barren, deserted,
crime-infested wasteland where no one ventured. Gambling was
legalized on the promise of urban renewal and economic revival. I
think the promise was never met.
You are correct. I went there are few times for the SJCC in the 1970s
and it was a dump. It's still a dump.
30th Street is a magnificent station, although significant parts of
it have been sealed off since the '70s. There used to be a cool
small train line from Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore: the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line. It also went to Cape May Court
House, Cape May, and Wildwood.
The train still goes from Philadelphia to Atlantic City 12 times a
day, but it's been a long time since it's gone to Cape May.