Recently, I returned from a vacation in Atlantic City, New Jersey. What made this vacation different was that I went with my son Jimmy, who happens to have a disability known as autism. Each year, Jimmy decides where he would like to visit for his summer vacation. In the past he has chosen Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, and Las Vegas. Needless to say, Jimmy likes his routines. Well this year he deviated from his routine and decided to visit Atlantic City, the Vegas of the East Coast. And he chose to go with Dad (mom and his sisters have gone in the past).
With the help of my wife and I, Jimmy started planning this vacation months ago. This makes it easier on all of us once we get to our destination. Indecision is not a good thing. We ended up staying at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. I forgot to mention that Jimmy likes traveling first class, and receiving first-class treatment. Hey, who doesn’t? But in this case, he gets to decide since he pays for this trip with the money he makes during the year at Walmart. He pushes shopping carts, and recently was recognized for ten years of loyalty, dedication, and hard work.
At the Trump Taj Mahal, we had one large room with a divider, a necessity that gave Jimbo the space he needed to unwind, and me a chance to relax a bit and re-energize. Before we left, Jimmy told me he wanted to thank “Donald” for our hotel stay; that is Donald Trump. Not surprisingly, customer service is extremely important and varies tremendously when I’m with Jimbo. The scorecard for this trip: Trump Taj Mahal Check-in (C), Trump Taj Mahal specialty shop (C-), Hard Rock Café (A+), Phillips Seafood (A-), and interestingly, a McDonalds on the way home (A+). I will explain these ratings a bit in a future blog.
Atlantic City with Jimbo was great fun! We went on rides at a nearby amusement park, ate like “kings,” took a boat ride, saw a show entitled “Beatlemania” that was full of music we both knew, spent time on the beach and went swimming, and did lots and lots of walking. While walking on the boardwalk the first night, Jimmy kept seeing things he wanted to do. After saying, “I want to do that,” perhaps twenty times, I told Jimbo that we can’t do everything since we are only going to be here a few days. To that he responded, “If I cannot do everything, let me be brave in the attempt” I laughed uncontrollably, since these words are straight from the Special Olympics motto.
Well, we attempted to do as much as possible, and when we got home, both of us collapsed from some serious fatigue. It was a special time with a special man, my son. It is a trip that I will never forget. I am truly blessed.