The Atlantic City Showdown of August 2021
- The Rising Salamander Showdown Series
- Aug 20, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 4, 2021
Note: All lifts were filmed between 2:00 AM & 5:00 AM!
Background
This trip ended up not only being my most successful showdown in Atlantic City (even beating the February 2018 trip to Atlantic City which was the 2nd best showdown), but it ended up being the most successful overnight lift filming trip that I can remember going on since I started filming lifts in December 2015. I have been on a handful of different types of overnight lift filming trips since, but none were as successful as this Atlantic City showdown.
Preparation
I set strategic expectations based on existing COVID-19 guidelines, keeping up with average security measures employed throughout other similar hotels in Atlantic City, noting traffic flow through a typical casino hotel in Atlantic City at different times during the day & paying attention to how the lifts were laid out throughout the hotel. I drew a visual map of the hotel based on my findings, noting any security checkpoints & watching the most recent footage filmed by other lift filmers who have visited the Hard Rock hotel in 2021. Based upon my findings, here's how I prepared for the trip to go:
Prepare for the best case scenario by identifying all lifts which were part of the plans to film (1+ rides on all North tower lifts, 2+ rides on all South tower lifts, 2+ rides on old parking, 2+ rides on new parking & the hydraulic lift)
Expect the worst case scenario by imagining every possible obstacle playing out (strict security, smart card readers on all lifts & escorts taking over the casino level)
My expectations were radically different from what I prepared to happen. The best case scenario, for the first time ever, happened. I happened to be prepared for the best case scenario for the first time so I left Atlantic City with neutral emotions. My emotions were not positive but they were not negative either. They were fully neutral!
Actual Showdown
For this showdown, we have broken it into 4 parts: Carpark & hydraulic (part 1), North tower (part 2), South tower (part 3) & Homestyle & Funny (part 4). Each of the 4 parts features the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City.
Carpark & Hydraulic
For the carpark & hydraulic portion of the readcast, we will focus on the following lifts as well as noting differences between their design, build & run:
Hydraulic lift, which is a standalone fully original OTIS Series 1 from 1991 which serves only the casino level & boardwalk upper bar deck level “CF”
Old parking, which is a set of 4 modernised Schindler Haughton (now OTIS Series 2 from the 1990’s with sticky buttons & square brailles) which serve floors G & 1-11
New parking, which is a set of 6 modernised OTIS Series LX lifts (now OTIS Series 2 from the 1990’s with regular buttons & oval brailles) which serve floors G & 1-11
Hydraulic Lift
This lift is a 1991 OTIS 211-LVM with colorful Series 1 buttons. They use symbols on the button brailes instead of numbers, e.g. up arrow for the upper level. The buttons are all burnt out. It runs very smoothly but stops hard & has very fast leveling on the upper level. It starts out smoothly however. This lift only serves the casino & upper boardwalk bar deck level. This lift is epic & awesome & rates 4.5 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report due to how it runs. The whole car is original from 1991 including the phone. You must be 21 or older to ride this lift. For this reason, I took a huge risk, but to mitigate the risk, I filmed this lift before dawn & never left the lift on the casino level.
Old Parking
This lift is now a 1990’s OTIS Series 2 with sticky buttons & square brailes. It used to be an original 1981 Schindler Haughton but still has a jolty ride. It vibrates & clunks a ton. The call buttons on all the floors were replaced with Innovation Bruiser blue edition in 2020, as have the car interiors been madeover during the Hard Rock acquisition of Taj Mahal. There is a view of both towers available from the 10th floor window. These lifts serve floors G & all floors from 1-11 including 3 which is the hotel entrance. You must take the escalator down from floor 3 to floor 2 to get to the food court annex & new parking. There is ample parking throughout the carpark spread across 11 levels. These lifts travel a top speed of 300’ per minute, have decent leveling & epic pre-arrival chimes which can be heard from inside the cars. The buttons feel nice to press. These lifts use the circle floor indicators from the 1990’s. These lifts are great & they rate 4.2 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report.
New Parking
These lifts were originally OTIS Series LX from 1981, but they have since been modernised during the 2000’s by OTIS with Series 2 fixtures. All the call buttons on all the floors were replaced, but on floor 2, which is the hotel entrance, the call buttons were replaced with Newer Series 4 blue call buttons. These have a slightly jolty run character. They do not vibrate as much as old parking & neither do they clunk. The cars have been replaced at the same time as old parking & some of the pushbuttons’ LEDs have been replaced with new LEDs. These have the same cabs as old parking, but the floor indicators are square & red. Unlike old parking, the lift lobbies on the upper levels do not have a view of the room towers & are fully enclosed. Like old parking, these lifts serve the ground floor & all floors from 1-11 including 2 which is the hotel entrance. Like old parking, there is ample parking throughout this part of the carpark spread across the 11 levels. These lifts also travel the same speed as old parking, which is 300’ per minute. These have decent leveling, but unlike old parking, these have no pre-arrival chimes. These are great lifts which rank 3.7 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report.
North Tower
For the north tower portion of the readcast, we will focus on the following lifts as well as noting similarities between their build & run:
3-21 cars
22-39 cars
General
Each of the 8 lifts have OTIS Series 4 fixtures with only TV screen indicators. On each of the landings, they use circular lanterns, as do various other hotels across Atlantic City. Some call stations were replaced with blue Series M2 call stations to replace worn-out Series 4 call stations. The cars are very stylish but give off dark vibes. Each of the lifts were installed in 2008 when the tower was built, but over the years, parts of the lifts have been restored or repaired. Some other parts of the lifts are missing, such as pushbuttons.
3-21 Cars
These lifts have smooth but forceful acceleration. One of the cars shakes from side to side sometimes. These have a top speed of 700’ per minute & run very smoothly. They have red illuminating buttons which are the original fixtures. The displays were replaced with Hard Rock displays in 2018. They are basic standard lifts overall & rate 3.2 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report.
22-39 Cars
These lifts, like the 3-21 cars, also have smooth but forceful acceleration. Pretty much the only difference between these & the 3-21 cars are as follows:
Serve the lobby (2) & travel nonstop to floors 22-39
Have darker cabs
Travel 850’ per minute as opposed to 700
They are basic standard lifts overall & rate 3.3 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report.
South Tower
For the south tower portion of the readcast, we will mainly be focusing on the structure of this specific lift system & specific elements of this system which make these some of the most epic & awesome lifts I have personally discovered in Atlantic City thus far. For this part of the readcast, we will split it into 2 parts:
4-40 cars
19-41 cars
General
These 12 lifts are all originally 1991 OTIS Elevonic 401 lifts refurbished by Schindler in 2017 with EPCO Survivor+ as a slap-on mod for inside the cars. The cars have all been replaced with the Hard Rock modern design, but the machinery (motor & controller) are entirely original. The system is set up so that the northern part of the set serves all floors except 41, while the southern part of the set serves only 19-41 above 3. From floors 20 & upward, the call station only summons the southern part of the lifts, making the system only half efficient. Each of these lifts have the four fire mark rating of 4.9 on the General Chicago Lift Character Report. Each of the 12 lifts have their own quirks including burnt-out lights, psychotic floor indicators which sometimes don’t match the floor you’re on when the doors open & glitch a ton. Some cars are bumpy, while others are smooth. Some cars rattle, while others don’t. Some cars screech, while others don’t. These are more than epic & awesome & they’re the 2nd best high rise lifts I’ve been on to date much less filmed. They are extremely temperamental, glitchy & they have crazy fast accelerated indicators, are rickety & all hell they drop like stones going down the tower.
4-40 Cars
These lifts serve all floors except for floor 41 & travel at a speed of 800’ per minute at the top. They are very fast for 40 floors.
19-41 Cars
These lifts serve floors 1-3, go nonstop to floor 19 & then serve all floors from 19 onward. These are very fast for 41 floors, maybe too fast. Only the high rise are summoned from the call buttons on the southern end from floor 20 upward. The other cars do not serve floor 41. Only the 19-41 cars.
Hilarious Moments & Homestyle Lift
For this part of the readcast, we will focus on the homestyle lift. The funny moment is pretty self-explanatory.
Homestyle Lift
The homestyle lift was my first homestyle lift ever. It has a glass side, a rear door & travels the distance equivalent only half a floor because the casino is half a floor below the lower boardwalk deck level. This lift was added in for wheelchair compliance. My guess is the hotel did not want a very expensive lift so they cheaped out with a homestyle lift. This lift has a capacity of 1,400 pounds & feels more British than it does NA. It travels 30’ per minute making this the slowest lift I’ve ever been on. It is a submersible hydraulic & has a jolty but smooth ride. The indicator changes between floors. It has very loud chimes & dual-speed doors that open to the side. This is a great lift & rates 4.3 stars on the General Chicago Lift Character Report.
If you are intrigued, you can tune into the Atlantic City showdown premiering on/off from 3:30 PM to 11:30 PM on August 21! Be sure to RSVP to the event below. RSVPing to the event will bring you directly to the 3:30 PM premiere, where you can click on the link to the 6:30 PM premiere at the end of the 3:30 PM premiere & set a reminder on your phone & so-forth. I welcome all feedback on every premiere, positive or negative. Positive feedback helps me know what I should continue doing on all my future premieres. Negative feedback helps me know what to implement in future premieres & what to stop doing in future premieres. NO FEEDBACK IS EVER BAD FEEDBACK!
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