Portable Air Conditioner Tough on Businesses
At Caesars, meanwhile — where many restaurants were closed Friday and the casino was operating at 40 percent capacity — spokesman Chris Jonic said that while the property won’t be fully operational by today, “we’re very optimistic that people will feel the effects of the cooling trucks being turned on (Friday). The process has begun, and people should start to notice.” As many as 30 giant “chiller” trucks are being set up alongside Trump Plaza, Caesars, Boardwalk Hall and The Pier Shops at Caesars to provide air conditioning to those properties following a break in an underground Pepco Energy Services water line on Arkansas Avenue. The trucks may have to provide air conditioning for the next four to six weeks, the time Pepco expects it will take to repair its water line. The Dusk nightclub — with its own cooling system — was scheduled to open Friday night, as was the casino restaurant Mia. The area in front of Mia was a bit of an oasis in the hot Caesars lobby — there seemed to be a cool breeze coming from some unexplained place — so many guests and visitors, including Kathryn and Kori Lim of Howell Township, Monmouth County, gathered there Friday afternoon. Kathryn Lim was critical of how Caesars handled its customers, telling of comps promised but never followed up on and fans they found out about only after the family had been there for hours. Tito Rivera, of Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County, showed a free parking pass scrawled in pen on a piece of paper, while Baruch Toledano, of Montreal, said that “customer service in moments like this is extremely important, and on that point, (Caesars) has not been courteous.” Downstairs, a Boardwalk breeze kept a section of the casino floor tolerable early Friday morning, since all the doors were open. But walk deeper into the casino, past the craps table, past the escalator, past the Monopoly slots, and beads of sweat started to appear. A fire-trimmed Hot Shot Frenzy slot machine in the distance only emphasized the warm conditions. When Banana Republic was open later that day, the store resembled a fan garden, with metal blades sprouting up from almost every corner. Keene wasn’t there, however — he was out getting more water for his staff. Several stores were closed, including the Apple Store, Gymboree, Harrah’s Total Rewards, and the store that Barbara Fendel wanted to visit.
