Resort

FOR A TOWN whose economy is built on luck, Atlantic City has seen plenty of the bad sort the past half-decade or so. First came casinos in eastern Pennsylvania, which brought full-scale gambling to millions who previously had to go to AyCee for their wagering action. Then the economy went south, wiping out discretionary income and capital to invest in new casino-hotels. Last fall, national news media erroneously spread the word that Superstorm Sandy had destroyed the world-famous boardwalk when, in fact, only a part of the Great Wooden Way - in the Inlet area away from the casino strip - was obliterated.

BEDFORD, Pa. - You expect, when you're getting services in a classic spa, to be able to step into a steam room, a pool, a hot tub, maybe a pair of spa slippers. In Bedford Springs, you also step into history. Not that you go to a spa for a historic encounter - you go for a rub, not to rub elbows with spa guests of the past. But Bedford Springs, about a 3 1/2-hour drive west from Philadelphia, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is as much about the past as it is about its restoration to a new, serene present.

Being able to watch a recently released movie in a hotel room, uncut and uncensored, is one of the more popular ideas on which the lodging and entertainment industries have ever collaborated. At hotels where that is an option, half to three-quarters of the guests pay upwards of $7, more than they would ordinarily at a movie theater, for the privilege. But what if you don't want to see any of the six to 10 first-run movies available on the hotel TV? A leading provider of in-room movies is installing equipment in hotels in the United States and abroad that would greatly increase your choices, giving you a video library of up to 70 movies from which to choose.

Philadelphia didn't need Bicycling magazine to confirm that it is one of America's best biking cities (No. 17 on its 2012 list). You can see it every day on the streets: The steady stream of commuters sluicing down Center City's bike lanes. The tangle of bikes hitched to U-shaped racks and bike corrals. (More, please.) The proliferation of neighborhood bike shops. Philadelphia probably could have ranked higher in the magazine's esteem if it had a bike-sharing program, like most of the list's top 20 cities.

Steve Leber went to the Soviet Union in 1987 in search of rock and roll. He returned with clowns and acrobats. "I never thought any of their rock groups were exciting," said Leber, an entertainment entrepreneur always on the lookout for a new concept to sell. "So I saw what else the Soviets had to offer, and I flipped over the (Moscow) Circus. " Under Leber's direction, the circus is currently on its third U.S. tour in as many years, and today begins its last week of a one-month run at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort.

Perhaps the most difficult part of Marcia Lavin's life as a fugitive was leaving her mom. They had been especially close. Marcia's father was dead. Her mother, Agnes Osborn, a nurse, and her sister were her only immediate family. Marcia's husband, Lawrence W. Lavin, had been indicted in September 1984, charged with masterminding a cocaine syndicate that FBI agents described as the largest in Philadelphia history. To avoid standing trial, Lavin fled with Marcia and their 2-year-old son, Christopher, in late October of that year.

When you meet 86-year-old Joseph Procacci - nicknamed the Tomato King of South Philadelphia, since he claims to supply one of every five of the nation's tomatoes - he grabs your hand and tells you how happy he is to see you. He walks at a slow pace. His voice is so soft you can barely hear him, and a smile, like that from an approving grandfather, never leaves his face. Such traits made last week's presentation by PHL Local Gaming L.L.C., Procacci's group seeking a Philadelphia casino license, that much more intriguing.

A seriously deteriorated ceiling is a high-altitude decor problem. Cracked plaster, sagging drywall, and water stains that cannot be camouflaged with a coat of paint call for radical remedies. Fortunately, there are several affordable and easy-to-execute options, including some that you may have dismissed in the past as too low-end. For example, despite the fact that acoustical ceiling tile is one of the most effective and affordable fixes for defective ceilings, it often has been regarded as the remedy of last resort.

Cindy Ortega needed a break. "I'm with children all day long," says Ortega, who owns Kids Learning Adventure, a Miami preschool. So she and her husband, Roberto, booked a four-night stay at a luxury, adults-only, all-inclusive resort in Mexico over Valentine's Day weekend. "It was amazing," she says. "I've been to all-inclusives before, but this was completely different. From the minute we entered, there were people tending to us. " The Ortegas stayed at Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, an upscale resort that offers more perks than conventional all-inclusives, which are known more for value than for individualized services.