NEW JERSEY - Last minute travel specials to Atlantic City and Newarkl.

Atlantic City - Atlantic City has become synonymous with its sparkling strand of hotel casinos, 12 in all - Bally's Park Place, Caesars, The Claridge, The Atlantic City Hilton, Harrah's, Resorts, The Sands, Showboat, Tropicana, and three bearing the Trump name, The Plaza, The Marina and The Taj Mahal. Millions of annual visitors flock to the city, on southeast New Jersey's Absecon Island, to woo Lady Luck in the casinos, where cards shuffle and chips snap 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But the casinos have more to offer than the chance to make a quick million, and the city has more to offer than just the casinos.

Situated on a vast stretch of white, sandy beaches, Atlantic City has been a tourist destination since the mid-19th century, when it became a favorite of Philadelphia residents seeking a summer refuge. As beach resorts go, Atlantic City boasts an impressive list of firsts: the world's first boardwalk, first color postcards, first saltwater taffy, and the first Miss American pageant, which continues to be held here every October.

Today more than 34 million people visit annually to experience the casinos' headline entertainment, fine dining and shopping. Drive through southern New Jersey's Pine Barrens to 18th-century Smithville or down the coast to the posh beach towns of Stone Harbor or Sea Isle City. And at the southern tip of the state, about an hour from the bustle of the casinos, visitors can enjoy the charming Victorian mansions that abound in Cape May .

Last minute travel to Newark - The year, 1995, marked Newark's 330th birthday. Only two other major American cities, Boston and New York, claim such a long history. Newark's history is divided into four chapters. The first was its Puritan origins; the second, the rise of its industrial and commercial empire; the third, the present century and its roller-coaster ride into modem history; and the fourth, its recent reawakening now being referred to as Newark's "Renaissance."

Newark is the Gateway to New Jersey - the financial, commercial, transportation, and cultural nucleus of the Garden State, and is the home of Weequahic Golf Course and the Cherry Blossom Festival at Branch Brook Park. Newark offers a rich variety of quality entertainment, dining, culture and sports. With the development of the Train-to-Plane Newark now boasts one of the most streamlined transportation systems in the world.

Newark offers a rich variety of quality entertainment and serves as the state's premiercenter for the performing and visual arts. Newark is more than buildings and business, Newark offers parks, festivals and parades , and the nation's largest cherry blossom display - all of which enhance the enjoyment of busy city life.