Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City — © Brian Rose

I drove down to Atlantic City to meet up with Bill Sprouse of the online news outlet Route 40. We walked around key locations and revisited some of the spots I photographed for my book.

Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City — Photo by William Sprouse

On Pacific Avenue behind Boardwalk Hall and next to Delilah’s Den, I walked into my original photograph. Everything felt and looked the same — the overcast sky, the slight chill in the air. But something was amiss. It was Bill who pointed out that the “Free Parking” sign had been vandalized, or removed, in any case.