The Nation: Do Not Pass Go

In the 37 years since Parker Brothers made Monopoly one of the nation's most popular indoor sports, the once sumptuous streets of Atlantic City, N.J., which gave their names to the Monopoly board, have considerably deteriorated. The famed Boardwalk offers little more than whirling dervish rides, shooting galleries and stomach-eroding refreshment stands. Two of the tackier streets in town are Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues—also the cheapest buys on the Monopoly board. Thus, as part of a $1,000,000 public works improvement program, Atlantic City's public works commissioner, Arthur W. Ponzio, proposed to change...