These city slogans are a mouthful of something Yes, you can be 'Always Turned On' in 'The City That Never Sleeps'

Hershey is what company towns would look like if companies were run by 6-year-olds. There’s a zoo, waterpark, amusement rides, museums, a grand hotel and a great big candy factory that perfumes the whole town with the heady scent of chocolate. Founder Milton Hershey was determined to build a utopia that nurtured the people he employed. They gave him Kisses (about 1,300 per minute). He gave them schools, affordable housing, theaters, championship golf and everything else. The fatherless candy tycoon died, in effect, penniless in 1945 having directed his entire fortune to fund The Milton Hershey School for underprivileged children. Today, the school’s endowment is $6 billion and will endure for as long as people crave chocolate. “He insisted pennies from every purchase of Hershey products go to fund the school,” says Hershey Entertainment & Resorts spokesperson Mindy Bianca (www.hersheypa.com). And you thought his chocolate was sweet.

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Mary Godleski  /  AP file

Spectators watch Lights of Freedom at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., in 2003.

It could be argued some prostitutes have more demure pick-up lines. But since when did subtlety ever outsell sex? Never. In this case, titillation works for a city that’s always strolled a fine line trying to retain a glorious past while reminding potential tourists about all that’s shiny new and sexy. “People seem to get a chuckle out of it,” says Jeff Vasser of the Atlantic City CVB (www.atlanticcitynj.com), who says the line scores well with bachelor/bachelorette parties, and convivial seekers of nightlife and entertainment. Given that kind of clientele, latching onto something so nakedly risque was no gamble. History shows anything announcing it’s really turned on will always attract more people than it turns off.

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  New York, N.Y.: 'The City That Never Sleeps'
  

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Central Park and midtown Manhattan are shown in this 2007 aerial view in New York.

New York is the only city with a national anthem. The song was written for and first performed by Liza Minnelli in the 1977 Martin Scorsese film “New York, New York,” co-starring Robert DeNiro. But it was Frank Sinatra in 1979 who gave it its signature swagger. Not only does it never sleep, it never acts like it even needs a nap. “That line perfectly conveys all the excitement and electricity that Manhattan represents to the entire world,” says Swartz. “It’s as brash and robust as the city it describes.” It’s home to 24-hour spas, hair salons, movie theaters, bowling alleys and eateries to tempt every taste. And if you need a screw at 4:30 a.m., Manhattan’s the place for you: Nuthouse Hardware, 202 E. 29th Street, is an open ‘round-the-clock hardware store.  www.nycgo.com

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  Las Vegas: 'What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas'
  

Isaac Brekken  /  AP file

In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is pictured under the final stages of construction in Las Vegas. The Cosmopolitan, with nearly 3000 rooms and a 100,000 square foot casino floor, is the newest addition to the Las Vegas Strip, opening Dec. 15. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

This is the slogan that somehow manages to make sin seem sacred. It both leers and turns a blind eye to the itches much of America longs to scratch. It doesn’t got so far as to endorse immorality, but it does say — wink, wink — this is the place to come if you want to get away with it.  “Pure genius,” says Swartz. “That slogan, in effect, rivals church. Any tagline that says it has the power to absolve sin is going to really resonate, as this one certainly has.” A little fling of a thing, the nimble little phrase marries promise with perception while simultaneously annulling any sense that adults must always be responsible. Not always. Not in Vegas.  www.lvcva.com