Visitreno

[stan_allen]

"Bless the fates, and curse them at the same time, for it is they who shall raise you from dust, feed and clothe you, wrap you in fine garments, and ply you with wine, only to return you to that dust from whence you began" -No one.

And so it was that fortune smiled upon me once again, in the form of a quick trip to our offices in the region, allowing me to indulge a two-night stay in our favorite city. (This was last week; sorry for the delay!)

Secured a rental car and two nights at the El Dorado. Ended up with a Chevy Malibu, which wouldn't be my car of choice. When am I going to start remembering which models to avoid?? The malibu has a lot of chrome finish along the interior dash, which may give one a pseudo-swanky feeling when it's cloudy out, but in California, the sun is usually shining, and it reflects off the chrome in an irritating way. The action itself is sluggish, and the car almost seems to resent it when you bear down on the gas pedal.

On the plus side, the Hertz fleet appears to now have satellite radio as a standard feature, which gives the driver lots of choices - I mean, lots and lots! I programmed in the heavy metal channel, the new wave channel, the "Classic Vinyl" channel, another "Classic Rock" channel of some kind, and a Jazz station. After a long period of switching around these channels, but favoring the metal, I eventually put in a CD of Bach Cantatas for the latter portion of the drive. Can't say I ain't eclectic.

And conditions were gorgeous - dead center of the summer, a tad on the warm side, but just perfect for climbing up into the mountains. As I proceeded past Sacramento, the familiar names popped up - Newcastle, Penryn Road, Drum Forebay, and the other delightful monikers.

The portion of I-80 approaching the initial chain-installation point is, of course, all torn up now; the seemingly endless construction to repave this section a few years back now seems as though it never happened - but as I observed the most recent time I came through during the harsh weather, it's not hard to see why, as those trucks with their chains are merrily shredding the road below.

And emerging at that section before Colfax is as majestic as ever - it's the one time of the year where there's absolutely no snow, not even at the peaks - and summer is fully ripened. Vegetation has taken hold, and it's a wonderland of rugged beauty.

But of course, the real focus is on the destination, as enjoyable as the sideline scenery is, and I made the final approach into Reno just before 4 p.m. Saw only one speedtrap.

One billboard along the way was rather amusing: it was a pitch for the Atlantis, and it bore a quote which was apparently a finding from some gambling publication of some sort: "Winner, 2012: Casino where you feel the luckiest!" - stop and think about that; could there be any less meaningful attribute for a casino? "Feel" luckiest? What in the world does that have to do with one's actual gambling experience? It's as though they said, "Restaurant where you feel as though there's really good food, even if there turns out not to be any."

I had to admit on this trip that for a change, things didn't seem as dead as they've been in recent years; there were people walking around in the downtown, the tables were busy, and the parking garage was jammed. It didn't help that staff was performing some sort of cleaning operation, which wound up roping off the best parts of the best levels, but there still seemed to be a significant amount of activity.

Asked for a room high up, and facing Virginia - was given a room on the 25th floor, but facing the opposite way. Was I unclear on my request? It's a really simple one - come on, people! Well, if there's one thing I hate more than getting the wrong room, it's having to call down, and wait for some staff to respond, or marching down there, bags and all, and having to queue up again, and, ...yecch. Anyway, the views on both sides are pretty good, and since I'm not really there to stare out the window much, I settled in. And proceeded to conk out for an hour or so; no more a spring chicken, am I.

I generally dislike naps, as they leave me feeling groggy for the next long chunk of time - who can think of hoisting brews when one is still in "awakening" mode?? So I sauntered down to the "Tivoli" cafe, which is just the resident coffee shop, but it's convenient and generally reliable, which I like. Ordered steak and eggs - yes, that was the ambitious choice, for a change - didn't even have beer with dinner, just a soda.

In fact, the grogginess prevented me from even making the rounds; I contented myself with playing a little video poker, and some "Lucky Larry" slots, neither of which produced much winnings, but I was a little ahead on video poker, but ended up losing at "Lucky Larry 2", which was probably not a great choice, as it seems to want 60 cents a pull at minimum, and Stan's little bankrolls don't go far in that kind of environment.

So no real joy there, and I promised myself I'd get down to the Cal-Neva the next night. Repaired to the room to enjoy the wonders of expanded basic cable (I've gone digital antenna at home; it's wonderful that free t.v. still exists, though the choices are admittedly fewer.)

Next day saw me visiting Truckee and Tahoe City - good lord, what a summer wonderland. Throngs of people with their rafts, tubes, floats, bikes, hikes, and every other conceivable outdoor leisure activity. How I envied them!

Well, the task at hand was to sing for my supper, so I did what I could - at least we have a gorgeous location at that Tahoe City office - directly overlooks the lake, it does!

Managed to bail out of there in time to get back to Reno about six. Decided to go get my gaming action ahead of dinner. Walked out the door of the Eldo, and down Virginia, which was still reasonably populated; not so much the ghost town of winter visits, thankfully, though it's still difficult not to mull over the contrast with the glory days of the mid-'90's. For example, the Sundowner stands as dormant as ever; doesn't look as though those condos are ever coming in....and it's so creepy how the place where the doors used to be is just basically paved over...

Oh, well, thank goodness for the Cal-Neva! And here was something really interesting: when I walked in, I didn't detect that usual waft of hyperactive air freshener at all! It's as though they'd gone over to a scent-free version of air freshener, and the air inside just smelled like...well, air - no particular pungence of any kind - odd, almost, but not disagreeably so.

Sauntered up to a table in Building #2, with single-deck, decent rules, and three-dollar minimum bets. I say "Decent" because splitting is limited, rather than un-, but that ain't worth getting huffy about.

My thirty-dollar bankroll meant a bank of ten hands. Initially, I was up a few hands, but it just drained ever downwards....most of my doubles died; in fact, my last hand was an eleven, which I doubled - got a five, or something equally annoying, and the dealer didn't bust. That was my cue to exit...

So, not much joy to report from there, although at least I got some action. Also while I was there, I indulged a whim, and ordered a 7&7 - boy, did that take me back! Have to admit, their server came around a lot, and not just after I tipped $2, JD-style. Gotta love that Cal-Neva!

Another mildly interesting development was people who came up to play while I was there, didn't do well, then bailed - only to reappear at some other table elsewhere in the room. I'm not one for switching around; I really don't feel that there's "cold" dealers, or whatever the superstition du jour is - and I don't care for a lot of yakkety-yak, and commenting on hands, and all that - maybe I'd feel differently if my bankroll allowed for a couple of hours' play, instead of a few minutes, and with seven 7&7s, rather than one - but I prefer to sit tight at the table I'm at. A shuffled deck is a shuffled deck, no? But people seem to be constantly repositioning themselves....

I will indulge one superstition, just in case you think I'm made of stone: when the dealer has an ace or a ten, he/she always checks the hole card with that weird electronic sensor; as described in Darwin Ortiz's classic "Casino Gambling" book, the purpose isn't nefarious; it's simply to save time - why run through everyone's hits, doubles, and such, if the dealer's got a natural?

Well, my superstition is not to even bother looking at my own cards until the dealer's finished the hole-check. Why? Only because there are a few occasions where the dealer ends up having a natural, but then when my cards are revealed, it turns out I have one too, resulting in a pleasant surprise. Why even gawk at my own hand unless it's going to be even with that of the dealer, at least in this situation?

Eh - it's a superstition, nothing more. But that's mine, and everyone else seems to have theirs.

But it was a little sad to have to walk away after all that build up - it's been a long time! And winning is so much more fun than losing, but when you have a decent chance of winning, that means you have an even more decent chance of losing, so it's par for the course - this is why I don't gamble any more than I can afford to lose, as it's entertainment - that's a fundamental point, but you've got to review the basics every now and then...

Anyway, it was good to check in at the ol' Cal-Neva, with its breath of fresh air - anyone who else who goes there soon, make a note of that, and see if you have the same observation - maybe I just dreamt it, but it really seemed different from before....

Sauntered back to the Eldorado, stopped at the Tivoli again, had a club sandwich and a Corona, and then made a night of it with some more cable t.v. - that pawn shop reality show that's set in Detroit is quite entertaining!

hassle-free checkout followed the next day, though the rental car was up on the ninth level, due to all that cleaning and crowding - oh, and one other thing - the ticketed parking was inoperative; the gates were raised, and bore signs saying, "Free Parking", though that one security-guard type was still down at the exit, essentially waving people through - I asked at check-in whether this was a permanent arrangement, and they wouldn't really make an absolute statement, only saying "for now", or some such thing - maybe it had to do with that cleaning, but I noticed that when the Silver Legacy made that change a while back, it stayed that way. I can't believe there's much money to be made off parking anyway, though these days, every little bit probably helps.

And also: that "Treasures of the El Dorado" game wasn't working right; an error message greeted me saying my "request couldn't be processed", or some such thing, and then when I tried a different kiosk, it said, "Your next time to play is...", as though I had just done so! Eh, didn't seem worth lining up at the promotions desk for. Oh, well....

And the drive home was equally gorgeous - summer's a great time in the region, at least at the lake level - Reno does get pretty hot, though this was far from the hottest I've experienced - that honor would go to a visit about five years ago, where you could feel the outside heat by holding your hand up against the window from inside your hotel room!

And there was an interesting commercial for that building that's now apartments that was once a seedy casino...gawd, now I can't even recall the name....not the one that was a Holiday Inn, the other one - we all suspected it to be essentially a crack den, but this t.v. commercial made it look like some super-yuppie facility - well, good for them!

That's all the details I've managed to save in my pretty little head; until next time, then....

[BC Dave]

Thanks Stan. Your reports are always appreciated for your eloquent observations of our beloved little city. You have a knack for putting into words what many of us, I think, simply feel.

Speaking of feelings. I generally feel "luckiest" in the Cal Neva but I've had many a night there that quickly put that feeling back in it's place. And my "hungriest" feelings appear at the Eldo's buffet, but a half hour later another (less pleasant) feeling always sets in. Guess I'm doing my best to vindicate your remarks on the cognitive role of the emotional faculty. (Got that from Ayn Rand).

I enjoyed your description of the drive, there and back. It's been a long time since I drove to Reno, but my favorite part was always through the Sierra Nevada mountains and emerging into the Nevada desert. My route was usually Mt. Shasta though Susanville with a mandatory stop at Bordertown.

[stan_allen]

Dave, your recall of Rand's concepts is far more specific than my own! I enjoyed the books and the ideas, but couldn't be bothered to fully digest all the conceptual vocabulary.

As for the buffet, perhaps you're eating too fast? More likely, there's one or two things being set out every night that are too old - and those are the ones that'll give you an irritating gas attack later. That happened not too long ago to me and the missus from a Costco pizza, of all things - later, we decided the peppers were probably too old - and it produced crampy, gassy feelings the whole night that seemed to follow me in my sleep! So be careful of those buffets; stick to prime rib, and such, and watch out for those trays of three-day-old vegetables!

And thanks for the encouragement - it always seems like there's so little of great interest to report on, but often, a casual cogitation of the surroundings can help us all feel like we're in on the scene.

[Shooty]

I like the idea of 7&7s being important to gambling. Perhaps we need to start a new wive's tale, that the key to winning is to start by drinking seven 7&7s!

x 7!

[stan_allen]

Great graphic! And yes, since there are already some sort of magic powers associated with the number 7, it does make sense as the drink of choice, no?

Of course, it's very possible that the "7&7" one orders is actually some fourth-grade whisky blend - I'll never forget the days when I asked for 7&7s with drink coupons and was told that Seagram's was considered "Top Shelf" for coupon purposes! They'd pour you a something-and-7 instead...what a joke!

Ah, well even the substitute version still brings a smile to my face....

[BC Dave]

Hi Stan, the discomfort I was referring to was simply a result of overdoing it in the buffet. I'm learning though - Sometimes I can get through a buffet (even the Eldorado's) without a large portion of everything on display.

[CaSwede]

I enjoyed reading your report. It sure is nice to know that a $3 table can be found in Reno. I guess you can't complain too much about the rules at that table minimum.

Ah yes- 7 & 7 brings back memories. On my 21st birthday my parents brought me to Reno! I could drink - I could gamble !!! I ordered a 7 & 7 as my first (legal ) drink. I got asked for my I.D. and when I ordered the 7 & 7 the bartender chucked and hit the button for the bourbon which I am sure was the cheap stuff behind the bar. I got ripped off! I had this all figured out as my birthday is July 7. Yes- 7-7 and I wanted to order a 7 & 7 on 7 - 7. It was a perfect plan.

I have been hooked on Reno ever since.

[stan_allen]

It's true: if you cut your teeth in Reno, that's where your heart will remain - even with phony 7&7s!

You were probably served "Arkansalabama's Finest", or some such thing - Seagram's ought to get some sort of award for marketing, for somehow managing to turn its Seagram's 7 whisky into "Top Shelf" booze, a classification it clearly doesn't deserve!

But good Karma on that birthday and choice of selection...

I can really only recall seeing unlimited splitting in Vegas...odd, I thought Reno had everything over on them, but this pesky point still persists.

And "Stupid Single Deck", also known as "Super Single Deck" - I haven't been to Vegas in a few years, but I'm guessing it's ubiquitous over there.

But yes, Viva Cal-Neva, for at least offering $3 tables with decent rules!

[mycran]

Great report Stan thank you. Missing reno so bad ,hoping to slip a trip in when the weather cools down a bit .Wifey has a trip planned to the northern Oregon coast ,trying to talk her into heading south instead.

[stan_allen]

With that proximity, how could you *not* slide down to Reno for a side trip?

Besides, even if it's hot, you'll be spending your time inside, with glorious air conditioning...

Point out all the incredible value of Cal-Neva, the Awful-Awful burger, Pam's oversized steak&eggs or whatever that joint is called, "Nu Yalk" pizza, super-cheap rooms and so on and so forth, and then say, "With these prices for these values, we simply can't afford NOT to go!!!"

Then blame John if your gambling budget goes bust.

[mycran]

hmmmm ... blame it on John you say? Works for me

[Zydeco]

Ugh, 7&7s bring up early sunrise leaving Harrahs on my first trip to Reno. "Moments filled with "how did we end up here and why is the sun up"?

[john]

Sorry. It's my fault. I'm a bad, bad boy. Sorry.

[stan_allen]

A 7&7 will shake you out of whatever reverie you're in the midst of..and see how accommodating John is?

In fact, I have an email from him promising to reimburse double my losses, but it's drawn from his Nigerian bank - just send them your information!

[mjames1229]