Visitreno

[JD]

OK, I'll go first. I found a couple of recovered threads I wrote a year and a half ago. I cut and pasted them here to make them more readable.

It's a very long one but since I put a lot of work into it, I thank whoever bothered to save them from the great crash.

They exist in reverse order in archives # 60 - 64.
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Before I give y'all the high and lowlights, it's important for me to explain that at the time I left Portland, we had set a record for the most consecutive days of over 90 degrees in sometime. Yet, here I was, heading off to the drought in the desert S.W. Just two weeks earlier, wild fires were raging and had burnt down some dozen homes just outside Carson City.

As I shut up my house (at 3 am on Friday) I wondered just how hot it was going to be in Reno. Precisely 4 1/2 hours and 271 miles later, I gave my BLACK Santa Fe a $ 1 car wash at the Alberson's gas station in Klamath Falls. Exactly 5 hours later, my previously clean car was again being bathed in muddy runoff under a 100 year old gutter/downspout draining the roof a 150 year old saloon in Virginia City. Upon hearing my sad tale, I was repeatedly thanked for bringing VC their first rain (a torrential downpour) in three months. No one offered to wash my car again, however.

John has been kind enough to link this site to all the Reno casinos and I must admit I do know many of them better than I should. Some here have asked how they fund their gaming trips and I'll share what I had planned for a low risk game of chance. Several Casinos in Reno have a " Double Your Paycheck" promotion. The idea is cash your check at the cage, and you get an entry which could potentially double the amount of that check. As I prefer to maximize my odds in such a game of chance, I'd been saving all of my paychecks for several weeks. Siena and the Sands I think have the best promotions. Siena has a progressive which increases each week if not claimed, and Sands has multiple lesser prizes and allows one week to check results and claim in person. One hitch is the Siena drawing on Friday evenings (TWO) is "MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN". So I went to the Sands. (NOTE: I had to fax a copy of my company's check to the Sands' Cage Manager in advance to insure my employer would be on a list of approved payroll checks to be honored). When you cash a payroll check, you get a free drink coupon AND $ 5 match play on your Club card.

My prediction of hitting a royal in my first $ 20 was off by about $ 60. The good news: I hit a progressive royal at the Margarita Bar before I finished my first free drink !! The bad news: The progressive had been hit just hours before and my payoff was $ 1006.75 . It was SOOOO easy, I thought I could do it again !! In fact Sands has a " Double your Royals" promotion as well. Hit TWO natural royals in 48 hours and they DOUBLE the payoff for the second one !! The first One was SOOOO easy............... (big mistake).

TO BE CONTINUED.....
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Hey ya, Jerry, nice meeting you too !! I told Jerry to look for the guy in the Aloha shirt wearin the cowboy hat. He found me in spite I wore neither... good detective work. I look forward to Steve and Phyliss meeting us here as well.

Were did we leave off?? Oh, ya, DOUBLE YOUR ROYAL promotion. Well, I re-invested a bit more of my winnings than I had anticiapated but I got even with them with the free drinks (or maybe not).

Up to Virginia City and my stay at the haunted Mackay Mansion. While there continue to be more and more rooms available in VC, I have enough friends there now, I have free reign over several sofas of my choice. An actor friend from Portland does a Mark Twain show on one of the sternwheelers at Lake Tahoe stays in the old servants quarters of what was once the home of the richest man in the world... John Mackay.

http://www.msu.edu/~graye/emma/MacKayMansion.JPG

The only ghost I saw that night was the image of Jose Cuervo. There are numerous other Victorian homes and motels that are available to the public including:
Comstock Lodge Motel
Gold Hill Hotel
Silver Queen Hotel
Sugar Loaf Motel
Virginia City Motel
Chollar Mansion - B&B
Edith Palmer County Inn - B&B
Tysons Canyon Ranch
Virginia City RV Park
AND... a new 100 room hotel under construction !!

Here's a link for more info: http://www.virginiacity-nv.org/#

Saturday morning I went to Carson to buy an appropriate wedding gift for Cowboy Steve and Teresa. In keeping with VC's slightly twisted idea of propriety, I opted for large horse trough for the new blended family's horse, Ginger. And what a fun wedding. The Groom and Best Man were outfitted in the finest Wyatt Earp formal wear and I fully expected celebration gunfire in The Old Washoe Club where the ceremony took place.

http://www.nevadamax.com/page19/svcy3.html (Thanks, Nevada Max)

There is no gaming in the Old Washoe Club. But if you get to VC on the weekends, some of the best live music around is heard there. While I can barely play the radio, musician friends played for the reception and a good time was had by all. There are however several gaming establishments elsewhere in VC as we will soon learn. The celebration of the wedding lasted well into the night and the only thing I lost was some of my liver's life expectancy.

Tomorrow: A comp room at the Siena for the pool party !! (Luckily I brought my SPF 8 sunscreen for spending the day at the pool !!

Sunday morning's red sunrise over the forty mile desert was breathtaking. I had a coffee outside and read the last of "The Richest Place on Earth" loaned to me by a local that was pals with the authors.

http://www.acornbooks.com/cgi-bin/acornbook.cgi/24409.html

When people ask me what they should see in VC, I usually recommend this or "Saga of the Comstock Lode" by George Lyman. While not precisely historically acurate, they are both entertaining reads and perfect for those of us not yet used to late nights and sleeping in. As my visit progresses however, I am time shifting my sleeping habits to keep more in tune with the locals.

After my required Bloody Mary (perhaps more than one) at the only 24 hour casino in town, " The Mark Twain", I headed down the 25 mile Gieger Grade for downtown Reno to check into the Siena. No problems this time with checking into the Siena as a comped guest. Perhaps because I e-mailed the General Manager, or perhaps the invisible hand of one of their ghosts. No doubt one of those ghosts still requires a credit card or a $ 75 cash deposit on check in....even for a comped room. I opt for cash since all regular readers here know I share my credit card with no female of recent aquaintence.

I was sucessfull in ordering a drink in cognito from my favorite bartender buddy ( Mark, who was serving me when I hit a dollar royal two years ago), but when I tipped him a two dollar bill, the cat was out of the bag. No big win after a few hour session and the "party" isn't until tomorrow. What the hell, I'll call John and see if he'd like the Virginia City Tour.

(Editor's note: The author failed to take precise notes on this venture, and the days and nights began to blur together. More than once, the author was heard to ask, " What day is this?" Only to be told, "...what difference does it make?")

So on what I THINK was Sunday, I call John and make arrangements to meet at the Peppermill "VALET PARKING". For those unfamiliar with the Peppermill, "VALET PARKING" is a 4 lane, 1/4 mile long covered landing strip. I was parked for an hour on ONE end, while John patiently waited a mere 1/4 mile away. I WAS CLOSER TO THE SIGN THAT SAID, "VALET". He sat on a bench under "HOTEL REGISTRATION". Now I ask you, who was right?

(John feel free to set the record straight)

It's true enough, we did hit most of the establishments in town. John may recall the exact order but I'm pretty sure we visited:

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nv/virginiacity.html

Union Brewery: The only biker bar I've ever escorted my 85 year old Mother into. Pay no attention to the bras hanging from the chandaliers.

Mark Twain Casino: 24 hours, no table games but all the lastest slots and VP. They even have a "Multi Stike Poker" which is a high risk/high reward multi game machine I''ve taken a shine to. Free drinks while playing.

Delta: The largest Casino in VC. Excellent restraurant (Sawdust) and has Weds. night Bingo if so inclined (enough said).

Bonanza: Get a coupon out front for a cheap burger and 2 for 1 drinks. A fantastic view right over the bar.

Pondorosa: Lots of history/photos hanging on the wall. Good place to take kids while Mom or Dad pull slots for a FEW minutes. A civilized mine tour right thru the back of the saloon with guide, Bax.

Washoe Club: No casino or slots here, but usually good music and good place to meet local color. And colorful characters are everywhere. Sweetwater John, the guy on the postcards dressed as a prospector hangs out here after a tough day at his office trying to answer questions in Japanese.

The Shaft: Only a door with a stairway fronting C. Street. Shown in above photos from the back with "SILVER DOLLAR PUB" sign. Go down the stairs and sit on the deck with the best view in town. Likely your bartender will be Sergeant Major Brian (In full Pony soldier garb) or Slimey (don't ask).

Red Dog: Has undergone a change since being the hippie crowd of a few years ago. They now cater to a "Younger Crowd" ( man I hate to hear myself say that).

And then for dinner as John reported, we went to the Mandrin Garden. Located in what was Julia Bullette's (Julia is a whole story in itself). Fine Chinese food ( Hosts are Linda and Richard) at a resonable cost and speedy service (which is sometimes in rare form on the Comstock).

I can't say I recall when we came back down the hill, but by all accounts I did find my room at the Siena. Still, the BEST most comfy beds in town.

No suntanning at the pool today.... but tomorrow....tomorrow will be different. SPF 8 (surely that will be enough).....


To Be continued....
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In my normal life, I make a habit of early to bed and early to rise (since I start my workday before 5:00 am, it's a habit I've gotten into). But as day number ..... well I guess it's day number four begins, it occurs to me that 9:00 am is a much more resonable hour to begin the day.

Monday morning at 9:00 am is a nice quiet time at the bar for my requisite Bloody Mary (By Dan, now my second favorite bartender at the Siena). I continue to try to duplicate my easy win playing dueces wild, but hoping for that natural royal. Siena has an excellent deal for a big breakfast called "Four of a Kind" ( four pancakes, four eggs, and four links sausages) for only $ 2.49. Good deal, and enough chow to make you want to go back upsatirs for a nap.

Now remember that deal at the Sands where 1) they'd double your paycheck and 2) If I were lucky enough to hit a second royal, they'd double that? Well, I cashed two more paychecks at the Sands and all I got was enough points on my beach club card for a free night stay. For those that have asked about employees of the Sundowner, Rene from the second floor bar close to GK's Steakhouse now bartends at the Sands. She tells me Reza is now at the Peppermill and she swears she remembers my $ 2 bill tips (I pretend I believe her).

Back to the Siena for the party but alas the weather is threatening (AGAIN) and the note in the elevator says the party has been moved to the ballroom (directly UNDER the pool). I check it out kinda early and before I get my Hawaiian shirt and cowboy hat. A much younger crowd than the geriatric set I partied down with at the Comstock. I quickly pick a table of a couple about my age ( more on this subject later) and STEVE and PHYLISS turn out to be former Comstock Barons as well. He's very serious about golfing and has his mind set on the $ 100 chipping prize but he's none too crazy about the velcro golf balls. Jerry's wife had a hell of a time since the ONLY club was a right hander but it seemed like all had a good time. No, I did NOT win the hula hoop contest either.

The spread the Siena put out was fantastic. Some kind of lemon marinated shrimp salad was my favorite. They had to have served at least a dozen exotic salads as well as more traditional buffet chow. I know the chilled Heinken was Jerry's favorite. I'm not sure how many they expected but they seemed to be fully staffed and someone was there in a heartbeat to bus tables or bring drinks. A young Polish guy was breaking in at the bar and under supervision he was allowed to make a few mistakes. I ordered (what else??) a " J.D. rocks in a bucket". What I got was a 6 ounce tumbler full of what had to be a quadruple shot of Jack Daniels. ( I will pay for this later)

Even the General manager of the Casino , Anwar came around and introduced himself. Nice guy and I always favor a boss that doesn't stay in the office but goes out to check things out for himself.

As I finally got close to the bottom of that huge glass of Jack, the young Polish bartender was hovering nearby. And while not really funny now (or then really), Steve, Phyliss and I began a running gag that you had to be there to think it was funny. The Polish bartender was now bussing tables and everytime we sat a glass or utensil down, he would snap it up. So in our Jack and Crown induced state of comedy, we found it amusing to move as if to set down an empty glass, have Yakov make a move for it, and pick it up again. Try this after a quadruple shot sometime.... I promise you'll think it's funny! (OK...you HAD to be there).

One other thing, they had a band that did a way cool Beatles set. For the life of me, I cannot recall the name of the band but the bass player works at Siena (I think in food service). Perfect band for a diverse crowd.


But it was a lovely event, well hosted and I hope I get invited back sometime.

Once again, no suntan at the pool again but thunder and lightening in the hills.

I was close to the first to arrive and almost the last to leave.... and with a satisfied glow of Jack, I proceeded to persue another royal downstairs. It did not happen.

As evening arrived I opted to take in the risque adult show at Harrah's. "Showgirls" while it is a topless show, is very tastefully produced and the script takes you through the Ziegfeld Follies to MTV and has three pretty buff guys carry most of the dancing and singing. One of the best versions of "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" since The Righteous Brothers. These guys and girls are WAY in shape. (Note to middle aged men...if invited on stage DO NOT GO !!!!) This is a traditional kind of Old Vegas review with the girls in giant headresses that must weigh a ton. They don't really dance, but how they keep from falling over is amazing. I recommend this show. There is a dinner/show special but just the show is $ 29.95 but "Best Bets" has a $ 10 off coupon. What a show for $ 20 bucks.

Somehow I am able to find my way back to the Siena, but I must admit I am wondering if cashing all those paychecks was such a good idea as I wander the streets of Reno late at night.

After a short craps session, I bag it for the night.... for a wonderfully comfy bed is waiting for me upstairs....

To be continued....

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Just as I begin to loose track of the day of the week, so too, have I omitted a few events of J.D.'s excellent adventure. I do however disctinctly recall oft repeating Bill Murray's famous line from " What about Bob" ( As he's lashed to the mast of Richard Dryfuss' sailboat), " I'M ON VACATION"!!

LITTLE NUGGET RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Sometime in the last few days, I had occassion to walk on the wild side and try the "AWFUL, AWFUL" burger at the little Nugget accross the street from Harrah's. This is not so much an adventure in fine dining, as it is a training film for restaurant health inspectors. As a bachelor, I've been known to follow the five second rule of food handling (if food item is picked up off the floor in under five seconds, it need not be discarded since germs had inadequate opportunity to find and invade such items).

The diner in the back of the little Nugget tests even my sensibilities. You see, one of my first jobs in High School was busboy/diswasher/food prep in a local pancake house. When I see diners behave rudely to a waitress, I usually make it all better if I say, "....before you are allowed to EAT in a restaurant, there should be a law you must first WORK in a restaurant."

That said, my review of the Awful Awful includes the words of Otto Von Bismark who said, " People should not watch how their laws or sausages are made". The burger was the best $ 3.50 buy one could expect. Loaded with a small salad between the bun and huge patty and a large basket of fries. My advice for any other adventerous spirit is do not sit where you can watch either the cashier (you will be distracted by the need for emergency dental work, handling of food/money/food/money, and the bloodstains on the white uniform. Do not look at the digital thermometer on the refrigerator or the illegal immigrants on the food prep line. Just enjoy your burger and hope for the best. It was very good and I never had any ill effects.... but I was expecting some. As I said, walk on the wild side.

SANS SANDS ERRATA
I also forgot to mention that there was another coupon of interest given when cashing a payroll check at the Sands. I've seen some people ask about a blackjack tournament on this board. When cashing a paycheck, you get an entry into a "FREE" blackjack tournament which goes on all day. You get $ 500 worth of free chips, and are dealt some fixed number of hands (I think 20 or 25). If you parlay your $ 500 in funny money to the highest THAT DAY...you win $ 500 !! This promotion has Cali's fingerprints all over it. If you have a pal who prides himself on his past glory as a Blackjack ringer.... you give him four or five coupons to enter this FREE blackjack tournament so he MIGHT WIN $ 500 !!! Of course it would be nice if your BUDDY let you know if he even PLAYED those coupons, threw them away, won $ 500 or if he's not as good as he said.

How I nearly killed Lou Diamond Phillips:
One evening while driving in front of the old Comstock, a nerdy looking guy in a bowtie nearly pushed an old man into the street diretly in front of me. There were so many people standing around, I thought the El Cortez had become the new feeding station for the down and outers. It wasn't until the next day I see the Reno Gazette Urnial with a photo of:

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‘Devil' shot in Reno
August 21, 2004 •• 826 words
Locals volunteer to be extras in film starring Lou Diamond Phillips, James McDaniel and Bruce Weitz By Forrest Hartman RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL For the past week, Reno has been a backdrop for dangerous characters and shady dealings. And, if all goes well, they'll be coming soon to a theater near you. Since Sunday, a film crew from Brazos Productions has been camped at the Atlantis, El Cortez Hotel and other Reno locales to film an independent thriller starring Lou Diamond
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Hummm... "Reno...dangerous characters, shady dealings..." not the Reno I know.

Lets see, before I was sidetracked, seems to me I had to make the 12:00 checkout from the Siena. Arising before noon has now become quite a chore for a guy who's alarm usually goes off before 3:15 am.

Back to Virginia City where the characters don't have to act.

Note to Karan: Since only pretty people drink Scotch, I have NO idea where you can score good single malts while playing a nickel machine. Even my pal bartender at Siena had to call the Vice President of Top Shelf liquors when I spotted "Knob Creek" bourbon and asked him for a shot as I played $ 1 VP at his bar. It was embarrassing for us both. Especially me, since I'm widely known for my poor taste in many things.

More to follow......

JD , Portland
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Tuesday morning dawns bright and EARLY....much earlier (it seems) than the sun rises in Portland. It must be the latitude, since I often arise several hours before dawn in my regular life. Yet here in Nevada, the dawn seems to come just moments after putting ones head on the pillow.

It's all I can do to get up and gone by checkout time...noon. Yippee!! I win $ 75 at the front desk !! (Oh, that was MY $ 75??) I knew that.

Note to self: When on your high horse about refusing to leave a credit card number for a comp room, please try to remember where you put your receipt for the deposit.

No Bloody Mary at the bar today... just hot foot it back to VC so I can take a nap in the servants quarters of the Mackay Mansion.

It's with all good intentions that I plan on making the Tuesday night historic lecture/dinner at the Gold Hill Hotel.

http://www.goldhillhotel.net/

Every Tuesday, they have a dinner special with a lecture on some subject of local interest. Attend a few of these, and you can impress the locals with your superior knowledge of Comstock history. Gold Hill Hotel (just 1 mile towards Carson from VC) also hosts a gormet dinner series and a dinner theater troupe.... highly recommended.

http://www.goldhillhotel.net/lectues.htm

Alas I missed "Tumbleweed Tex" ( No doubt an alias for some local pillar of Comstock society. Many of the locals have stage names... a former District Attorney, Virgil Bucchianeri writes a column for ONE of the local newspapers under the name of Joe Pastrami).

I seem to remember giving a friend a lift to Carson City to grocery shop since his car is broken. And I distinctly remember winning $ 250 at the Mark Twain Casino. Oddly enough, this casino is directly across the street from the Mark Twain Bookstore... owned and operated by the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department.

Joe Curtis probably has the finest collection of literature on Nevada, pioneers, mining and history .... other than mine. When people ask me what there is to do on their vacation, I say buy one of these books for the kids, give them time to read it, then let them visit the actual locations where some of these events happened.

http://marktwainbooks.com/shop/

Tuesday night is called kinda early (early NOW is defined as midnight) because Weds. night is BINGO night at the DELTA. I would have never thought of myself as a BINGO player... but when in Rome......Vini, Vedi, Vici.

Next: JD does BINGO

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I haven't found the bingo thread yet.

Was this what you had in mind, John?

Thanks again to the think ahead saver of Trip threads.

[john]

Thanks, JD. This is a good way to take care of the reports. Thanks for putting the archive number on them so I could delete it from the other forum.

[hawk]

"we found it amusing to move as if to set down an empty glass, have Yakov make a move for it, and pick it up again. Try this after a quadruple shot sometime.... I promise you'll think it's funny! (OK...you HAD to be there). "

Hey, I think it's funny and I wasn't even there.
Wait a minute: I WAS there I guess. Funny what a couple of JDs, two 1824 Margaritas, and a few Heinies will do in an hour or so.


JD, has it really been just a year and a half. Seems like I have known you for much longer.