Eldorado

            Leading off of my last post, Penny also took Allison to the Eldorado to enjoy one of the best dessert buffets in town.

            On Saturday, November 10, 2012, my bestie and I went downtown for a walk. Our first stop was the Eldorado. For some reason, the walk didn’t seem that long. This time, our journey took place during the day. The transformation that the area goes through from nighttime to daytime was apparent because downtown did not seem as threatening as it did just a few nights before. As we walked, I couldn’t help but notice that the scarce groups of people on the street were elderly couples and Fresno fans from out of town. When we finally got to the Eldorado, I took note of the people that filled the casino. The same was true. Besides local college students, the next youngest group I saw was middle-aged woman who were nearing the elderly stage in their life. That’s when it hit me. Las Vegas is filled with the a younger crowd living out the motto “you only live once” as well as the classic saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” It almost felt like I was seeing a desolate version of the Las Vegas casinos. These were the people who were consumed and ruined by the 24-7 life of high stake risks, gambling, and drinking problems. These people seemed to fit the characters of Vlauntin’s novel. They were run down from the harsh realities that each one of them had to face. And here they were, just vague images of what each of them once was. Their youth had passed them by and now they were living day to day having to deal with the consequences of days long ago.

            In regards to that, I could see that this could be exactly what Allison needed. Reno was not a place where temptation ran ramped anymore. It was a place where many have had to go through the same things but have left in hopes of change. For some that was somewhat true; some still consumed by the darkest temptations.

            Andrea and I finally found the buffet in the Eldorado. It wasn’t that busy. I’m sure Allison was used to this since Vegas has buffets everywhere one goes.

            Expanding on my earlier thought, Reno is very much like Vegas. It is the people and energy that makes it very different. So for Allison, seeing that she wasn’t fully there in her mind, it could feel like a parallel universe. All the same familiar things; just a very different way of life.