In Reno
Posted on August 16, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
But don’t have my room yet, so I’m loitering in the second floor lounge-y area at the Atlantis. So no picture from my hotel room yet, for obvious reasons. The Atlantis hotel is slot-tastic, but then, gas stations here are slot-tastic, so. The convention center is nice and a bit of a hike from the hotel, but there’s a very pleasant skybridge, so that helps. I’ll be getting a lot of exercise this week, I suspect.
So: Hello! I’m in Reno! How are you?
I’m just peachy!
*waves from the Peppermill Casino*
Looking forward to getting stuck in. :-)
Ah, fond memories of road trips from Stanford to The BIggest Little City. I don’t think The Fitzgerald is here anymore, but they had cocktail waitresses with the biggest … and plunging …. yeah, I don’t think it’s there anymore. Sigh.
Watch your back, John. I heard some guy shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. I think it was on the news.
In before the inevitable “What happens in Reno, stays in Reno.” jokes.
I think we drove through there when i was 12. No comment on what I did or didn’t do there.
Feeling vaguely optomistic about the world situation, but that won’t last.
Doing well… but I’m off to London this weekend, not Reno, darn it all.
If anyone winds up hospitalized there, I know a couple of good nurses in the area, but… yeah. Hopefully you and no one I know has to meet them, at least professionally.
Slot-tastic toilets too. =/
so very strange
I remember this story every time I hear of someone getting in too early to get their room:
I hired a young guy years ago & on his first day on the job he got into a very heated discussion on the phone. I asked him what the issue was. Seems his brother had gotten married on Sunday & went to Vegas to honeymoon. They got there too early to get into their room so the casino gave them each $20 to spend on the floor. A couple of hours later the brother was calling to ask him to wire them $500 – they had maxed out their credit cards & the hotel wouldn’t let them stay unless they came up with the money!
I didn’t ask him if he sent the money but I don’t think he did. best $40 the casino ever spent.
The Atlantis is where San and Keffy and I will be tomorrow… at some point. In search of adventure and a desire to spite the TSA, we’ve decided to drive, starting at ass o’clock Wednesday morning.
Also in Reno! Sleepy but happy.
*Waves from his office at a UNR research facility*
Welcome to Reno!
Packing. Will be in Reno tomorrow. I hate packing for cons. Also, today is my birthday — 63, aaargh!
Ambulatory.
Per Reno protocol, you must gamble ( read: lose) a minimum of $50 before your room will be ready.
Could be worse, it’s $100 in Vegas…
Ahh, the Atlantis. Great sushi!
Dave H @4: I heard of someone who became an EMT in Reno, just to mess with that guy.
In between running from meeting to meeting and fielding three phone calls in the last five minutes, I am now doing something I have never, ever done in a hotel room before.
I just ordered my first room service meal, so I can eat before I go to my next meeting!
It took me three beats to figure out what the hell “slot-tastic” meant. I was like, “So do they have little tracks strung about the ceiling and stuff?” I was totally picturing slot cars.
Never could understand the appeal of slot machines. I’ve only been in casinos twice, and spent about three minutes on a slot machine before I was so bored I had to do something else. (Blackjack, as it turned out. Won $160 the first time, lost $20 the second time, and that was it for me and casinos.)
Looking forward to arriving in Reno tomorrow! See you there!
There’s also slots in the grocery stores. Now that I do not understand. Make your way down to the Truckee River. I haven’t been down to it in a while, but it’s supposed to be a great walk. Have fun!
First page on my guidebook of Things to Do in Reno: Kill a man, just to watch him die.
I can’t think of a worse place to stay than Reno, except maybe Redding. Hot, dirty, dry, touristy, and slot machines everywhere. I’m surprised there aren’t slot machines in the bathrooms. Then again, I pretty much despise most of Nevada … not enough trees and water.
Depending on your schedule, it may be worth your while to drive down and around Lake Tahoe – it’s a bit overdeveloped, but still a great scenic drive, and gives you a taste of the Sierra if you’ve never been there. Or plunge due west and get out of tourist country – that is, drive I-80 like you’re going to Tahoe, then turn north on SR89 and head up into the true northern Sierra, where a town of a thousand people make a city, and no truck is complete without wood-racks, a chainsaw, and a gold pan on board at all times.