11.11.2012 - Entry #15: Northline in the Neighborhood - Eldorado Casino

Route from UNR to Eldorado Casino

"It was past nine and the two women left the Curt Vacuum office and walked towards the Eldorado Casino and its dessert buffet...The streets were nearly empty and they walked in silence." - Northline, Pg. 153

The first time I went through the Eldorado casino was when my friend and I parked in its parking garage during our visit to the Little Nugget Casino. As I went through it, I was reminded of the casinos downtown on Fremont Street back in Vegas. A place frequented by regulars instead of a crowd of new faces, its greatest appeal came from the rich food it advertised at low prices.

Tonight, as we drove by it on our route to view the Cal Neva casino and the location of the now demolished Harold's Club, the streets around it were just as empty as the night Allison and Penny walked it. The entire downtown area always seems to be this way though, this late at night. Reno's a city where people sleep at a reasonable hour, and the only people out in the streets past 9PM are usually only cops or people looking for a bit of trouble.

My impression of the Eldorado from Northline matches well with my impression of the Eldorado I've witnessed in real life. The area within it and around it are mostly barren, occupied with people with stories filled with more lows than I've experienced and shadowed with pasts shadier than what most would've liked. There's a reason why people are advised not to walk around downtown by themselves; it's easy for something bad to happen around there.