Ponderings - Walking Journal #13

The very first thing I want to mention for this journal is that taking walks is sooooo much better at night than during the day. More dangerous, yes, but Jade, Diana, and I had a studly man accompany us in the form of Alex Crupi's beastly pocketknife.

Initially, our intended destination was an ice cream shop called The Hop on the corner of 1st and Sierra, but upon arrival at approximately 10:15, we found out the joint closes at 10:00. Bummer. We needed to find a place to eat pronto as our stomachs were in the process of consuming themselves. We ventured through the main casinos - all buffets were closed. After about an hour and a half of walking and more disappointment, we finally said 'to hell with it' and got an Awful Awful at the Little Nugget.



Throughout this entire escapade, my mind wandered to numerous places. I attempted to think about my argument essay and how this environment related to it, but the urbanized area of downtown did not particularly facilitate any thinking of wild horses, other than the urbanization of their open range. I then saw a seemingly houseless guy playing his guitar on the downtown strip and other guys on the corner trying to peddle their hip hop CDs and my mind pondered the lives of struggling artists, especially in a setting like Reno. Could I be considered a struggling artist?

 My next thought was more of a preparation mechanism and something that I do quite often when I am not in a vehicle and walking through a populated area: what I would do if everyone around me suddenly morphed into flesh-eating undead - where would be the safest shelter, immediately accessible weapons of any kind, crow bars, the knife in my pocket, that homeless dude's guitar, ANYTHING. Also I would map out the obvious places to avoid: parking garages, main streets, and alleys with no outlet (unless they have ladders leading to a rooftop; in that case, they would be ideal).

And there you have it.

Buildings: On and Off Campus - Walking Journal #12

In regards to the architecture of Reno and all of the regions it encompasses, naturally, on-campus buildings are considerably different than those you may see downtown or on 4th street, for example.

The buildings you see at UNR vary in style from an 1800s Victorian theme that can be found by the Quad to a more structurally-advanced theme that is demonstrated by buildings such as the Joe Crowley Student Union and the Davidson Math and Science Center.

 




Certain parts of downtown Reno are visually appealing (personally, I like the Silver Legacy dome and the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts), but in comparison to larger metropolitan areas like San Francisco and the like, Reno is architecturally-lacking. There are areas of downtown that are somewhat run-down with a bit of an artistic vibe, and others that are just plain run-down and thus the entire city appears more out-of-date than it really is. This may not reflect an appreciation for good architecture from a visitor's point of view, but Reno has showed the signs of making a comeback with buildings such as these:


New apartments near downtown


 Museum of Art in Reno

Despite the stark contrast between downtown Reno, other cities, and the university itself, if there is one thing we have learned throughout our years, it is to never judge a book by its cover.

Having cool buildings couldn't hurt, though.

Also, Professor Lombardi if you are reading this, I apologize for these journals (#11 and #12) not being uploaded by midnight as I was out and about and betwixt and between all weekend.
Also, you will see these exact same lines on the other journal.......and I apologize for that, as well.

Old Virginny - Walking Journal #11

Over this past weekend, my family and I enjoyed the nice weather while visiting Virginia City, Nevada located about 20 miles from my hometown of Silver Springs.

 

I've been there several times before, but I paid special attention to the Delta Saloon, the famous "Suicide Table" in particular. The infamous gambling table got its name from the suicidal deaths of three individuals living during the Comstock era (mid-to-late 1800s) who all lost a significant amount of money playing on it.

The first went by the name of "Black Jake" who supposedly lost $70,000 (that is a buttload of money back then!) and took his own life out of devastation.

The second was an unnamed owner who "was unable to pay his losses" and so official records are not able to verify whether he actually committed suicide or was offed by some angry creditors.

The third and final owner took his life some years later after the first two incidents and after the old table had been converted into a 21 table. A drunk miner walked in one night and had a very unusual stroke of luck winning $86,000, a team of horses, and a stake in a gold mine - all at the owner's expense.

 

Looking back on those times, many of us could only imagine what it would've been like to live there: no advanced technology, smartphones, or social networking sites; however, the lust and obsession over wealth and material goods has remained the same since even several centuries before the times of the Comstock, and the lack of (or overabundance) can give just enough of a nudge to push completely normal people over the edge.

Also, Professor Lombardi if you are reading this, I apologize for these journals (#11 and #12) not being uploaded by midnight as I was out and about and betwixt and between all weekend.
Also, you will see these exact same lines on the other journal.......and I apologize for that, as well.

The Adventures of Stalking Houseless People and Meeting "Thug Nasty" (Walking Journal #10)

Diana and I left the LLC at around 4:30 in the afternoon, completely unaware of our future encounters. No sooner had we passed Sierra Hall on foot, when a slight African-American fellow approached us from a gas station introducing himself as "Thug Nasty". He was waving a handful of CD's and asking us if we were 18; when we said no, he nodded and continued to walk ahead of us. Moments later, Thug said something that was ironically relevant to this journal prompt: "A man who don't work, don't eat." Diana and I murmured our agreement as he ventured off toward a motel to peddle his goods.

Reaching the main casino district, we weren't seeing any houseless individuals, so we riskily decided to tour Fourth Street and make a trip to the shelter where Diana volunteers her time. We saw several houseless people, particularly near the bus station, and I apologize for my photographs being awkward, as it was somewhat awkward attempting to take a picture of someone without them noticing.



In regards to Jim Burklo's view on homelessness vs. houselessness, I never realized it, but I completely agree with him. Many well-off individuals do not know a thing about their community; yes, they go grocery-shopping and take the kids to school, but they are not truly immersed in the environment of their community as a person without a house may be. I cannot speak from experience, but it would make sense to say that a person who is forced to endure the elements of their city/town day-in and day-out, would know a thing or two about the city's inner workings and be in sync with these workings.

So the next time you happen to come across an individual who may look a little rough around the edges, he/she may not be without a sense of community rhythm and awareness, but merely, without a house.

What Happens in Reno...Ends Up on My Blog (Walking Journal 9)

(Beginning note: I went for the walk down to the casino district, but I did not bring my cellular device so the pictures you see here are courtesy of Google Images!)

Walking past Circus Circus and continuing toward the Silver Legacy, I observed the advertisements for each and reflected on my walk down by the river. Though the two areas were in close proximity to each other, they were nothing alike as they stressed two very different recreational aspects of Reno: gambling and the environment. As far as values are concerned, one could be considered very admirable and the other not so much, depending on one's point of view.



However, there is a distinguishable similarity in that these two completely different regions of Reno attract people to the area; these groups of individuals may not be anything like each other (or they very well could be) but these areas are receiving ample amounts of attention nonetheless.

Why is it that the city of Reno feels that it needs to capitalize on both gambling promotion and environmental awareness?

We know which district brings in the most revenue, but why do people choose to visit a certain area over others?

I believe that Reno seems to feel as if it needs to compensate for being the smaller version of Sin City down in the south. We see that we have the opportunity to be environmentally-aesthetic and we take advantage of that. The same could be said for the artistic regions of Reno.

In some obvious ways, parts of the casino district are still off-limits to university students simply because many of us have not reached 21 yet, however, one rarely notices this nowadays as we can freely walk through the casino without so much as a second glance by casino authorities. I doubt this would be the case a few decades ago.

A River Runs Through It (Walking Journal 8)

Taking a stroll down the Reno strip with a throng of fellow classmates, I observed the usual people who wandered in the downtown area: a few tourists, a few teenagers, and several middle-aged/elderly individuals. I honestly had no idea where we were going; I knew we had to go see the Riverwalk, but I am thankful I had people to go with, otherwise I would have been completely SCUH-REWED.

When we came upon this Riverwalk, I was initially surprised that I had never seen this before in my life: it was quite sight. Across the river, there was an area for eating outside and a waterfall that cascaded from it into the river. Walking down the path beside the river, we saw a very relaxed group of teenagers huddled together and one of the guys was playing a ukelele.



As far as the cost of the project, I personally believe that it was worth it because it takes an old, somewhat run-down metropolitan district and highlights its natural qualities through this Riverwalk. The aesthetic theme to this attraction definitely enhances the reputation of our city and it symbolizes the delighted unexpectedness that many tourists and visitors experience when they come to Reno.

Regarding the city as a whole, I believe that we all have our own special roles in maintaining certain social, environmental, and cultural aspects. Personally, my role is to recycle anything and everything I can and attend as many cultural/artistic events as possible so I can help to enhance these particular areas of interest. This is different for everyone though, and we all play extremely important parts of being a citizen of the Reno/Sparks region.

Human Nature.....and some Natural Nature, as well. (Walking Journal 7)

Taking a stroll around campus, the earthly nature I witness is vastly more aesthetic than the "nature" I had back home in Silver Springs. There are trees! And leaves and grass! There is also a lot more concrete, but that is not always necessarily a bad thing. While walking, the only thing that distracted me was the occasional random whiff of poop that I seem to walk through every day, but hey, it grabbed my attention and gave me something to write about.



As far as the nature of the hustle and bustle (or not) of the city itself, everything is relatively relaxing for the most part, especially on campus. No one is in a really big hurry like many seem to be in parts of the East Coast (I visited there and t'was nuts), but things still get accomplished.

Thinking about the habits of mind process, I shall make an inquiry. Is it the nature of Reno itself that keeps people visiting or even living here? Or, rather, is it the nature and recreation that surround us like the beauty of nearby Lake Tahoe and the rugged wilderness of the Nevada desert that serve as the main attractions?

Hmmmmm.....*strokes goatee*