Walking Journal #9

PROMPT: Last time I asked you to visit the river walk area of town. This time I want you to, with a friend, visit the casino district. I am asking you to visit neighborhoods other than your own so that you begin to put the pieces that make up Reno as a whole into conversation. Make connections: How do these neighborhoods differ? In addition to the obvious physical differences, can you begin to comment on their differences in values? Also, how are they similar? Who controls the literal and spatial rhetoric of different places in Reno? As always, observe, ask questions, value complexity. Did you know that the casino district was once "off limits" to university students? In some way, is it still?

The casino district: this is the source of the bright lights that illuminate the skyline at night, the cradle of wailing sirens in the night, and the unfamiliar territory that must be avoided. This section of Reno has always been off limits to me: the streets of Downtown radiate an unfriendly feeling that screams at me to stay away; however, I’ve become more comfortable expanding my neighborhood with the comfort of friends. On this walk, I explored a bit of Downtown Reno: walking down North Virginia Street, the scenery changes instantly from campus to casinos: the steady brick buildings that are the University are replaced by tall, brightly colored, imposing buildings. It’s eerie: the bright friendly colors are meant to draw in potential victims, but they mask the darkness within: they’re like a Venus fly trap, enticing unwary flies with sweet nectar that is a façade for the danger inside. 

I’ve only been to three main locations in Reno: the Downtown casino district, the University, and the riverwalk. There is a definite change in atmosphere between the three: the University is my source of comfort. Anywhere on campus, I am surrounded by friendly faces and familiarity. As I leave the University and approach Downtown, my sense of familiarity decreases, and with it, my comfort. The people change as well: these aren’t University students anymore. The atmosphere is less friendly, and I walk these streets quickly, with less meandering than I do at the University. The riverwalk is almost like a mix of the two: I’m more comfortable with the open feel of the river, but still not entirely at home. There is a distinct feeling of the three areas.

Although the casino district is not “off limits” to students, there is still a definite divide between campus and casino. It’s not an area that I’m comfortable with, and I think many students feel the same: while allowed to visit the casinos, they seem somewhat forbidden to students.