I've had a longstanding love-hate relationship with Reno, Nevada. I admire anything that goes all the way with a theme, and Reno is, in my reasonably wide-ranging experience, the sleaziest, stupidest town in America. For me, the essential Reno moment was when I went in High School as part of a jazz band festival (this one time at band camp...) and the enormous neon sign for Circus Circus was broken. In feebly flashing lights, it read "icus ircus." In went the teenagers, to sup on the E. Coli at the 5-dollar buffet...I've been reading L'Amérique au jour le jour by Beauvoir as my bus book. It's funny and engaging and written in her wonderful, accessible French. Today I got to read about her arrival in Reno:
"All of America is a jack-in-the-box (boîte à surprise). But Reno is one of my greatest amazements. Associating the name with that of Hollywood, I imagined a luxurious Monte-Carlo, peopled with movie stars in pearls. And I fell into a rough village of the Far West...the streets are somber and deserted (and) the cafeterias and restaurants are miserable..." (205-206)
I'm just excited that I independently arrived at the same conclusion as Beauvoir: Reno is butt-ugly.
3 comments:
I had a similar reaction to Reno...
For me, it is the quintessential grotesque carnival, where everyone is so mesmerized by the light, shadows, and smoke that they can't see each other, or themselves for that matter. As a result, I'm simultaneously drawn to it and repulsed by it, as a concept. It's like those party scenes in Gatsby.
Glad to know Simone and I are on the same page.
The highlight of my Remo memories was from my Gram's 75th birthday trip. I watched my uncle Swede and uncle Paul have a Grumpy, Old Men-style fight about which restaurant the family would go to for lunch. The fight ended with them turning to my Gram saying, "Goddammit, Lucille! What place do you want to go to?"
Nothing but the best... oops! I mean hostile, profanity-strewn accusatory questions for birthdays in my family.
that's so funny! I went to Reno, Nevada for that jazz band festival too. :) We went in a BUS. From POULSBO (an hour from Seattle). it sucked. A LOT. But Carson City was cool - I think we went a day early just because my band director wanted to see Carson City without paying for it himself. Great thing was, I had to beg to go because Reno is "a den of sin and iniquity."
I liked the small number of circus acts I saw, but I'm easily impressed. I do have to say that going to Reno cemented my preference for cultural vacations rather than Nevada vacations.
word verification: jfkdc :)
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