Saturday, August 27, 2011

Worldcon V -- Final Thoughts

The convention was held at The Atlantis, Reno’s newest casino/hotel.  The amenities of the hotel were nice, but it was difficult to navigate my way through the main floor to the front desk or restaurants, since that floor was a maze of gambling machines complete with flashing lights and noxious booping sounds.  The place always had people gambling, even when I walked through at 7:30 in the morning! 

The Atlantis modified their flier for us -- note the pointy ear  

Many of the gamblers smoke like chimneys.  I had planned on going to the sushi bar on their “sky terrace,” but it was glass-enclosed, not open-air.  The cigarette smoke wafted up the staircase and escalator, which was not my idea of a pleasant eating experience (and they had their noxious gambling machines on the terrace, too).   My friend Linda Donahue stayed at a different hotel, since she knew she wouldn’t be able to tolerate the smoke. 

There’s a “fun area” on the second floor, featuring video games for the whole family.  And I did see children there.  But these arcade games look so similar to the gambling machines on the first floor (easily visible from the second), I wonder if this is just a way to entice a new generation of gamblers. 

I’m grateful to the Reno fans for arranging everything at the Atlantis Casino, as well as a the Convention Center, but it was a trying experience. 
On the positive side, I had breakfast on the way to the airport at a retro McDonald’s.  Note the golden arches.  I could see them from a good distance!  



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