Mapping Northline

The Nugget

As I wandered around the sketchy and dangerous streets of Reno, I stopped by the Nugget and walked into the diner in the back. As I walked through the small dingy casino, I smelled the strong smell of cigarette smoke. Meandering to the back of the casino, I took note of how empty the casino was. There were only a couple people sitting at the machines, and they paid little attention to me as I passed through. Stepping into the diner, the floor creaked and gave me a strange feeling. The diner seemed rather old and the bar stools seemed to be falling apart. I walked to the register and ordered the “Awful Awful.” I was lucky to have cash because there was a sign that stated that they only took payment in cash. As I waited for the meal, I looked at all the signs in the restaurant. While I was looking around, I noticed the waitress flirting with one of her coworkers. She paid little attention to her customers as she flirted with him for at least five minutes. The burger wasn’t even that good. When I finished the burger and some of the fries that they gave me, I exited into the back alley. There are lots of interesting characters who walk through the alleyways. It was a great place to share conversations if one wished to share a quiet conversation. The diner may have been empty at one point in time, but when we went, it was full and it took a long time to get the food we ordered.

Cal Neva

I already had food at The Nugget, and I did not wish to spend more money on the food at the Cal Neva, so I did not go to the restaurant. It was a cold night, and we were in a hurry to get back to the car, so I only got a peek inside as we passed by the casino. Personally I hate city life and casinos, so anything that I say about it will be extremely biased. Just looking at the people who were brave enough to stand out front in the cold cold weather gave me an idea of who frequented a place like this. There was a man, either a security guard or a stripper dressed as a cop, who was standing out front in shorts and a t-shirt. There were a few other people who stood around the door for a little while before deciding to enter. One of the women looked like what I pictured Allison to look like when she entered the casino to head up to the restaurant. Although it was late at night, there didn’t seem to be very much action, like people coming and going. I can imagine that the restaurant back in the time of the book was most likely a more frequented place rather than this abandoned building in modern society. She worked with all of her regular customers, and she saw the same people day in and day out. She was able to meet Dan while working the night shift in the restaurant.

The Quad

On my walk, I went to the Quad and sat down on the bench to examine what happened during the day and what happened at night. I took the time I had after my Geological Engineering class to sit on the bench and examine all of the action. There were lots of students and professors scurrying across the grass in a rush to reach their classes on time. I noticed the same group of people playing with their Frisbees on the lawn. The quad was thriving with life when it was light, but when I returned late, after midnight, everything changed. I looked at all the dimly lit areas around the quad, providing the perfect place for someone to be ambushed. The school may be lit at night, but it is still quite dark. The darkness makes it difficult to identify someone, which would give people the perfect chance to beat up a late night partygoer. The absence of life and action really showed me how possible it was for an event to occur like that in the book. I have seen all the shady characters around campus, and it is entirely possible for them to come on campus to beat someone near to death like Dan was in the book. People are dangerous, unpredictable, and violent. These shady characters in the book beat Dan for no apparent reason, and they were never caught. These events would definitely be terrifying to anyone who was attacked and hospitalized without reason.

The Riverwalk

Allison spends a brief moment at the riverwalk where she sees Dan once again. I believe this is a key part of their relationship because their location was very important even though they were only there for a short while. The riverwalk is one of the most beautiful parts of Reno. They meet their and they get another glimpse at each other before discovering their true love. The riverwalk, the section west of downtown, is actually quite beautiful. Other than the car bridges that pass over the water, the river seems undisturbed and peaceful. There is grass and lots of trees that follow along the edge of the river. There is still evidence of the flood along the bank because there has been little to no involvement with man. The river, beautiful and undisturbed in some places provides freedom from the urban disaster of Reno. The city, which was full of issues that affected both Dan and Allison, provided them with an opportunity at free and peaceful life with the little nature that was left. Dan and Allison were given a chance to connect and share a moment before they realized how much they actually cared for each other. The riverwalk brought these two people together and gave them a chance to think about what they felt for each other.

Another Midnight Walk

Once again, I wandered around campus exploring the new dark corners. My favorite part of my walk was a question that someone asked me when I passed him and his friends. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and as I passed the kid, he asked, "Dude! Aren't you freezing?" He and his friends were all wearing sweats and sweatshirts, but they still looked like they were having trouble staying warm. I laughed and answered, "No, are you?" Then they just looked at me in disbelief as I turned the corner and headed through campus. His question got me thinking about why I wasn't cold. As I walked in a random pattern, I searched for an answer.

I didn't notice that it was cold. The feeling that I get when I walk outside isn't like the feeling when I touch something cold. When I touch an icy pole, the pole immediately draws heat from my hand, and it is a rather drastic temperature change. Entering the cool air outside doesn't make me shiver, and it doesn't give me 'goose bumps.' The air outside is something of a constant temperature that doesn't draw heat from my body as drastically as the cold pole. After a few seconds of entering the cold, I become used to the temperature change and pay little attention to it. I was walking around with an ice-cold beverage, and I didn't even realize that my hand had gone numb to the feeling of the drink.

One thing I do notice about the changing temperature is that I am much more alert than I would normally be. There were no people on the pathways that I walked, but I was constantly scanning for movement and noises. At one point I heard a leaf crunch behind me, but I did not see anything. I knew where my knife was if there came to be a situation where I'd need it. I love walking when there is the possibility of danger, for it keeps me vigilant.

Architecture

George and I decided to make our walk very long so that I could accomplish both walks and assignments in the same trip. We walked for a total of four hours starting at 11 P.M. On our walk, we wandered down to the local 24 hour Mexican food restaurant and got burritos. When we meandered over to get our food, I looked at all the houses that we passed as well as the stores that we walked behind. The houses on my street are almost all 1 story, and they aren't that big. One two story house is new, and it was built only a year ago with a different style than the original older houses that most of Orangevale consists of. As we reached Savemart, we noticed what looked like a group of three teenagers running away from a police car. When we investigated further, we realized that the kids were running to see what had happened behind the Mountain Mikes store. The stores that we stood behind were all only one story, and they were consistent with the design of many other store fronts all over the country. I know little about architecture, but I do know that the houses in my area were built a few decades ago, and most if not all of the m seem to be unique. I have yet to see any two houses that are exactly the same, but there may be a few. The diversity in design gives way for people to express themselves. These lots that the houses rest on also give the owners lots of room to design and create what they want to. People in my neighborhood tend to have lots of houses and designs that resemble that of a small rural community. The lack of tall buildings keeps it from feeling anything like a city. I really like how my hometown is organized and styled. I cannot wait to go walk there at night again.

Orangevale History Today

Orangevale, my hometown used to consist of large orchards and many farms. These orange orchards dominated the town, until cattlemen moved into the local area. These farmers started many farms that were spread around the town and clustered around orchards. Then one cold harsh winter swept in and destroyed most of the plant life in the small town. After the winter cleared, Orangevale pushed on and moved towards the classification as a small rural town. Orangevale today consists of many small farms surrounded by houses as well as a few orchards that had survived the harsh winter.

One of my adventures through Orangevale a few months ago led me to learn about some of the history from the eyes of a local citizen. While exploring, I met an older man who seemed to be running an old orchard with his family. I approached him and asked him about the history of the orchard. His grandfather started the orchard, and his family seemed to follow in his footsteps. After returning from WW2, he settled down with his family and took care of his family orchard. This showed me that people here respect the history of the town, and how it is represented today in modern society.

My actual walk was an exploration of my town, late Saturday night and Sunday morning. My friend George and I decided that we should go out and enjoy our walk and journey around my neighborhood. Unafraid of what I would experience in Orangevale, I put on my darkest clothes, something that most people wouldn't approve of on a dark night. Then we began our expedition as we walked down the center of the street. As we wandered around my neighborhood, I took note of all the different farms and orchards. I first noticed the local farm that sells fresh eggs. We walked by the dark farm and heard the quiet and gentle breathing of the two horses that share the farm with many other animals. A few of the animals seemed to stir when we walked by. These farms and orchards seemed to be originally from before the violent winter. I love exploring the streets and examining my surroundings when I am back at home.

Houseless and Homeless in Reno

Until I heard about the idea of houselessness, I always thought that every 'bum' was homeless. These people who seem to dwell in the streets and wander the city with their shopping carts. I decided to traverse the city alone for I would be more aware of my surroundings. I noticed that there was not a complete absence of these homeless/houseless people, but they did seem rather sparse compared to the previous walks that I took through Reno. I think that the lower number of homeless people was due to the fact that my previous walks were on weekdays and this adventure was on a weekend. Although there were lots more people who were in the riverwalk to hang out and enjoy the scenery, there were still homeless people sitting on the sidewalks.
I looked around at the homeless street life and realized that these people did indeed have a home. They didn't need money to show that they owned some home of great value. They live out of their shopping cart with the few belongings that they own. These people live in Reno, and they consider it their home. I was alone so I avoided conversing with these rather shady figures that society has marked as outcasts. The hobos that reside here in Reno are not homeless, rather they are houseless. All of these people who live in the streets might have some sense of environmental conscience. They live off of the few belongings they have, and they don't burn the fossil fuels that we waste on a daily basis. Either way the houseless people seem like a rather dangerous crowd to hang around. This was definitely not an enjoyable walk and I don't want to do it again anytime soon.

Reno's Casinos

I realize that I bash on Reno and other forms of civilization in my blogs, and I plan on doing it again right now. I will admit that I have grown a sort of animosity towards cities and urban life, but I haven't ever really liked placed with buildings that are taller than five stories. I would much rather go out and wander in the woods than wander in the urban nightmare of Reno. My walk through the casino district of Reno was anything but enjoyable. Everywhere I looked, I saw people with disappointment in their eyes. These people are not the normal crowd compared to where I used to live. Yeah, they were almost all white, but they just looked dirty and sad. The life in Reno seems to have been sucked out by the casinos and their games.

The buildings and streets of the district were not pleasant or attractive. The streets had a very gross smell, much like the smell that comes out between Argenta and Nye Hall. This smell was right next to one of the casinos and many blocks surrounding. The smell made the already unattractive buildings even less attractive. The signs for casinos were displayed everywhere in the street, and they just looked old and rundown. Buildings covered with large murals and rock-climbing walls were spread around the streets. Every casino had big red signs that were out to attract attention. The casinos has many promises of big winners that were made to make you think that you could be the next winner.
I am not surprised that the University students were not able to venture in to the casino district. The area is unsafe, dirty, and unattractive. I would be surprised if any students wanted to go into the district if they were under the age of 21. I enjoy the campus because it is nice, and it does not resemble a city. Reno is a big gross ominous figure that seems to swallow all forms of life that enter.

Reno Riverwalk

The riverwalk was a very interesting journey. We were not only able to see what the actual path along the river was like but also what the city of Reno was like downtown. I did not find much of the area around my normal 'neighborhood' to be pleasant at all. In fact, the walk was filled with disappointment and what looked like a homeless bathing area. This walking path that cost millions of dollars is now just a fancy walkway filled with shady characters. Although the people and and smells were a major downside to the walk, the actual scenery was quite fantastic.

The city of Reno, initially installed the path as a scenic route for people to wander and forget their worries, but at some point the barrier between Reno and the scenic escape was demolished. The walkway is now home for many less fortunate homeless people. As we walked down the steps to the water we were eyed by the others who were seated along the bank.

Once we reached the bottom of the steps, one of us slipped into the water. I have both pictures up to show the actual flaw in the design of the walkway and its limbs that extend to the edge of the water. This sign on the left that has been painted and scratched by the people who traverse the walkway was not an adequate warning for the slippery surfaces. The sign was mounted in such a fashion that the only way people could read it was if they were walking back to the path, away from the surfaces. The sign was not visible as we approached the water, and it did not warn us whatsoever. This walkway may be nice, but it is not something that should be in Reno. Reno has its claws in the walkway, and it leaves a sign for anyone who might think about taking the riverwalk.