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.