Vision Quest

7. The Date Part l Roger

POV: Roger

    I figured the Reno Row would give me the most options for the perfect slot machine and also fine dining. The Row is actually three hotel casinos covering several city blocks. The Eldorado, the Silver Legacy, and Circus Circus are all connected by walkways over the intervening cross streets. These walkways have food courts, arcades, restaurants, and lots of slot machines one of which was bound to be properly aligned. The Eldorado has an award-winning Italian restaurant called La Strada. I figured Italian was my best chance at classy and affordable.

I was half right. It was very classy. Oh well, I can survive on peanut butter sandwiches for a few weeks.

I picked Ritu up outside her dorm and we drove the half dozen or so blocks to the Eldorado's parking garage. On the way I asked her if she had had a chance to check out any of the casinos yet. She said this was the first time she had been off campus since she had arrived at school. I killed the remainder of the drive telling her how much fun there was to be had in Reno — night life, gambling, live shows, fine dining and various festivals. She said her roommate had been on her case since day one trying to get her out more. She explained that her roommate's priorities were very different from her own. Ritu was serious about getting an education. Her roommate was more interested in fun and finding a guy. I suggested we should introduce her to my roommate with his similar priorities. Well, except that he was looking for a girl.

We parked on the second level of the El Dorado's garage and found the walkway over the street that connected the garage to the hotel. We wove our way through a maze of hallways that led to all the hotel's meeting rooms and other convention facilities. The hotel is your typical overly elaborate resort and convention utopia. Still, you would have thought the route from the garage to the main lobby would have been less puzzling.

"Roger, do you know where you are going?" Ritu asked sensing my confusion.

"Rarely," I responded matter-of-factly. "My life is always an adventure. But I am certain that restaurant is somewhere in this hotel or Google and OpenTable lied to me."

We eventually found our way to the second-floor lobby and check in desks. There we found signs that led to our restaurant.

Our reservation was for seven o'clock and we were right on time. When the maître d' asked if we had reservations, of course I told him we did, but we were willing to give it a try anyway. Ritu and the maître d' both rolled their eyes at the old joke.