Walking Blog #10

Unfortunately I couldn't walk to downtown Reno because I was unable to find a buddy to accompany me.  It would probably help if I knew more people in the class, or if people didn't go out of town, or have a million other things to do.
But I was able to recall one of the times I was able to walk down the riverwalk/ casino district.  My friends and I all drove down to downtown Reno to go watch a movie near dinnertime.  We arrived when it was still bright outside, didn't see any strange people walking around really, bought our tickets to see "Possession" and walked inside the theater to watch our movie.  After we came out, it had gotten dark and the difference in environment between day and night was drastic.  Right as we walked out of the movie theater, a man with some torn clothes, was on the sidewalk right next to the theater playing his musical instrument making an attempt to collect money.
After passing him, we came across an alley that was a shorter way to get to the parking garage but we knew 100% we were not stepping foot in that area.  We decided to take the riverwalk and it was gorgeous   All the lights, the sound of rushing water from the river, a romantic ambiance,  and friends laughing and having a good time.  It was definitely a different aura than downtown Reno was in general at nighttime.
After we emerged out of the final tiled hill of the riverwalk, we crossed the street and came across a few kids skateboarding, and one man who had one pant leg rolled up, tattoos galore, glancing around everywhere, as his feet stumbled beneath him.
Finally reaching the car after the terrifying elevator ride, we got in, locked the doors, and headed out.  As we made our way up the casino walk we observed all the people walking around.  One drunk man tried to cross the street while we had the green light.  Another couple of men were standing in the dark next to a casino either smoking or snorting something, I couldn't tell.  And lastly, a man in raggedy clothes sitting on the side of the street.
To say the least, the majority of my experiences walking off campus or being off campus have been an experience.