The Eldorado

I am not sure why, but while reading this book I imagined downtown Reno to just be completely run down and have old, musty casinos, paint chipping of their walls, smoke embedded into the paint, and some of it was correct but not to the extent in which I depicted in my head.  The Eldorado Casino, where Penny and Allison ate at the dessert buffet, had many new additions, or so I assume.  There was a large advertisement TV in the very front corner of the casino, and the casino itself was rather large.  For it being around one in the afternoon it was pretty busy with people going in and coming out.  They had escalades parked outside of the casino that had their logo imprinted on them and people kept stopping the left lane to park next to it or drop people off.  There were flashing lights in numerous places but to be honest it did look a little run down on the outside, or at least showcased that the Eldorado had been there for quite a few years.

In a way, the casino made me think that essentially she never left Vegas.  She believed she could run away and everything would be different but the same scenarios were still occurring, if anything she hated herself even more and could not stand being alone, and the environment and atmosphere between the two locations were essentially the same as well.  This time though, she had made a friend who was there for her and she could be truthful to and found a guy who treated her right.

In the chapter in which Penny and Allison are at the dessert buffet at the Eldorado, Allison essentially has to confront her past, Jimmy, which I believe was a turning point.  Before, she had wanted to keep everything a secret, but after talking about him and discussing problems that had come of her relationship, she started thinking about her new future and leaving the past behind.  She started discussing going back to school to get an education.  I believe the Eldorado was a landmark of change for her in the sense that she confronted her fears and insecurities and established what she wanted to do for herself.