April 21, 2008

• my favorite vacation

  I wrote the following yesterday for the Kween of the Queens challenge.  I tried adding a video but was unsuccessful.  (If anyone has any idea how to add video using a Mac, I would appreciate it, thanks.)    

       This past October, I had the chance to go to Casino Niagara in New
  York. I am not a gambler but I really do love the Falls, and thought
  this would be an easy and cheap way of seeing them again.
       The
  first time I visited the Falls, I was a senior in high school. I went
  with my parents, recently widowed grandmother and my obnoxious little
  sister. It was on of the stops on our New England vacation. I learned a
  lot on that trip: Valium and grandmothers can be a very funny
  combination, and my dad is a real hero. At Niagara Falls my dad stopped
  a car that was coasting toward the Falls with a three year-old Japanese
  boy in it. His family was walking toward the car and he ran ahead, got
  in the car and knocked it out of gear. Dad quickly grasped what was
  going on and ran to the car, threw open the door and put the brakes on.
  
       Then he quietly got out of the car, taking the child with him, and
  turned him over to the adoring Japanese family who were taking many
  pictures of their hero. Our family does not have one photo. We were in a
  state of shock.
       My second trip to Niagara was in the winter. I went
  with a friend I worked with at the hospital and she and I were young
  nurses just looking to have fun. The Falls are beautiful in the winter,
  but one should bypass fashion and wear sensible boots- ones with good
  traction so you’re not slipping on the ice. I nearly slid into the
  Falls in almost precisely the same spot as the parking lot heroics. In
  fact, I was pointing the spot out to my friend at the time. All in all,
  though, I have very fond memories of the Canadian side of the Falls.
        Back
  to the future: I was very excited about this day trip to Niagara. I was
  going with two of my good friends from work and we were taking a bus.
  We left Carrollton very early in the morning. I took cat naps until the
  sun came up. Then I enjoyed looking at the fall foliage out the bus
  window. Everyone was talking about the gambling and how much luck they
  might have. I was secretly planning my getaway. The lady who put
  together the junket said you could walk to the American side of the
  Falls from the casino. I had on my walking shoes and I was ready.
        Once
  we got to the casino at 10 am or so, I waited in line to get my comps:
  $30 in gambling credits and a free electronic lunch ticket. I then
  explored the casino. Very huge and very noisy. My friends took off in
  different directions and I wandered around soaking in the feelings of
  expectations and despondency. Most of these people stared ahead,
  mesmerized by the spinning pictures on the machine in front of them.
        I
  figured out how to use my ID card to wager and began my foray into the
  dark world of gambling. I am an addictive personality. I can easily
  understand how gambling can get into your blood. I used only the $30
  that the casino forwarded me and then convinced myself to quit. It was
  nearly lunch time and I left the casino part to meet up with my friends
  for lunch.
        The dining room was huge, holding hundreds of people.
  The food is served buffet style, of course. There was no reason a
  person should go home hungry from that place. The food was fantastic
  and cooked to perfection. Even one of my work acquaintances, who is
  known to be very particular, couldn’t complain, even though she tried.
  (“I don’t usually like blueberry pie, but this is excellent.” – which
  led me to ask, in my mind, “Then why DID you get it?”)
        After lunch,
  the glint of the sun through the front doors of the casino beckoned me
  outside. Once I stepped out the door, I knew I could shake off that
  gambling bug. The weather was perfect. The temperature was in the low
  70′s. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud to be seen in the
  azure sky. I could hear the gentle rumbling of the waterfalls. I set
  out for the sound. I enjoyed sightseeing on my walk through the city
  toward the park. There are some beautiful old buildings that I
  photographed.
         There was quite a crowd, but I walked alone, pausing
  to take pics along the way. This was the first time I could see just
  what I wanted to see. I didn’t have to bow to the wishes of a
  companion. If I wanted to turn down a side path, I could. Of course, I
  had to keep my safety in mind, but I wasn’t too worried about that. It
  was just a wonderful sunny afternoon and I got to enjoy some people
  watching, too. All the little kids were a joy to see. Not one was
  cranky. It was truly a glorious day. Parents all seemed relaxed.
        I
  would have donned a rain slicker and taken the elevator down to the
  observation deck, but the line was too long for me. I didn’t want to
  waste the day. I walked and walked. It was the most exhilarating
  feeling. The pictures I took that day were wonderful as well as the
  videos. I have them on my desktop so that when I am feeling down about
  the weather or life, I just play the video and feel calmed, remembering
  one perfect day.
        I returned to the din of the casino to meet up with
  my travel mates. I had half an hour to spare. I decided to spend $10 of
  my own money to use in the slots. I’d like to say I won big. I actually
  won $30. Monetarily, I broke even. The bus trip cost $30. Breakfast
  cost $5. The casino comped me $30 in casino credits. Lunch was free. I
  won $30 at slots. Supper was $5. Not a bad day.

  • 9:16 am
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