Elko, NV: City of the Dead

Elko, like every other Nevada city as far as we can tell, is depressing (Vegas may be an exception, but I’m just taking Tony’s word for it). We arrived around ten pm, but it felt much later. We dragged ourselves to the nearest open restaurant, in the glamorous Red Lion Casino. Passing between rows of glassy-eyed seniors pathologically pressing the spin buttons on their video slots, we settled at the food counter and ordered Chicken Fingers (Phil) and a Caesar salad (Dorothy). Dorothy ordered a martini and gave the waiter the recipe, and Phil ordered the same Bud six times before getting it. Phil won $3 at the penny slots, Dorothy lost $2, and that was that.