Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: August 24th, 2006
Virginia Street,
Reno, Nevada, 1950
Properly dressed in a portly-sized suit and wide-brimmed hat, a sun-lit man-about-town crosses the street on one side as a battleship grey 1949 Dodge emerges from the semi-shaded canyon of casinos and commerce on the other. This is the only downtown on earth that has casinos on the east side of the street and commerce on the west. The neon signs are seductive and abundant - some are electrified by day and some are not. The lack of font variety is as unexpected as it is unpretentious.
I love Reno! I went there frequently in the 80s. Two of my best friends were fresh-out-of-college TV news reporters there. One of them had a great aunt that lived nearby - Aunt Pauline. She was short, slender and as sassy as her day-glo red hair ala Lucy. I’ll never forget the afternoon we spent with her.
We took her to lunch at her favorite eating place, the counter Woolworth’s where a simple and savory luncheon was served to us in style. Between bites of her fried egg sandwich she told us a story I’ll never forget.
She had recently retired from the Nevada Club where she was the head cashier for thirty-five years. In all those years of working there she said the owner of the club spoke to her just one time - once in thirty-five years! Everyday he came in with his little pet Chihuahua and walked right past her. He never even nodded. She described him as a rather large man who wore tailored pinstripes, imported wingtips, smoked big cigars and always drove a big, jet black Cadillac.
One day while he was out of the office, his Chihuahua bit her on the ankle. The bite drew blood and required stitches. The next day he came in without the dog, walked right up to her and spoke to her for the very first time. He said “Are you OK? She said “Oh yes, I’ll be fine.” He replied “Well, you made the dog sick.” He never spoke to her again.
Before we took Aunt Pauline back to her 60s time warp house, at her request, we drove her thru McDonalds where she bought five plain hamburgers –a week’s supply - one for each day. She said that she froze them, and then microwaved them for lunch. Yum-yum!
Here’s to Reno, Aunt Pauline, microwaved McDonald’s and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
August 2006
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Las Vegas
9 Comments on “Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, 1950”
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August 25th, 2006 at 7:54 am
Wow.. the street’s bursting with energy, yeah, yeah, sure, BUT THOSE CARS — JUST LOOK AT THE CARS!
Dare I say, “I, too, weep”?
I’ve a friend whose Filipino dance troupe visited Reno back in ‘65. Here, by way of contrast, is a different, off-the-beaten path Reno street:
August 25th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Bright Lights, Biggest Little City Charles!
Oh swoon! The cars! The neon signs! It almost makes a gal want to run off to Reno for a quickie divorce. It is hard for me to think of Reno without thinking of movies like _The Women_ wherein a divorce in Reno usually means vaguely Western-styled clothing and a little slapstick comedy. As I gazed at Mr. Big But Stylish jetting across the street, I thought: “Is he drowning his divorce sorrows in a little gambling? And if so, is he behaving properly?” And thus, I consulted an old favorite from the editors of Esquire Magazine, _The New Esquire Etiquette: A Guide to Business, Sport, and Social Conduct_ ( 1959). An etiquette guide in which “those ladylike rules which are not comfortable and natural for a man to follow” have been ruthlessly set aside. And doesn’t that sound just right for our modern man?
Buried in the “Social Etiquette” chapter is a little advice on “divorce etiquette” — perhaps just what Mr. Running But Suited Needs. Shall we look?
“Etiquette dictates that she divorce you, no matter what, and, no matter what, that you don’t talk about it. The rest of it is a matter for lawyers and bankers, but there is a convention that the wedding presents (like trousseau linen) belong to the woman.
Once the divorce is final, she substitutes her maiden name for your first name — Mrs. John Jones, nee Mary Smith, becomes Mrs. Smith Jones. Your children keep your name until legally changed, with your consent. Your name is probably mud […]
Your previous marriage has some effect on the etiquette of your next one, of course — you will know enough to avoid comparisons; you’ll know better than to try to kindle a friendship between your first and second wives; you’ll be wise enough to forewarn old friends so that you don’t have to explain the divorce in front of your new wife.
When you and your ex-wife happen to meet in public, your conduct should be designed to avoid embarrassing others.. Old-school chumminess can sometimes be as embarrassing to onlookers as evidence of dislike. Impersonal politeness, if it’s possible, is always safe.”
Oh Dashingly Dashing Across the Street! You poor soul! He looks like the type to try for that “old-school chumminess” that is apparently quite unpleasant for all involved. Oh dear. Well, let’s hope that the fresh air will return him to his wits and that he will stop talking about his ex-wives and promptly give back their linen. At least he knows he can get some smokes and money over there on the right-hand side of the street. Comforting, I’m sure.
xoxo!
Miss Sharon
August 25th, 2006 at 11:04 am
[…] This photo of downtown Reno in 1950 was Charles Phoenix’ Slide of the Week. The neon here seems to pop off the screen; it’s almost 3-D. This is such a different world from what we have now, but yet there’s familiar stuff to let us know we’re in the same place. The Reno Arch may not be the modern version we’re used to, but it’s still recognizable. The Riverside Hotel still beckons from the end of the street. And to the left the outline of the Hotel Mapes glimmers in the setting sun. It’s not our downtown, but it’s still downtown. // […]
August 25th, 2006 at 11:52 am
Charles, do you know what those flags were about?
August 25th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
What is recognizable? Every club that you see in these slides/postcards has been torn down and replaced with Vegas/Moafioso/Mega casinos (each more boring and the same as the next one). The Mapes Hotel was blown up by the City Fathers a few years ago and the Riverside is all that’s left….now condos. Poor Reno tries to compete with other ‘casino lands’ and destroyed all that made it unique, almost all historical references. Reno once was a real city, now just a tacky imitation of the worst our culture has to offer.
August 25th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
I love Reno! In fact, I go up there on a regular basis. One of my favorite places is the riverside water park that was installed a few years ago. And of course, I love me some slot machines!
August 26th, 2006 at 10:13 am
I love the Reno slide-of-the-week! And who else but you would discourse on lack of font variety on the signage
Charles, you make our world a brighter place, you do!
August 27th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Wow. I finally got a moment to read this. I LOVE Aunt Pauline. What a hoot. I think I’ll buy some McDonalds’s burgers and microwave them myself this week. Yum.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:49 am
i love this article, helping me so much to write some story about Reno, Nevada. Thank you so much!