mean reno

[olivia]

so this year on my way home in reno, i was called a freak three times and an old lady came up to me to tell me to put some clothes on. i was wearing a sundress that covers me to my knees.

got any mean reno experiences?

[antron]

she must have been coming home from church after a really good sermon

[Zane5100]

For some reason I never get called a freak to my face.

Then again, I don't go through Reno...

[Guest]

an old lady came up to me to tell me to put some clothes on. i was wearing a sundress that covers me to my knees.

So then did you flash her?

[TestesInSac]

I stopped in Reno (McCarren Blvd is Reno, right?) and found all the locals I met to be helpful, relatively cheerful and tolerant. 'Course, I didn't approach them as though they were mentally calcified hayseeds, either.

[Jordan 10-E]

How about this Olivia... I think you are FREAKIN beautiful.

[Ivy]

I didn't have any encounters, really, negative or positive, but apparently almost everyone who say a friend of mine, dusty or clean, kept being friendly to her and asking "how was your burn?"--burners and non-burners alike.

[clandyone]

I've had Ivy's friend's experience myself. Everyone is Reno is usually pretty nice. I've had brief conversations with casino workers who were envious that I got to go -- they usually have to work Labor Day.

[precipitate]

On the way home this year, I was getting gas in Hawthorne. Still wearing
my grubby pajamas and green bandanna. I was attempting to clean my
windshield, and the guy at the next pump asked me if I had a good time.
I looked up to see a guy probably in his late 50's driving an F350 with a
huge freakin' closed trailer on it. I said yeah, it was great. He said, "Me
too," tipped his cap at me, and drove off. It was nice.

I had green hair in Reno last year. The shoppers at Home Depot gave me
a wide berth, but the cashiers were nice. I had someone ask if I was
having trouble with my boyfriend a few years ago in a diner in Reno
because I had huge bruises on both biceps.

So all in all, pretty positive experiences.

[III]

>huge bruises on both biceps

good thing *that* doesn't happen anymore...

[Zane5100]

>huge bruises on both biceps

good thing *that* doesn't happen anymore...

...you have the bruises now?

[III]

we share.

[Borris]

McCurran in in Sparks, and I had only positive experiences there.
the helpers at all the stores went beyond their duty (or what i would consider as their duty) to assist me, the cashiers were extra nice, i even joked with one of them (an old lady) who said about the packing assistant (a young girl) "she wan't to go every year, but i doubt it if she would survive longer then 20 minutes out in the desert"
on the way back we had dinner at some chain buffet thing (don't remember it's name) and were offered compimentary white wine with our meal and constant food reffils. we assume that the shift manager was either a burner or burner sympathetic (we were still quite dusted at that point)

[Zane5100]

That's so sweet... <sigh>

[stuart]

I and the other two boys were stopping in sparks for our traditonal post burn fast food action. The patrons were giggling at us. My camp mate asked me what was so funny, as we don't really look overly freaky or hipsterish. It took me a while to figure it out. I pointed out what he was wearing. We all had on our camp t-shirts. They said 'hi!' on one side (our camp name) and 'spank me' on the other. We had a big laugh at ourselves then.

[Chai Guy]

My friend and I were driving home to L.A. and made a stop at a coffee shop in Lone Pine off HWY 395. There was a classic old timer in a rocking chair with a straw hat sitting outside. As we grabbed the door to go inside he said (with out even looking at us) "How was that Burn'in Man?" ummm... "Great" we replied, and went inside. On our way out the man was still sitting there and said (again without looking at us) "See ya' next year then" .

[chloe_dancer]

we rolled into reno sunday at like 6:30 pm, all dirty from not showering in oh, 6 days. we were covered in playa dust.....we walked to a buffet, fitzgeralds i think, and got crazy stares from all the older folks who were chain smoking and shoving money into the machines....i didn't care, i was so hungry nothing bothered me....and i got to wash my hands w/ soap and warm water for the first time in days!!!! we ate like spun out cheetah's....devouring chicken .mmmmmmmmmmm with fierce looks in our eyes..........

[Rob the Wop]

Went to Reno for two nights before hitting BM to have a comparison. Seems everyone in Reno that knew about Burning Man will be going next year. I gambled in cheasy casinos and oogled at cheesy strip clubs. Much as folks put down the world of the Commercial Whore, I have a blast throwing money at machines that make loud noises on occasion. My only bummer is that Reno rates a cheesiness factor of about 6, whereas Vegas rates a solid 9. I would have MUCH rather it been Vegas prior-but my travel path is wrong. There's nothing like the feeling from watching Elvis impersonators hurl into gutters under 3million blinking lights at 3am.

And I don't have the long hair thing anymore (fucking work bastards- I didn't need to in order to keep my job in the end anyway) or "funny looking" hair/clothes. I do have some stylish hats, but nothing truely out of the ordinary. So I didn't get a any flack from anyone.

[Badger]

and an old lady came up to me to tell me to put some clothes on.

Badger's two word reply: blow me

[III]

>blow me

i'm trying to imagine the look you'd have on your face if she tried to take you up on that...

[Last Real Burner]

so this year on my way home in reno, i was called a freak three times and an old lady came up to me to tell me to put some clothes on. i was wearing a sundress that covers me to my knees.

got any mean reno experiences?

Sorry no mean Reno experiences here either, Olivia..

Every year we stop in Reno after the burn and pig out at one of the local buffets (Fitzgeralds I think) and boy do they roll out the red carpet for you. The greatest bunch of guys ( Thanks Miguel Flrmgr?) lots of burners there and all well taken care of. Every store-7/11 we stop at we usually get one of two questions "Did you have fun this year?" and "Got any pictures (of nekkid wemons!)?" And don't break out a video camera you will have everybody in the place crowding around trying to get a peek. All in all Reno's a 10 on my list! and highly recommend the stop before or after.

"You could die in the desert without Tequlia"

mr smith

[Festafarian]

I must say I had the friendliest Reno experience ever this year. I've never had a bad one, but people were bending over backward to help us out. The lady at the liquor store gave us her card and told us to call ahead next year so she could either special order or hold stuff for us, and then she gave us 5, 20 lb bags of ice for free! Everywhere we went was out of stove fuel, but people were calling places for us until they found a store that still had some. The Safeway chick was signing us all up for their discount card, which saved us about $70 in the long run -it was pretty incredible. Also -a guy took us to his house and put a can of slime in my bike tire as well as air for all of our tires. He was a fellow burner who couldn't make it this year, but he was still extra nice!

Now the airport for the flight home on the other hand................UGH!

[Dustdevil]

For the last 6 years I have left on Sunday in order to get to sparks around noonish. Over the Labor Day weekend Sparks Hosts' the National Rib Cookoff. I got to the event covered in Playa Dust and eat ribs until I get sick. I have never had any negative feedback. And the food is great. In fact this is what I used to tempt my wife into finally trying BM three years ago. It worked for me.

[dragonflyannie]

only thing that happened to me was in the burger king in sparks...
some guy told me my boots didn't match my outfit. i just laughed at him and said thank you.

[Badger]

A few years ago a group of us stopped in Winnemucca one weekend after a long, summer week of being in the desert (playa, Pyramid Lake, Carson sink and other areas of the Great Basin) doing land art installations and learning the geology of the region. I was wearing dust covered Doc Martins, a Utilikilt my ball cap from the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste facility (http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ymp/index.shtml) and had a tee shirt that was, um, crufty. To say the least.

I went into a truck stop to buy some beer and toothpaste - or something. I walked in with my rock hammers, GPS, knives and few other objects dangling off my tool belt. There was three of us in the place. Myself, the cashier and a crusy old truck driver over in the ailse checking out the Twinkie selection.

Just as I walked in the place the cashier takes one look at me with his eyes half bugging out of his head and says "Boy, where the hell are you from?

The old trucker who by now takes one very nonchalant look at me, looks over to the cashier and says "You dumb ass, cain't you see that boy's from France - he's wearin' a quilt.

I didn't laugh but I did almost piss myself.

[olivia]

man. maybe i attract the meanies, or maybe the parking lot of PORT-O-SUBS is a portal to mean reno.

i guess i should add that after the old lady walked off, a woman sitting in her truck said to me, "well, i think you look beautiful!"

tee hee!

[Badger]

a woman sitting in her truck said to me, "well, i think you look beautiful!"

That's the woman we all want in our camp. Good on her. I imagine she was spot on with her observation BTW.

[Angry Butterfly]

This sour old b*tch in remo on the way in told me to pull my pants up. They were sitting squarely on my waist. They weren't even low riders, you couldnt see my underwear or anything, in fact all you could see was my belly button and that was only because I had a short top on, they were only about 3/4 of an inch below my belly button, realtively high for the style nowdays. ITMADEMEANGRY! I shoud have bauled her out and told her go find someone her own age to pick on. Why my grandparents had to die young and old hags like this get to live on to annoy people is beyond me. Perhaps mean spiritedness keeps you alive longer.

[TestesInSac]

Perhaps mean spiritedness keeps you alive longer.

Yippee-fuckin-kay-yay, I'ma live to 100!

[electrolux]

I drove up through reno in july and we needed to buy groceries. I figured we could just get off at any exit and it wouldn't be too hard to find something. I guess we got off at the special liquor store and strip club exit because it was definitely the creepy side of the tracks. Generally gave me the impression that reno sucks ass. But don't listen to me since i've only really been there that one time.