Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Three firsts after the first

I'm a big fan of trying new things and seeing new places. I'll try almost anything once, so long as it's legal and non-life-threatening. Last weekend, thanks to my brave mother-in-law, my husband and I were able to leave the house for nearly 24 hours! In this brief span of time, I experienced three things for the first time:

Gambling. I had never been in a casino, ever. My husband wanted to teach me how to play craps. Luckily, we have this state called Nevada right next door, so we drove a couple of hours to the bright lights and hustle and bustle of...Reno.

Gambling was about what I expected it to be. We traded real money for colored chips, then we put the chips down on a table and casino employees swept them away while my lungs filled with stale secondhand smoke. But, now I know how to play craps.

Costco. I often felt like the last human being in the United States who had never been inside a Costco. No one could believe me when I told them. They would always ask where I'm from, as if I just arrived on the boat from Antarctica. But, for some reason, I've always been content to shop at the other five million stores, where you don't have to pay for a membership. I've only been tempted once, when I was at a friend's house and she had the most delicious Margherita pizza from Costco. A few weeks ago, my husband bought a membership, so all of a sudden I was a Costco member, but I still hadn't been able to go yet. Finally on Sunday, after returning from Reno, we had time to stop by the popular warehouse store.

Costco also was what I expected. Boxes piled to the ceiling, huge packages of everything, math problems swirling through my head trying to figure out if things were a better deal than Target, and where on earth we might store ten gallons of apple juice. We didn't purchase anything, but now I know where I can get a television, ski lift tickets, a pair of jeans, a case of wine, a box of diapers the size of my living room, and a box of 150 frozen fish sticks, all in one place.

Beach Hut Deli. Since moving to this area a year and a half ago, I've been meaning to try a sandwich from Beach Hut Deli, because everyone says they are the best in town. So, after Costco we decided to stop there for lunch.

Again, about what I expected. A little pricey, very very yummy.

Will my firsts turn into seconds? I may or not return to Reno someday. Most likely I'll grace Costco with my presence again, mainly because I really want to get one of those pizzas. And Beach Hut Deli: I'll be back.

2 comments:

Cassie said...

There is a reason they call it craps....

Maureen Dillie said...

YUM!! I love Beach Hut, it is definitely a place that I miss. I ate there every few weeks when I was pregnant with Kayla, sometimes more if i was subbing at the middle school. So yummy!

And I can't believe that with a family of 5 you don't shop at Costco. You only have to store the 10 pounds of Wheat thins for a few days before they are gobbled up!