I know. I’m so very more New York Style (which might be the next destination) and I’ll be the first to admit the housing in the area was more than frightening (and those were the homes that didn’t have their Halloween decorations out yet), but an animal grooming business called “Doggie Style” made us laugh out loud despite ourselves!
Welcome to West Virginia!
And yes, just like Vegas, what happens in West Virginia, stays in West Virginia…at least to some extent.
Mountaineer Casino was the destination of choice. A friend of ours had been there numerous times and thus the idea was born…I planned “Girls’ Night Out.”
It was a beautiful drive down. The fall foliage was amazing and vibrant. The earthy hues of nature surrounded us as we talked and giggled and almost missed several important exits!
I thought how much Hennessy might like to ride his bike this way because he spoke so adoringly of this season. I thought how thrilled we all were to be getting away from the stressors we have – and boy do we have them! I thought of some other friends and one other person I might enjoy spending this much time with – on a destination to fun and trouble. The mind wanders…lost in fantasy and far from reality, which, after all, was the point of the trip.
The narrow bridge we took over from OH to WV had our driver white-knuckled. I didn’t look down. I prayed with my eyes closed and teeth clenched. I needed a glass of wine, or three, or maybe a bottle.
We had the car valet parked. I checked us in. I was still a little nervous it might not pan out as planned. You see, I had to rely on others, which I hate to do, but it was necessary… he said he’d make the call. Sometimes people offer to do things and they don’t come through. This was not the case. (I, of course had a PLAN B). There was absolutely no problem at all though and, instead of 11:00 AM, we received a NOON check out. SWEET!
He gave the word.
Our rooms were COMPED.
Nice.
Ravenous after the trek, we went to Gatsby’s for burgers. (Next time, we’ll try the 5-star Restaurant, La Bonne Vie). After that, a quick tour of the casino and then, time to gamble. Some of the slots were silly (CashSquatch, MIB, etc) but they paid. It was cool to spin a “bonus” which could last anywhere from 5 seconds to a couple of minutes. We moved to various games and hit on and off. It was addictive. We laughed, we joked, spent money, we ate, drank, won money. Everyone was friendly and having a good time. Deeper into the night, it became increasingly more difficult to find an open machine. The place got packed – quick! Noise, smoke and lights filled the casino and you couldn’t help but get caught up in it all.
Being from Ohio, it was strange (and a bit rancid) to see people smoking inside. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run away or light up myself. I did neither. Later that night we hit the Mahogany Piano Bar and treated ourselves to more cocktails along with Gorgonzola Dip and focaccia bread baked with sun-dried tomatoes. Rich and delicious! Dirty martinis came with olives stuffed with almonds.
The next morning, we hit Gatsby’s again for a quick breakfast. Blueberry pancakes, Belgium Waffles, sides of protein and lots and lots of coffee. We gambled a bit more before heading home.
The sun peaked out on and off to brighten the reds, yellows and oranges coloring the leaves of trees located in the gully and valleys on either side of us. We couldn’t believe how beautiful Ohio truly was during the season of autumn. We breathed it all in remembering that winter would soon be upon us once again.
And so, we decided, whether COMPED again or not,
“We’ll have to do this again.”
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Ships are only safe in harbor
But that's not what ships were built for
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