Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

Steven Den Beste is back on the air, with an interesting article on gambling. I don't much enjoy gambling; if I'm going to spend money on a vacation, I would like to at least get something -- the memory of a show, or a fun ride, or the like. And if I'm going to spend money on a machine that flashes neat lights at me, I'd rather it be a vintage 1980s video game, like "Ms. Pac-Man" or "Marble Madness" or "Defender" (surely the goofiest set of game controls ever). I've been to Casino Niagara, the big casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It's a gorgeous facility, and the constant tinkling of coins falling loudly into the tray of the slots is addictive, as are all the attractive lights and bells and such, but spending a few hours there -- while enjoyable -- leaves one with a very unfulfilled sensation. "So, that's it?" was my overwhelming feeling upon my departure from the place. (I only played slots; I steered well clear of blackjack because I am an amazingly bad card player. Of course, I suspect that blackjack is not a game that requires skill in the way that poker or 500 do, but I've developed something of a card-phobia over the years, so bad at cards am I.)

What also struck me about Casino Niagara was the escalator ride from the smoking floor down to the non-smoking floor. You know that line of faint haze that forms in a room where the air is still and you're burning incense? Imagine that line of haze, much thicker, as your head drops beneath it when the escalator carries you down to the non-smoking floor. And people were spending hours in that haze, happy as clams. Yeesh.