I am not a blogger

My brother took us to a fantastic resort and casino over break, Red Rock in Las Vegas. His casino host in Atlantic City hooked him up with a weekend to try it out. I figured we would not spend too much time there and head over to the strip, it is about a 15 minute drive from the main action. But we ended up not leaving the casino the whole time. We brought my girlfriend and his wife, and we truly had an amazing weekend.

This has to be the nicest hotel I have stayed in. First the rooms: 2 HD tvs, one of which is enormous 52", the other is strategically placed over the whirlpool tub. Gorgeous furniture, oversized rooms, but the view-a view of the canyons, beautiful red rocks and blue sky. Refreshing to see that view in the middle of your smoky tequila hazed gambling weekend.

The décor of the casino is tasteful and artsy, nothing gaudy or old. This is a fairly new casino, I think just a few years, maybe 2? The cocktail waitresses are gorgeous, their outfits tasteful. My girlfriend didn't even mind when I ogled, she ogled too they were so stunning. The people that were there were younger, classier, out for a nice weekend, but still fun, not fat Midwestern tourists in sandals.

I think what kept me happy there was that also, a late night crowd came in, assuming they were locals, for the bar and nightclub scene. So it felt full of action, it didn't feel like it was as far off strip as it really as. The nightclub inside was hot, the chicks were hot and drunk, the party scene was really fun.

The restaurants we loved, especially the oyster bar (see related article-kumamotos baby) But the Mexican place was great with that great mountain view, which goes well with southwestern food. I can't remember the sushi place, so it must not have made an impression.

What is cool is that my brother gambled a LOT and won, so he will get to go back and stay and eat for free. In a way I hate that I loved this place, because I do not want to stay anywhere else now, but to NOT be on the strip still bothers me. I guess getting over there for one night is possible. I know my brother will invite me back, he knows I won't get to do something like this otherwise, and he is the one that really taught me how to play blackjack and craps, he likes to brag about that.

The girls did the spa thing, I treated my girlfriend to a massage and facial and won lots of points with her, She tried to get us to do couples massages, but it is not my thing. And I would rather gamble and do Patron shots with my brother without interruption. So she got to be a princess and I was still the hero

I discovered Oysters. Raw oysters. My girlfriend loves them, and while it may not seem lady-like to suck down a spineless blob of a crustacean, it's actually totally hot. I am an adventurous eater, I just hadn't had the opportunity at the right time. When she ordered some for herself, I couldn't be outdone by her, so I gave them a shot. Now we are both hooked.

First she made one up for me: put it on a saltine cracker, squeeze of lemon, dollop of cocktail, extra horseradish. But now that we are eating these upscale oysters, the only way to do it is the purist way, with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon, slurped right out of the shell.

And not just any oysters. The trend now is boutique oyster menus, where you order by the oyster from different regions. Not those fat grainy things from Louisiana (although I will say I had some smoked Louisiana oysters last week that were, well, smokin'!) I am talking about these smaller northern oysters, they have this amazing unique flavor, and every region and oyster seems different.

Now I like the most of what I have tried on the upscale raw bar menus. They usually run about $3 an oyster, not cheap. We usually see Wellfleet and Malpeques, which are from the east coast of North America. Very tasty. Prince Edward Island PEI's we'll order too. Bluepoints are common on these menus and we like them ok. But our Go-To oyster is Kumamoto. Nevermind that it took us about 6 weeks to remember what is was called (hamamosho? Hashimoto? Kamasutra?) We became the most acquainted with the Kumamoto during an oyster binge in Vegas. The Red Rock Casino oyster bar to be specific (which is a topic for another day, that place… whoa.) We did a sampler dozen, loved the Kuma's so ordered a dozen of those, then another. Then I DARED to suggest a 4th, she went for it, and we were swimming in them. And I kid you not, but we were still in the mood for them at lunch the next day and topped off another 2 dozen. Unreal.

What about this Kumamoto oyster is so good? I mean, it is like the Rolls Royce of oysters. Right after you eat it, the flavor-it's just like nothing else. I cannot explain it. Either you get oysters, or you don't. And if you get them, this oyster is out of this world.

I googled them when I got home, and learned that it was originally a Japanese oyster, not popular here at all. Someone brought some back, starting farming them on the West coast (Oregon maybe? Somewhere over there) and eventually they were harvested to extinction in Japan, so the only ones remaining are here in the US. And although they originally were not popular (probably because they are small), now they have taken off and are in high demand.

And although raw is the best, and healthy, I had fried oysters for the first time a couple weeks ago and there is just about no better fried food. I can't say I have a favorite between the 2, though it is a completely different experience. And six dozen fried are definitely too many!

What is it about being on a plane that makes a Stephen King or Michael Crichton or John Grisham book so appealing? Is it because that is mostly what you see in an airport Hudson News? Is it because they are easy but compelling reads? A quick book that you can't put down. I know they are considered sort of fluff because they are prolific writers. Well that brings up a new point: when I discovered Kurt Vonnegut in high school, and talked about him to my AP English teacher, that was her comment, as she looked down her nose--- he was too prolific. What about frequent writing makes them any less talented or appealing? Give me a break. English snobs.

So back to my airplane read. On the cheap flights I usually end up taking, there is no TV in the seat. In a way, that's alright because it's my excuse to read a book I'd never read at home. And I like those fluff prolific writers, they don't seem bad to me at all. I don't see where they are all that different from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and he is respected yes? This past trip I grabbed NEXT by Michael Crichton. I usually go for Grisham first, it's just too easy and what guy can't get into a good law story. But the rows were filled with Crichton books, and there was a purple monkey on the cover. One pretty cool thing about Michael Crichton was summed up in his intro/prologue: "Everything in this book is fiction, except for the parts that aren't." So in his typical style, he creates these really believable scenarios, completely based in science and technology advances. I am a science junkie, he sort of reminds me of myself the way my brain works. You know, he is the Jurassic Park dude, and tell me you didn't think when you saw that movie that - well-that really COULD happen, they could great a dinosaur in a Petri dish. And tell me you didn't learn much of what you know about dinosaurs from that movie too-like about the sizes, and how ruthless raptors are, and how to hide from a T. Rex by being still, now that will come in handy.

The basis of this book is all about gene patents and biotechnology. And Yes, they are patenting genes, court battles over them, universities are now into it for the profit, it's all scary stuff. Big drug and research companies. I know more about it now than I did before reading this, and I seriously found it fascinating that there are companies BUYING the genes that represent certain diseases. They own the disease. Unreal.

One thing about reading to me, it's like a dream that stays with me. There was a character in the book that was a chip that was artificially bred with a human, and a family raised him trying to pull him off as a real boy. But he was part ape and would attack and bite the other kids. I couldn't get that freaking monkey-boy out of my head the whole trip, which was to Mexico where I know I saw a monkey running around the resort grounds.

The airplane read is so quick and easy, the entire book was finished between the flight there and back. It's not a commitment. It's part of vacation. Another brainless release and escape.

There are certain things that prefer about Europe over America. Now before you color me a bleeding heart America hating liberal, that is not me. I will be voting for McCain. But there is nothing wrong with disliking some things about America, and loving some things about Europe.

What is on my mind today is mass transit. The trains. Now that I am on a campus, I get to walk and ride my bike everywhere. Of course I have a car that we use, but it's way cool to get to hop on my bike to cruise up to the store for a 6pack. It really gets me thinking about past trips to London or Rome or Paris, and getting around quite comfortably without a car, walking and using the rail system. Growing up in Long Island, I was in the city often so comfortable getting around on the subways. But only a handful of cities in the US truly depend on mass transit. In Europe, the trains are everywhere. Mind the Gap in London. Countryside trains through the Tuscan grapevines and villas. Step on a train at my Paris hotel, step off into the Louvre. Walking, mopeds, trains, and all those tiny cars and tiny streets… it changes the entire atmosphere of a city. You can see so much more when you walk and ride the train. The people watching factor can't be beat. The cities are tight, the streets are narrow, nothing spread out like in the burbs, none of those 6 lane highways and strip malls, I love that about Europe. The apartments you rent are on a 3rd floor above a piazza. The hotels are scattered among the cafes and bars, often in the same buildings, all crammed into the city blocks, just like NYC. Having a car there is cumbersome, just like in NYC. Geez, my dad rented a car in Florence once, and scared the hell out of us just getting us out of the city. We wanted to stop for a bite, couldn't park anywhere, no street signs labeled, stuck on a roundabout, and eventually when returning it, dinged another car trying to get around a truck on one of those tiny streets. But because it is older, slower, slightly less modernized, there is character that far outweighs the Big Apple. Charm.

What can America do to encourage mass transit development and use? I cannot even fathom. Because our cities are built around roads, highways, large cars, I don't know how to retrofit the city around a rail system. I'm hardly a city planner, but surely there could be a way, I just can't fathom it. The money spent to re-structure a city, just to save on gasoline and cars, probably a losing proposition. Here on campus I can get around fine on my bike, but if I need to venture to a Target or something, it's ridiculous to cross that 6 lane highway, the car is just easier. Man, just to walk from Target to the Safeway next door is a trek. In Europe and in NYC, it's right next door, it's just a different layout. And I don't really like it. Every time I vacation in Europe (which luckily I get to do often thanks to my family's budget and travel tastes), I think about moving there. There have to be some international exchange programs, maybe I can study abroad for a few years. Bring my bike, ditch my car, go study city planning, and come back here and rebuild America city by city, train by train. Shrink the streets and shrink the cars.