I still had some finishing touches to do for my next book so, to cut down on the distraction level; I went my parents in the hinterlands of Pennsylvania for some uninterrupted work time. It’s like a writer’s retreat on the cheap. My parents make sure I’m fed, sleep decent hours but otherwise leave me alone. And since there are no other writers around to annoy me it’s perfect.
Going to the country turned out to be one of the smarter decisions I’ve made because I was able to focus on my work and get it done quickly and ahead of schedule. Job done, my Dad suggests we drive over to the casino that opened up on the site of the old Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos.
If you are of a certain age you remember the old Mount Airy’s cheesy commercials – the ones that showed some gold-chained swinger dude hopping into a champagne hot tub with a blonde chick wearing way too much mascara. Basically, the place was a sex resort. So much so that one comedian wagged, “The food was lousy, but it was a legalized orgy…I used to say, ‘If you break the mirror above the ceiling, you’ll have seven years of bad sex.”’ The strange thing was the honeymoon haven basically used that same old commercial until mildew and utter lack of coolness forced them to close their doors in 2001. And the tag line jingle to that old commercial? Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge!
I never got to use the Champagne hot tubs during Mount Airy’s libertine days. But that’s okay. As my friend Jeff Johnson wrote in his book Tattoo Machine, “a Jacuzzi is basically a dick-pussy-ass Frappuccino: if you’ve ever wondered what that foam was, now you know.” So my urethra dodged a bullet, but I sure hope those maids in the 80’s swabbed those hot tubs out with industrial strength bleach. Sometimes it’s not fun to swap DNA with other people.
But as Dad pulls his SUV into the casino’s parking lot I see all remnants of the old Mount Airy are gone – replaced by a modern casino and hotel. As we walk through the front doors I wonder it they kept some of the old hot tubs as some sort of homage. Probably not. After I register and walk onto the casino floor I’m disappointed. The casino’s games are all slot machines, video poker and virtual blackjack machines where big boobed computer-generated vixens beckon you to lose large amounts of money. I don’t gamble much but I’m disappointed there are no table games staffed by real human beings. When I was in Vegas half the fun was watching people losing their shirt and shit around me. Oh well.
“They’re going to have table games here soon,” my father says, noticing my annoyance. “I heard they’re interviewing dealers.”
“That’s okay Dad. I’m not in the mood for serious gambling.”
As my father settles behind a 25-cent video poker machine I try my hand at the dollar slots and immediately lose forty bucks. And as I look for a cocktail waitress I realize, other than the staff, I am the youngest person in the entire place. And by younger I mean by thirty or forty years.
As an old man on a scooter with an oxygen tank whizzes by I decide to go over to the virtual vixens and play some black jack. The table minimum’s ten dollars and I have the machine to myself. I guess ten dollars is too rich for the fixed income penny slot players relentlessly pumping coins into machines that promise much but deliver little.
After I win back my forty bucks back I go over to my father. He’s up fifty and having a good time.
“You gonna become a degenerate gambler now?” I ask.
Dad laughs. “Not yet.”
We decide to take a break and walk over to a faux diner to grab some lunch. As we pass the old people feverishly feeding the slots I notice none of them are pulling the anachronistic handle on the side of the machines.
“You notice that the people are only pushing the buttons?” I say to my father.
“Yeah.”
“Because it’d be too physical for most of these oldsters to pull the handle. And if all you have to too is push a button that means you’ll just spend your money that much faster.”
“Never thought of it that way.”
“Trust me,” I say. “These casinos have figured out every angle.”
After a quick lunch Dad and I walk back out onto the casino floor, passing by a poster advertising that the Village People are performing a concert on May 1st. My Dad used to have an eight-track of their music and I can still remember the lyrics from their old hit “Sleazy.”
I’m your every fantasy.
I am what you want to be.
Get down on your knees with me and get sleazy.
Sleaze with me down deep inside,
It brings out feelin’ satisfied.
I’ll take you for a nasty ride,
Yes I’m sleazy.
I laugh inwardly. Back in the Seventies that band would’ve felt right at home in those DNA frothed hot tubs. I wonder how that old cop and Indian look right now.
Dad goes back to his poker machine and I decide to hit up the black jack machine again. As I’m hitting and doubling down I scan the casino floor and indulge in my favorite casino pastime – spot the hooker. When I was in Vegas I sat at bar in New York, New York and watched as the working girls hovered up the horny drunk males at 3:00 AM. As I talked to a few of them (Research only!) I learned many Vegas hookers like getting paid in chips, so if the authorities asked about the money next to the dildos and whips in their purses they could say they won it gambling. Of course the “eye in the sky” could verify that fact but prostitution, while technically illegal in Clark County, is basically ignored with a wink and a nod. Most of the cute miniskirted young women in Vegas carried small party purses that held only essentials. But the sex workers often hefted large purses to haul around their “equipment.” Little tip for ya.
But unless there’s a vending machine dispensing Viagra, something tells me the hookers at Mount Airy will find slim pickings amidst the elderly one-armed bandits on a Monday afternoon. I don’t see a single working girl. Maybe on the weekends.
After a few minutes I make back most of what I’ve lost and decide to bid my virtual dealer adieu. But when I find my Dad he’s up 230 bucks.
“Quit now!” I say, hitting the cash out button.
“Why?” my Dad exclaims. “I’m up.”
“You won’t be up for long. The longer you stay the more you will lose.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Besides,” I say. “You made 230 off of your initial 40. Show me a mutual fund with a track record like that. Take your winnings and run.”
After a relatively boring two hours my Dad and I walk over to the cashier cage to cash out our tickets. As we wait in line a cute cocktail waitress carrying a tray of coffee sashays past to caffeinate the penny slot chain smokers. Thank God. Someone born after 1930.
“Now Dad,” I say, “You have to tip the cashier at the cage.”
“Huh,” he says. “You have to tip them?”
“Yep.”
“How much?”
“You did well. A couple of bucks.”
My Dad is like most people – ignorant about tipping. He’s great with waiters but his knowledge of the gratuical arts leaves a bit to be desired. Hopefully he’ll read my next book.
When it’s my turn at the cage I hand over my $63 ticket. After it’s cashed out I leave the cashier a single. “That’s yours.” I say, being the Diamond Jim Brady that I am.
“Thank you, sir!” the cashier says loudly. “Thank you very much.” My Dad gets the same exact reaction when he tips the guy two bucks. The cashier’s enthusiasm probably has less to do with the chump change he received and more with guilt tripping the other people on line to follow our example.
“Did you see that?” my Dad says as we walk away. “He put that money into a tip jar.”
“Yeah,” I say. “The workers will divvy it up after the shift.”
“But it was empty. We must’ve been the first people to tip them.”
“Probably,” I say, surveying the cashier line. ‘Most people don’t know they have to tip the cage.”
“Is that in your book?”
“Somewhere.”
My Dad and I get into his car and head for home. As we drive out of the lot my father points to the Catholic retreat house lying squat and incongruous next to the temple of jingle and sin.
“I’ll bet a lot of people go in there to pray,” my father says. “Oh God! What am I going to tell the wife?”
“Thank God gambling’s never been a problem in our family,” I say. “We’ve got others, but not that one.” And we’re lucky that way. Booze, drugs and smoking usually take their sweet time killing you – but gambling can destroy you in a single day.
“You gonna tell Mom about the money you won?” I ask as we drive out the front gate.
“Of course.”
“Dad,” I sigh. “Don’t be stupid.”
I’m still in awe at your ability to make otherwise mundane topics completely readable and enjoyable. Good show, Waiter.
nope….I cant be first to comment….I get stage fright…but seriously though can I use your parents house eh? I need to write a book in a quiet place too….
hehehe
Except for the occasional lottery ticket and poker with buddies, I am too cheap to gamble…But not too cheap not to tip. I played a bit of blackjack on a cruise, and did tip my last $5 to the dealer. I think this (tipping) is a generational thing still.
“I wonder how that old cop and Indian look right now.”
Ask and ye shall receive:
Cop:
http://www.victorwillisworld.com/photo_gallery.htm
Indian:
http://www.feliperose.com/
Tip the cage? That’s a new one for me. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that on my next (infrequent) trip to a casino.
Very interesting post. I admit that I hadn’t known about tipping the cage. Of course, I normally cash out at an automated machine on the very few occasions that I do gamble. I wonder how people in the cage feel about these machines. On one hand they don’t have to deal with as many people who are inebriated (and most like rude as well) but on the other hand it would drastically cut down on the tips they receive. I suppose it’s like many other sectors of our modern society – new technology replacing actual people; much like a button replacing a handle.
I totally remember those commercials! I remember (being very young and naive) how glamorous the rooms looked to me – sitting in a giant glass of champagne! Now of course I know that you’d actually be sitting in a giant glass of chlamydia.
This is what Reno is like — old people with zombie eyes pushing buttons. Except there are humans dealing cards. I never tried looking for prostitutes, but good luck to them.
I had no idea you should tip the cage. Now i’m going to feel guilty! Maybe that’s why my luck was so rotten the last time i went to vegas.
i tipped at the tables in NOLA, but didn’t know about the cage! not that i’ve been gambling recently or back to NOLA. *sigh* thanks for the heads up, sugar! xoxox
Yes u made a normal trip to casino story wonderful to read. . Never been to any casino yet, but will keep ur instruction in mind, when i go to some. . . . And seriously did your dad wanna tell ur mom bout the winnings!
Whoa… two universes colliding… JT Carter of the musical group The Crests (Sixteen Candles) is performing at Sasso’s International on Marco Island (I’m the one behind the bar) and he is at Mt. Airy Lodge every Sunday in the summer… I was at Mt. Airy Lodge for my 8th grade graduation trip from St. Peters School, Riverside, NJ in 1968.
You’re so incredibly pushy (about getting people to leave tips.) Couldn’t you have left your own Dad alone ?
Hi Waiter,
Hope to see more blogs from you now that second book is done, only discovered this blog recently but have just ordered the first!
Any new projects in mind?
http://warpedsubconscious.blogspot.com/
Like Savannah, I tip at the tables, but had no idea of tipping the cashier. I’ll remember that next time I go.
What are you tipping the cashier for? I’m big on tipping people who provide a service, but this one I don’t understand. I’ve only been to a casino a couple of times, but from what I remember, the cashier there did no more than a cashier at the grocery store. Can you explain this?
Your dad should tell your mom he won $100. That way, it’s the truth, just not the WHOLE truth. Great story. My SIL works in a casino. She has some stories!
I’ve been going to casino’s for years. If the dealer is doing a good job, I’ll tip steady regardless of whether I’m winning or losing.. I’m always the one teaching my friends how to tip on the various games especially when they’re learning an intimidating game like craps.
That said, I absolutely refuse to tip the cashier cage. This crosses the line for me.
I’m gonna remember that–booze & smoking take their sweet time killing you but gambling can destroy you in a single day. Never thought about it like that!
No tipping cage for me. They do nothing to deserve it. If that is the case, should we tip our bank teller every week? I don’t think so.
Tip the cage? That’s a new one. I’ll have to look at purses now (and take my eyes off the rest?)
I remember those commercials, and I was at that casino last summer while camping nearby! Had no idea the casino was built on the Mount Airy Lodge’s skeleton.
Yes, on a Saturday night, you wouldn’t have been the youngest person there by a few decades… but it was definitely still skewed to the older set.
“Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall. Your host with the most in the Poconos. Beautiful Mount Airy Looooodge”
That commercial was on so often I feel like I just saw it yesterday. I think it’s cool how the new ad uses a variation of the old jingle.
Heh…Mt. Airy. I can still remember that advert. During Mt. Airy’s decline, the locals referred to it as “Mt. Scary” Lodge.
re:
On the contrary, The Waiter is credibly pushy about tipping!
The “loud” acknowledgment of the tips you and Dad left may have been so whomever was watching knew a tip had been given (I think the initial recipient is required to make that acknowledgment so there is no question of that person keeping it for themself).
Yep, I’m cheating! I’m leaving a comment here about your next blog entry on Steven Baldwin because you blocked the comments there. What a great piece of analysis & writing! While I liked this blog about Mt Airy I really enjoyed your insights about the Baldwin situation. My only contention is that I found it hard to believe that you did not mean to make the pun which you state was unintended. Just the same, I do enjoy it when you chew on a meaty topic like that one! Thanks!
Oh great… now I can’t get that “Mt. Airy Lodge” theme out of my head!!
Owch! No love for da Mama!
How many people is it really necessary to tip? It seems like everybody wants to be tipped nowadays.
Don’t get me wrong, I try to be a good tipper, but there are certain professions where it’s traditional, and even necessary to their livelihood, to tip, and many which are not.
Waiters, for example, often earn only a server’s wage, because tipping is expected. Not to mention tipping the waiter has been customary since, well, a long time. Valets and bellboys are traditionally tipped professions.
But the barista at Starbucks? The cashier at the cage? The hairdresser? These are not people who rely on tips, and not everybody should get tipped just because they happen to make a low wage or want tips.
Especially if the tips are being put into a jar and divvied among all the employees, then there’s no way tipping is necessary to their individual finances, and it even fails to accomplish the purpose of tipping, which is to give the individual persons an incentive to give good service.
The only people I will ever tip are servers, and people such as valets, bellboys, bag attendants, etc, whose job is basically reliant on tips. The rule of thumb for me: if they’re either serving you or providing a service for your convenience (you don’t necessarily need a person to carry your bags, their service is simply a convenience), then tip them. Otherwise, no.
AJK– in general I agree with you– but hairdressers are traditionally tipped positions. The only time you don’t tip the hairdresser is when the hairdresser owns the salon.
226-0841 beautiful mount airy lodge. Wonder if the number still works.
nice blog, love the simple theme for this site. excellent job!
Thanks for the info…i’ll be sharing it among my friends
Just in case 2012 is really the end of the world as we know it, it be a good idea to warn future generations of the impending doom by engraving a warning message on a stone tablet. After all, that is what the ancient civilizations, egyptians, mayans did to warn us and ancient aliens?
A round of applause for your blog article. Thank you! looking forward to more.
Yes – the NY Lottery had a show on TV back then where you could send in some sort of non winning tickets to get on and play games.
They always had Mt. Airy Lodge as one of the “sponsors” – and as one of the prizes also (probably during some of the later years of the property and likely a bargain for them to offer, maybe even getting trips in return for the advertising).
Gone but not forgotten…
A new book on the old resort is coming out!
http://www.BeautifulMountAiryLodge.com