A Trip to a River Town

When I finally got up today, I decided it would be kewl to zip over to the River town of Vicksburg for lunch and a little gaming. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Mississippi is a state of contradictions. Although ultra conservative in many regards, we do have gambling. In this case, it is casinos based along the Mississippi River and on the Gulf of Mexico. It has become a multi billion dollar business. Vicksburg has four smallish casinos that are fun to visit.

Also as mentioned elsewhere, my travels for the past year or so were very restricted because of the aged condition of my car. Now with the Saturn, I can actually make brief trips without the fear of being crushed by large trucks or hit by SUVs. So it has been a while since I've been west along I-20.

One of the most noticable additions to the landscape is the corporate headquarters of WorldCom/MCI. A very striking complex of black glass buildings that look like cubes with the edges snipped off. The most distintive feature is a set of tall, steeply-peaked porticos; the motif extends even to the building at the entrance to the property. A few years ago, WorldCom was unknown, now it is an international player in the telecommunications arena.

Vicksburg is one of a series of old River towns that were among the first places populated as America moved west. It was also the site of a famous siege during the Civil War. The area around the town is all gullies, ravines and hills. So when the Union Army attempted to take it, they were unsuccessful. Since the town overlooks the River from high bluffs, attacks from the water were also to no avail. Finally, it did succumb to a long siege.

Since the heyday was years ago, the downtown area has a very shopworn appearance. Every structure appears to be something other than its original design. The fast food place is now a pawn shop. The grocery store now sells old furniture. And the 19th century house is an antiques store. Growth has been along the Interstate with strip malls and outlet stores.

You can hear the ka-ching, ka-chung of the slot machines from the parking lot. Once inside, there seem to be thousands of machines that try to coax you to play with flashing lights, bright logos, and lots of enticing sounds. Slots have to be akin to a Skinner box. You push the right button, you get a reward - well, maybe you get a reward. Which means you want to push the button again. I limited my slot machine efforts to $20 and managed to win back $19! And I had sense enough to stop.

I didn't feel the sense of electricity that I have in the past. Maybe it's because it was not very crowded with people. But it certainly was filled with slots; every nook and cranny. Far more than I remember. And I really had no intention of staying around too long.

PAX!