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Mike Hendricks

Mike at Night

Mike Hendricks recently retires as social science, criminal justice instructor at McCook Community College.

Las Vegas, then and now

Friday, June 17, 2016

The implosion of the Riviera hotel in Las Vegas this past week brought back a lot of fond memories for me as I'm sure it did for some of the readers of this column. The last time Coach Bonow and I went to Vegas, we stayed at the Riviera. And although it was worn and showing its age, you were reminded of the class it and others like it exuded in their prime. My favorite story involves a decision we made one day to walk over to the Hilton to watch and perhaps make a bet or two on some horse races. I had almost gotten to the front door when I turned around to say something to Bonow and he wasn't there. I stopped in my tracks and started looking around the hotel for him and finally spotted him waving at me from the service entrance to one of the restaurants. He motioned me over to where he was and when I got there, he told me he knew a short cut to the Hilton. Since it was a little past noon and already 100 degrees outside, a short cut sounded good to me so I followed him. We walked through the kitchen where scores of employees were busy cooking and preparing meals for their customers to the back door and out. The back door opened out onto a parking lot for hotel employees that must have been a half mile long. We walked the length of it until we got to the entrance and when I looked up for the Hilton, it was obvious we were further away than I was when I was at the front door. In an agitated manner, I looked at Bonow and said his name loudly to which he replied by spreading his arms widely and in a very innocent tone said, "Why do you listen to me?"

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