Battle of the Capitols: Executive Building

The "Battle of the Capitols" series continues with the Executive Buildings.

Winner: Carson City

The historic capitol building in Carson not only has a flag that waves far above anything else in the city, its old school architectural style screams historic west. It's grounds are beautifully maintained with huge old trees dotting the lawn that is divided in some places with paths matching the outline of the state. The grounds are fenced with sitting areas here and there. It houses the most of the executive offices and is the main image folks think about when they think of Carson City. It is simple, historic, and impressive. It's historic placement across from the old Supreme Court building lends itself to self-explanatory balance of power.


The executive building in Salem is kinda pathetic compared to their legislature. It is as if someone just took the extra material from the legislature, molded it into a cube and placed it in a block that no one else wanted. In reality, I think it use to be a post office. It seems as though its most useful aspect is the parking garage throughout it. Not only does it lack any gravitas, other buildings easily make the Oregon executive building forgettable.

Battle of the Capitols: Legislature

Now that I've spent some time walking around the capitol grounds in Carson City, I can commence the "Battle of the Capitols". The series is a battle between Salem and Carson City as to who has the better what purely in terms of buildings. Today's battle is the Legislature.

Winner: Salem

As you drive into Salem there is one thing that stands out - the legislature. The massive marble building is topped with a gold pioneer looking out over the city. The huge inscriptions and carvings in the marble add to the general impressiveness of the building. As you enter the front a huge state seal is flanked by marble steps on either side up to the chambers of the House and Senate. The chambers themselves are historic and you understand the historical significance of the the desks lined up to legislate. At every turn, although you might get lost, there is a little piece of history reminding you how long the building has been around. They've recently updated the offices (even w/ credenzas - crazy spending Democrats) and you can tell they take pride in merging the past with the future of Oregon.

The legislature in Nevada on the other hand is a bit less impressive. It doesn't stand tall above everything else in the town. Its new, so it loses some points on historical significance. The inside is nice and they have done a good job of importing some of the past with the present. However, it feels like a new building and the new car smell still dominates. The chambers are a fusion of past and newness although I think the Senate has done a better job of preserving the feel of an old time legislature. It's not a bad building, it's just hard to match the dominate presence of the legislature in Salem. Don't worry Nevada, you still have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Getting Roughed Up

The soft Oregonian shell that was slowly forming over my soul is quickly being chipped away by the rough and tumble Silver State and I'm enjoying every part of it.

Arrival

I promise more than one post this week - last week was beyond craziness.

When I pull up to the parking lot in Carson, I angle for a spot with shade. Then I walk in the opposite direction of work and head to Comma Coffee. The coffee is overpriced but I need it so I cough up the bills - yes bills. When I walk out of the coffee place I am across the street from the Legislature. I walk past the mall on the Old Kit Carson Trail (Carson Street) that has the Supreme Court way in the back. Finally, I reach the start of the Executive building and to my left are the three buildings that make up the AG's office in Carson. I enter the center one - the one that use to be the Nevada Supreme Court. The door shuts and I pass the security guard and head for the marble stairs down to the basement. If the secretaries are there, they greet me and I walk into my office. I change my whiteboard to indicate I'm in, turn on the lightswitch and sit down, ready to start the day.

The Drive to Carson

Sorry for the lack of frequency of posting. The truth is, the drive to Carson and back extends my day so much that I'm pretty much exhausted quite a bit. Plus, I've been catching up with family and friends with not much extra time left for blogging. Nonetheless, I've done the morning drive down to Carson City for a week now and want to take this moment to share the experience with you.

At about 7AM I pull out of the driveway and head toward McCarran. It's early enough still that the morning traffic is just starting to awake from its overnight slumber. I find my way to Interstate 80 - yes thats the I-80 that goes from California to somewhere in Pennsylvania - and accelerate into the 70 mph flow toward downtown. I pass the downtown/Univ. of Nevada exit and drift to the right lane to prepare for the shift onto HWY 395 South.

It's usually about 7:15 as I pass through the spaghetti bowl and pick up the pace with the masses headed south - most toward the IGT/Double Diamond Area. As the freeway comes to an end I take the long loop to continue on 395 south. The traffic picks up as I hit the 2 lane 50mph valley that separates Reno and Carson. We meandor through Pleasant Valley and over Washoe Hill, past a huge prosepector and then we gain speed. Like horses poised to take off at the track, we are squeezed through a chute of concrete baracade, accelarting faster and faster, a long straight stretch ahead. We come flying out of the chute at 80 maybe 85 mph as we hit Washoe Valley. It's the final stretch and we know it. Flying through the valley until we hit the gradual uphill and the speed limit drops.

A split occurs with those heading for downtown - myself included - taking the first exit and slowing to what seems at this point a snail's pace. We hit the main drag of Carson and slowly but surely turn off at our respective parking lots. I make a right turn just before my building and then a quick left to the public parking lot in the back. The car rests, spending the next 8 hours preparing for the drive home.

An Intro to the Internship

So, I'm in Reno for this 6 week internship with the Nevada Attorney General's office and unfortunately the work is quite a bit more sensitive than the Lottery so I won't be able to share too much. However, there are some cool things to know about my current situation.

- The office: I work directly across the street from the Nevada Capitol building (pictured in this post - where the Governor and other executives work - the Legislature is just down the street) ; the building is the AG's office and the old Supreme Court building. My office (yes, I've moved up from a cubicle to an office) is in the basement and complete with chairs for guests and a window (the very top of which looks out onto a parking lot).

- The work: So far I've done mostly research but today I helped review some documents for an appeal and tomorrow I have my first experience in court (just watching of course). As the weeks go on I'll be doing more and more "lawyerly" type stuff.

- Carson: Despite the drive back and forth everyday, Carson is pretty cool. It is very similar to Salem with the government block and then a downtown plus a few neighborhoods and not much else. I have been to a few places nearby for lunch (one interrupted by the arrival of Governor Gibbons to eat). It's nice to be able to walk to lunch and to take a walk around the Capitol grounds when I need a break.

- The pay: It is an unpaid internship which is less than optimal but the experience so far has been great and the days have been flying by for the most part so that bodes well for the future.

Not Quite Recovered

Since the 72 hours of craziness, I've not quite had time to recover. I'm exhausted. It's good, a good experience in pushing through fatigue, etc. but I'm excited to find some time to rest. Perhaps I can sneak some sleep this weekend. Of course, I could just be getting old (only a few hours until I'm 24).

Work is exciting. Once I figure out what I can and can't really share with you on here I'll let you know more.

A Crazy Crazy 72 Hours

Friday after work my Jeep broke down - yes the Jeep that was suppose to drive me to Reno on Saturday.

Friday

6PMish: I walked in the front door and told my roomies that the jeep was down and that I was going to need another way to Reno for my 6 week internship. Sperry says, "road trip" and that was that.
7:30PM: leave Salem and head South on I-5, to Redding and then over to Susanville and down 395

Saturday

6AM: Arrive at home, greet family, sleep
10AM: Wake up, shower, get coffee, think about plans for the day
11:30AM: Head to Atlantis for buffet lunch
1PM: Roulette
3PM: Stop roulette, cash in our chips for about $100 up (as a group)
3:30PM: Visit Sheels to look for golf balls and ammunition
5:00PM: Stop by Grand Sierra Resort, begin playing BlackJack
7:00PM: Finish up BlackJack another $150 or so up (as a group)
7:30PM: BBQ at Home
10PM: Start downtown bar crawl at Chocolate Bar, then Silver Peak, then Rum Bullions (who doesn't love dueling pianos?), then Brew Brothers

Sunday

12AM: Roommate hits $500 on Wheel Of Fortune Slot Machine, putting us at about $750 up for the weekend
1AM: Awful Awful and then home
9AM: Rise, coffee, newspaper, shower, get dressed for golf
11:30AM: Swing by liquor store for golf beer
12:00PM: Pick up Brandon - our 4th for golf
12:30PM: Lunch at brewery in Truckee
1:30PM: Arrive at Northstar at Tahoe, hit bucket of balls
2:30PM: Tee off
5PM: Make the turn into the "Woods of Doom"
7PM: Finish golf with extra person, head over to Tahoe, down Mt. Rose Highway
8:45: Sushi Club all you can sushi
9:45: Head to friend's house, Halo, walk home

Monday

6:15AM: Rise, shower, get dressed for internship
7:15AM: Leave for internship
8AM: Arrive at Attorney General's office
[Redacted]
5PM: Head to Travis's parents house for dinner
9PM: Arrive home, sort laundry, take shower, write blog post

And so, I've returned to Reno...

The Packing Begins

From clean and dirty clothes, to a desk chair and my alarm clock. The packing for Reno begins...