During my summers home from college, my friends and I would intermittently spend a weekend night at “the boats,” our colloquial term for the casinos that stud the eastern periphery of Chicago in northwest Indiana. We’d take a portion of whatever we’d made at our summer jobs, and the few of us who had cars would drive out to either Horseshoe in Hammond or Blue Chip in Michigan City, the two casinos we preferred. Sometimes we’d take Vicodin or Xanax and drink, and sometimes we’d just chain-smoke cigarettes, the better to prevent our hands from fidgeting.
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I don’t think I ever won any money at these outings, so in hindsight I’m not sure why I’m nostalgic for these trips. But when we were asked to pitch quick weekend getaways for this year’s Summer Guide, the casinos were the first things that came to mind (well, those and the Gathering of the Juggalos).
The casino itself fills a long hallway packed with various card tables, slots, roulette, and baccarat. Its neon color scheme suggests that a nine-year-old girl was responsible for the design. People’s moods fluctuate between elated gesticulation and dead-eyed dejection, from which you can project just how long they’ve been in the casino.
Getting thereShuttle from Chicago to the casino: Free
Where to stayOne night stay per person at Ameristar based on double occupancy, tax included: $0 to $100
What to doGamble, mostly: $2,000 to -$2,000
Where to eat & drinkFive double Jack Daniel’s on the rocks: $60
A slice and a coke at Sbarros (if you lose big): $5
Porterhouse and Dom Pérignon at Bugatti’s (if you win big): $340
Choose another adventure: •Louisville for $100•Southern Illinois for $200 • Lake Forest for $300
Back to our Guide to Summer
