We started out our evening with Thai Food from Thai Cafe in 29 Palms.  Pad See Ew, Massaman Curry, and gigantic plastic water glasses. Chris Veit, Lisa Sitko and Douglas Amour and their friend were sitting at the adjacent table.  Chris said that Thai Cafe was one of his favorite places in 29 - so we felt like we had chosen well. After dinner we thought we were too tired from eating  curry but Katy said, “lets just go for 30 minutes.” It’s easy to find the Casino - it’s on the north side of Hwy. 62 back up against the hills. Don’t look at a map - just look for the ultra bright halogen parking lot lights. Follow those. The casino has a classy parking lot with several Tesla charging stations and is landscaped with palo verde trees and terraced parking tiers. Only about a quarter of the spots were full - but it was a Monday night. We debated the quality of the tortoise rock logo - one in favor and one not. Oddly I (AZ) was the one in favor. There was also a huge valet drive through parking area at the entrance which made it feel like we were about to enter something the size of a Costco - but instead the interior of the casino was surprisingly small. For the most part it was filled with a plethora of slot machines in every style and theme. Because the slot machines were electronic you could load in a dollar bill and play penny slots, nickel slots (our choice), or random higher amounts that seemed a bit more dangerous. I spent $2 and won $8 - and finished leaving satisfied that I was $6 ahead. Katy spent $5 and won $5. The slot machines dispense tickets with the winning amount and you have a choice between going to the cashier for a human interaction or using an ATM-like cash dispenser.  If you are a card player the casino has card tables for Texas Hold’em Poker and Black Jack. Minimum bids are $5, $10 and $15. There is also a Spanish language table, as well as a virtual poker table with an animated dealer on a flat screen TV.

The rear of the casino has a generous area sectioned off for a bar that Katy describes as comedically sleek. There is a restaurant that is sort of a snack bar with hot dogs and a veggie wrap and a self-serve soda station. Last but not least there is a gift counter with a selection of different colored polo shirts with the tortoise rock logo, cigarettes, and sunglasses. Also the one other significant factor is that because the casino is on native land and outside of California jurisdiction, smoking is allowed - so it’s smoky inside. Maybe not as smoky as a techno bar in Berlin in the 1990s - but for some the smoke may be a factor. There is one small bank of slot machines that are labeled “non-smoking” but the air quality doesn’t seem any different in this area. The Casino is open 24 hours.

73829 Baseline Rd, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277