Thursday, 17 March was the first real day of the NCAA basketball tournament. It had always been one of my goals to drown myself in four days of basketball, shooting the shit with the wise guys who always hang out in sports books.
My daily routine for those days was to get up by 9:30, look the day’s games over, and make my picks. It isn’t like I am a basketball expert or anything, but I was only betting $10 per game, so I could afford to have as many opinions as I wanted.
The sports book at Atlantic City opens daily at 11:00, so I would bet on the 11:15 game right away, and the rest of them once the casino staff had their coffee and were ready to go. I’d then watch through the last game, taking breaks for meals or the games I didn’t play. Sadly, the NCAA tournament really hasn’t caught the fancy of the Peruvian betting public, so the ‘wise guy’ quotient wasn’t what I had hoped, but I still got to enjoy the games, eat and drink for free, and I got to talk with a few people. There’s a wireless signal in the sports book, so I was able to get some work done as well.
How did I do? Well, I bet 29 of the 48 games and went 13-16, for a total loss of $43. Cheap for four days of entertainment. For me, that’s a good showing, as I always felt that the best way to make money is to stand behind me at the betting window – ANY betting window – and just say, “I will have the opposite of whatever that guy just bet on.”
There’s a small alleyway between Av. Alcanfores and La Paz in Miraflores called Pasaje Suche. It has a couple of restaurants, the Jazz Zone club, and a place called La Vida Misma.
La Vida Misma
Av. La Paz 646 (Pasaje El Suche)
Miraflores – 445-2172
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lavidamismacupe
La Vida Misma is an old-school supper club that is run by a Cuban woman of a certain age, Isabel Inigo Diaz. There’s probably not more than 50 or 60 seats in the club, and they offer all kinds of music, with Ms. Diaz headlining on some Saturday nights. You really get the feeling that you’re in a basement in Greenwich Village 40 years ago. They also have a kitchen that serves a fusion of Cuban and Peruvian food. The prices are reasonable, but the reason you go is for the entertainment, not the chow.
We walked in on a weeknight, and there were five gentlemen playing their guitars and singing Spanish standards. We got a table in the back, ordered up our drinks and food, and enjoyed parts of two sets over the hour or so that we were there.
Cover charge? Not this night. There was a 15 sol minimum per person, and the food and drinks more than covered that. I think we got out of there for just around 100 soles, including food, drinks and entertainment. There are covers for other entertainers. I think I paid 25 sols to see Sra. Diaz’ show, and it was well worth it. She puts on a great show, really selling that she enjoys what she does. She’s got a bunch of videos on youtube… do a search for "Isabel Inigo."
When I wasn’t eating, screwing or watching basketball, I spent a lot of time in casinos, mostly the Hacienda in Miraflores. Between the blackjack tables and slot machines (I know, what was I thinking), I probably wound up US$100 to the good. I think that the Hacienda is the friendliest of all the casinos, but it appeared that the Atlantic City casino had seriously upgraded the quality of the drink girls in the table games area. It could only be a temporary situation, but I definitely spent more time in their casino than I would have otherwise.