Things To Do In Reno When It’s Dead

An ancient post about Reno that I wrote after New Years and never finished. I saw a mailer for the resort I stayed at and will finish it now — AF

I travelled to the Reno-Tahoe Area for New Years/Post Christmas Depression and Iwas unable to find a good guide suggesting things to do, where to eat, where to stay— or just a 50 feet up view of the area in general.

I have a website.

I needed info and couldn’t find it.

Ok i’ll stop explaining why i’m writing this.

Let’s roll.

Some Notes To Help The First-Time Reno Traveller “Mentally Prepare”

This is not the city that doesn’t sleep. Most things outside of the casinos close really early for some reason and makes you say to yourself  “Come on Reno, you can do better than that”.

The casinos and resorts are woefully understaffed with foreign labor. All Spa treatments were booked for 2 days solid during my stay and the woman on the phone said, likely through prosthetic teeth “yeah a lot of people have been callin”.

If they had someone with a business degree working there some light bulbs might have flashed

I’m not gonna give hints. Figure it out Grand Sierra Resort.

Do not ask locals their opinions on where to go. Outside of the UNR students and probably a group of professionals who happened to have made Reno their home, most people in Reno are bumpkins. There’s nothing wrong with being a bumpkin, i’m just saying that most city people won’t appreciate the suggestions of like upper-thatch area rural folks.  I was told that the Outback Steakhouse was the best steakhouse in the area by a well-meaning cabbie.

Reno is not Las Vegas. If you want Las Vegas go to Las Vegas. Reno is lowkey. It is in parts seedy without being proud of it the way that downtown Las Vegas is. It’s target customer is 40-60 years old although they treat youngsters decently.

Reno is much cheaper than Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe (except in service areas that usually exploit foreign labor as mentioned earlier) and as such expectations should be in accordance.

To really have a good time in Reno you need to have managed expectations. You need to have the willingness to check your car out of the valet a few times during your stay to really enjoy Reno. Bringing along the sense of adventure that usually only comes from being completely hammered doesn’t hurt.

Things To Do In Reno

1. Eat At Harrah’s Steakhouse

One of the best steakhouses in the western United States and i’ve been to almost all of them. Whereas many steakhouses have done away with the other 6 courses Harrah’s has not. Excellent service and not overpriced at all. I masticated most of this prime rib and then put it in the refrigerator upstairs, drove it home and cooked the rest in a prime rib hash.

Click Here for that prime rib hash recipe.

2. Bowling

Reno has the championship bowling stadium featured in movies like “Kingpin” among others. The hotel I stayed at had 50 lanes of rockin’ bowling fun and $4 pitchers of Coors or Bud Light. Games are like $2.25 each or something like that. If you’re a young teenager is a good place to meet other teenagers and probably score some weed. I should mention that Reno doesn’t seem like the best place to score drugs, as opposed to Vegas, but most of the teenagers I saw looked pretty stoned.

Don’t go into the Pro Shop and ask stupid questions because the guy who runs it is a no-nonsense bowling thug and he’ll see your sarcasm as fast as he sees your rich-boy haircut.

3. Hit Golf Balls Into A Lake

Yes, at the Grand Sierra Resort you can hit golf balls into a motherfucking lake.  Click on the picture below and really get a feel for that lake. Unfortunately there are no natural hazards to aim for but there are a few floating astro turf islands. I gotta tell you this is the best driving range i’ve ever been to.

4. Go Skiing/Snowboarding In Tahoe (sorta)

You’ll see a lot of stuff at your hotel about skiing and snowboarding in nearby Tahoe. If the roads are clear then thats a great thing to do, if there’s a storm go order a bloody mary and move on to #5. The roads from Reno to Tahoe are terrible when its snowing. The southeastern route (around Mt Rose) is one of the scariest roads i’ve ever driven on in snow and i’ve driven everywhere in the US.

Boreal is probably the closest resort (behind Mt Rose) and it’s also packed with  douchebags. Speaking of DBs, on any big weekend south shore Tahoe is packed with them. Stay away or be ready to meet every shithead and his 10 bros from Contra Costa County and San Jose.

5. Gamble

Not really a bonafide tip but unlike Vegas and Tahoe you can find lots of great gambling options in Reno. I like to gamble but not as much as I used to and I like to keep my limits fairly low. Reno has great table limits and poker tournaments that aren’t too competitive but you can still win a good amount of money. I had the best luck at the crumbier places downtown than I did at the Grand Sierra. All the dealers are pretty easy going and the players are mostly late thirties and mid forties white dudes. Unlike Vegas you don’t have a bunch of faux-high rollers or dicknoses quoting lines from Swingers and that’s kind of a relief if you’re from Los Angeles.

6. Drink Nice Wines

There’s a place inside the Grand Sierra Resort called The Reserve (if you’re heading up there email me, i’ve got a debit type card for that place with $40 on it still!) where they have those automatic wine machines that dispense 2, 3 and 4 ounce servings. For $20  bucks or so you can try 2 ounces of Opus One, which is very delicious.

7. Get Hammered

Getting hammered is something that a lot of us who are pushing 30 have forgotten how to do. Or why.

Reno is a great place to drink yourself silly because there’s not a whole lot to do otherwise and the drink specials are pretty good. On New Years Eve I walked around the casino drinking from a bottle of Moet and nobody gave me any flack.

A place like Reno will awaken your inner alcoholic. I played cards downtown at some dark, smoky cardroom where the other 6 players were all belligerently drunk and seemed to be playing for rent money.  If that environment doesn’t make you want to order scotches in a 7-11 Big Gulp cup I don’t know what will.

Ok, in all honesty I didn’t really check out Reno that much outside of my hotel. I know I have a few readers in that area, please submit some tips.

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Reader's Comments

1. 

   It is easy to stereotype Reno as a poor man’s Las Vegas with nothing to do but hang out in casinos and gamble. Oh, and drink. The truth is, Reno is a community with a lot of character and an enviable position of being nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains – perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. I’m moving from the Bay Area to Reno because of my fiance’s job. I thought I would hate it, but so far, I love it more than anywhere else I’ve ever lived (well, almost). Here’s why I love it and what I recommend doing:

   1. Leave the casinos! The casinos are not a good representation of the locals Reno. However, I’m not a gambler… so maybe they are cool? The Grand Sierra is definitely the nicest.

   2. Go watch baseball – Downtown Reno has a brand new AAA baseball stadium and team, the Reno Aces. The crowds are not ‘bumpkin’ at all – mostly young people and families out to enjoy the sun, crowd and America’s favorite pastime. Their mascot, Archie, has his own tricked out Segway. Oh, and he talks. How cool is that?

   3. Reno has better bars than the Silicon Valley – Downtown Reno has quite a few local bars that have a big city vibe and character. My favorite is St. James Infirmary which specializes in belgian brews and cocktails from around the world. In summer, you can sit out on their roofdeck and enjoy the sun. Also worth checking out: the Lincoln Lounge, Imperial Bar & Lounge, and Chapel Tavern. The favorite local dive bar is Amendment 21.

   4. The Truckee River – I absolutely love to stroll down the Truckee River by foot or bike. On sunny and warm days it is fun to walk Westwards down the river and watch the kayakers try their luck in the kayak park or watch fly fisherman attempt to catch fish. Farther down the river, you’ll see some huge mansions on one side of the river and the dregs of Reno on the other. Total contrast. Anyway, if you like festivals, every spring Reno hosts the Reno River Festival: live music, kayaking competition, mud run, and beer of course! http://www.renoriverfestival.com/.

   5. Eat! I love food and would never recommend Outback Steakhouse so hopefully my opinion means something. My favorite cheap and easy places to eat near downtown Reno are Beto’s Mexican Food & Michael’s Deli. For pub grub, visit Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery. For an authentic family-run Mexican restaurant with a ton of soul and knock-you-on-your-ass margaritas, visit Bertha Miranda’s by the ballpark. For hip, fine dining, I hear that LouLou’s is quite good. Disclaimer: My suspicion is that the nicest, fine dining restaurants are still, for the most part, in the casinos.

   6. Ski & Snowboard – Yes, you will need a car and will need to brave the sometimes treacherous roads. But I can be at Squaw Valley or Northstar in 45 minutes from my front door. Do you know how many of my co-workers at the big, fancy Silicon Valley tech company I now work at are so jealous of that fact? Lots.

   7. Art, anyone? I haven’t been but have it as a ‘to-do’ to visit the Nevada Museum of Art. Again, it is right downtown and in a very cool building that will probably make you forget you are in Reno. Even better is that you can stumble there a little tipsy from St. James Infirmary. http://www.nevadaart.org/

   8. Scheel’s Sporting Goods – This is technically in Sparks, but totally worth a visit. Not in a “wow, this place is really cool” kinda way, more of a “wow, what is this place?” kinda way. It is a massive sportsman’s store with an indoor ferry wheel and a whole mountain of various stuffed animals (like, ones that used to be living). It is so weird, but sooo good.

   Reply to this comment
2. Leigh on 12 May 2009 8:32 pm
3. 

   I was promised pictures regarding lake based golfing. BOOOO.

   Reply to this comment
4. timmie89 on 10 Jun 2009 11:24 am