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Pair o' dice lost: Reno rolls out culture, congeniality Susan Fornoff, Chronicle Staff Writer |
Sunday, August 3, 2003
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Reno -- As soon as the dealer turned her cards over, I knew I'd missed something. Somehow, in my first game of blackjack in more than a year, this hand had -- poof -- passed me by. And when I showed two cards that were screaming for a hit, any hit, everyone at the table knew it. The bewildered dealer looked at me quizzically. "Honey, what were you doing?" my husband, Marc, wanted to know. I made a lame but true excuse about having forgotten how the game goes, and chalked up my $5 loss as just one more measly gain for the casino. But then the dealer called the pit boss over and explained what had happened. To the amazement of all of us, I got to keep my chip (for a few more minutes, anyway) and have a replay. Many hands and a couple of days later, having lost our socks (but at least not our shirts), that episode still defined our visit to Reno, which has long declared itself "The Biggest Little City in the World," but to us had the feel of the friendliest. Even the losers laugh all the way to the ATM -- with the consolation prize of knowing neither the hotel bill nor the trip home will cost another garment. "They're so nice, and the amazing thing is, it's not just for the high roller," said Lloyd from New Orleans, whom we met during a round of golf and who happened to be staying at our hotel, the Eldorado. "I'm so impressed, I'm going to write 'em a letter." We hadn't been expecting the casinos to prove so irresistible when we planned our trip. It wasn't even our idea to go to Reno, or to stay at the Eldorado -- a friend was being honored at a large dinner at the hotel, so we booked a room for a couple of nights. Not until just before the trip did I begin to research the town (even with a population of more than 150,000, "city" still doesn't seem to apply) and the hotel. The Eldorado, with 817 guest rooms and 10 restaurants, showroom and full-service casino, had the look of a cruise ship on my kind of terra -- firma. Maybe we'd never have to go out. But I found we wanted to. Reno co-markets itself nowadays with Lake Tahoe as "America's Adventure Place." After Sept. 11's blow to tourism, the city began reaching for new visitors by downplaying the casinos and upgrading the culture. The new Nevada Museum of Art opened this spring just a few blocks away from the casinos, and July marks a monthlong ArtTown festival of exhibitions and performances, particularly in the Harrah's Plaza and, a couple of blocks away on the river, Wingfield Park. The Truckee River, which is of a mind to flood the city now and then, provides a scenic backdrop for the Riverwalk, and construction is beginning this summer on a 24-mile whitewater park that will include a center-city kayaking slalom park. The city has teamed up with Harrah's and the Eldorado to foot that $22 million bill. Even those big casinos accept that gaming is no longer what Reno wants to be all about. And it's not, as we were reminded when we checked into our spotless, simple and comfortable room, opened the drapes and gazed down at one very big, very shiny bowling ball. It was the topper on the block-size National Bowling Stadium, which has 78 lanes and hosts the biggest of the country's pro bowling tournaments. "We'll have to get over there and check that out," we agreed. Later, on our way out for a sunny round of golf, we ran into a friend who had paid a visit to the National Auto Museum a few blocks away. Classic cars star in Reno's biggest annual celebration, Hot August Nights (today through Sunday, featuring outdoor concerts and controlled cruising downtown), and the car museum is right in the middle of it all. "Good place?" we asked. "It's a blast," she said, thumbs up. Intrigued by the concept of museum-as-blast (and Marc being a NASCAR fan), we added that to our list of must-sees. Our drive down busy Interstate 395 to the golf course took us past the three big casino-resorts outside the city's center: the Reno Hilton, the Peppermill (another friendly host that had made us happy on an earlier visit) and the Atlantis. I remembered that the Reno Hilton was featuring a show called the Imperial Circus, which sounded like a Reno replica of Vegas' Cirque du Soleil at a fraction of the cost. "Maybe tonight," we agreed. We'd golfed on our last visit to Reno at Lake Ridge, a tree-lined course famous for its island green. You hit off a high tee box overlooking seemingly all of Nevada and pray to miss the water. This time we visited beautifully groomed Wolf Run. It's the University of Nevada-Reno's home course, and we thought about enrolling after playing this fun, fair and varied layout, where we were reminded that the high-desert altitude adds distance over the same swing in the sea-level Bay Area. We offered Lloyd from New Orleans a ride back to the Eldorado, but he said the hotel had sent him over in one of their long white limos and had promised to pick him up when he called. It occurred to us then that the way to go to Reno next time might be by train; Amtrak's California Zephyr meanders through the Sierra and rumbles right down Third Street past the hotels. A car, while not a liability because the valet parking is free, is hardly required here. One can walk from any of the hotels to a nearby pawnshop should jewelry hocking become necessary. Should one be in the market for a ball and chain, plenty of wedding chapels are nearby. (Ironically, it was once the quickie divorce that kept Reno on the map.) Mid-afternoon seemed like a good time to walk around outside our hotel, until we noticed that the temperature was 98 degrees. The air-conditioned casinos called our names again, and we were happy to greet a familiar dealer by his name. When we finally did get out, a little later and poorer, the car museum was closed, the band had finished playing outside Harrah's and a show that was attracting lots of wee ones was about to begin at Wingfield Park. We took the shaded walkway along the river, stopping to watch folks fish for trout and boys hop along rocks. A marker displayed a picture of the town's last flood, in 1997, and we hardly recognized the streets where we'd walked. We debated checking out Harrah's or Fitzgerald's or one of the other wide- open casinos that line Virginia Street, but, well, there were 10 restaurants at the Eldorado and we had to get to work choosing one for dinner that night. La Strada was our choice, and the white-tablecloth Italian spot was packed on a Monday night, yet the seating plan for couples ensured an intimate meal even in a busy room. And the prices left us money for the tables afterward. No, we didn't get to the Imperial Circus that night. And though we were
happy to have learned that there's plenty to do in Reno, we were even happier
finding that all the fun we needed was right there in our hotel.
IF YOU GOGETTING THERE-- Reno is about 3 1/2 hours' drive from the Bay Bridge on Interstate 80, allowing for a fuel stop along the way. If you can take a full day to travel, Amtrak's California Zephyr rolls from Emeryville every morning right into the heart of Reno during happy hour. The most economical way to do that trip is in a package with lodging and other goodies. Check with AAA (rates at $139-$309 per person for two nights and travel) or search the Internet for other options. WHERE TO STAY-- The big Reno resorts offer package deals with golf or shows or meals or gaming credits, and midweek room rates in these tough times for tourism can be found for as little as $25 at the best hotels in town. Here are three of the more popular spots, each of which has many restaurants and plenty of nightlife: Eldorado, 345 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89501; phone, (800) 648- 5966; Web, www.eldoradoreno.com. 817 rooms, 10 restaurants, showroom featuring "Broadway! The Star Spangled Celebration" and "Spirit of the Dance." Harrah's, 219 N. Center St., Reno 89501; (800) 427-7247, www.harrahs.com. 950 rooms, seven restaurants, showroom featuring Gordie Brown. Peppermill, 2707 S. Virginia St., Reno, 89502; (800) 282-2444, www.peppermillreno.com. 1,285 rooms, eight restaurants, free nightly cabaret. WHAT TO DO-- National Auto Museum, 10 Lake St. So. (at Mill), Reno; (775) 333-9300; www.automuseum.org. Open daily. Adults $8, seniors $7, juniors (6-18) $3, 5 and under free.
Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., Reno ; (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org. Open from 11 a.m. daily, closed Monday. $7 adults, $5 students/seniors, $1 children 6-12, 5 and under free. Wolf Run Golf Course, 1400 Silverwolf Road, Reno; (775) 851-3301. $55-65 and $40-$50 twilight, including cart. Lake Ridge Golf Course, 1218 Golf Club Drive, Reno; (775) 825-2200, www.lakeridgegolf.com. Peak-season, prime-time rates $65-90, including cart. Monday thru Thursday are $80 and $95 with cart, and $65 and $75 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays. FOR MORE INFORMATION-- Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, (800) 367-7366 or www.RenoLakeTahoe.com. Lodging options and information about area attractions; Web site calendar offers a comprehensive preview of area activities. E-mail Susan Fornoff at sfornoff@sfchronicle.com. |
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