General
Reno questions and answers:
Our family of five will be
traveling to Reno / Lake Tahoe in July and staying at
the Squaw
Valley Resort. My wife and I have traveled to the area twice before,
and have taken the 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive to the Big Tree State Park in
Arnold CA.
Is there a closer park where our kids can see these
beautiful trees?
One of the great places to see
the giant redwoods is in the
Humboldt National Forest. Still a
couple hours' drive, but BEAUTIFUL. Humboldt
Redwoods State Park
is a great place to see the big trees. Here's a great website
for
more info: http://www.humboldtredwoods.org/
When
you're in Squaw Valley, be sure to stop at the Squeeze In Restaurant in
historic
downtown Truckee for breakfast. They were featured
in the February issues of National
Geographic Adventure and in
Powder Magazine too, as well as the San Francisco
Chronicle in
March.
Finally, Reno is only about a half hour from Truckee the
kids would enjoy a visit to the
Great Basin Adventure and Museum
near downtown (a true desert and
mining town type experience).
For lunch in Reno, try EJ's Jazz Cafe on the river walk in
downtown. Have a great visit in Tahoe!
Where is Reno's downtown
located?
Reno's downtown is located
north of the Truckee River and south of I-80. Most of the
action is along Virgnia St. between 1st and 6th Streets. The
visitor center is in the lobby of
the National Bowling Stadium
between 3rd and 4th Streets at 300 N Center St.
What are the Reno casinos like
and how do they compare to the ones in Vegas?
Many Reno casinos lack flash,
though Vegas-style palaces are becoming more popular.
Older
places include Fitzgeralds on N Virginia St and the Eldorado on 2nd St.
Harrahs
(on Center St) aims for a classier crowd, while the
Silver Legacy shows off with a
19th-century streetscape plus
sound-and-light shows inside a 120 foot dome. Circus
Circus
(500 N Virginia St) has free circus acts and a game-filled
midway.
Where are places to stay
Reno?
The casinos are cheapest during
midweek with prices rising considerably on weekends
where rooms
can be hard to find. The following hotels are listed in order from
cheapest to
more expensive: Sundowner, Fitgeralds, Circus
Circus, Peppermill, Reno Hilton. In
addition, cheap motels
can be found along W 4th and E 5th Sts
Where are some good places to
eat?
If
you want a great place to get a gigantic burger that won't break the bank,
I suggest the
Nugget on N Virginia Street.
It's a total
dump but you won't regret it, I promise. You have to order the
"Awful Awful
Burger". It comes with one pound of the best
french fries ever. You could easily split it
between two
people, but a real champ can do it all by themselves! Eat up and
enjoy!
If you're hungry, the casinos' all-you-can-eat
buffet's are well worth it. The weekday
brunch at Harrah's
includes fresh fruits and salads at a reasonable price. Brew
Brothers, in
the El Dorado has tasty late night pizzas and
excellent microbrews. Reno's cheapest meal,
where they have
very low priced eggs and bacon, is at the Cal Neva.
Where is the Reno airport in
relation to downtown? Where is the Greyhound Bus
station?
The Reno-Tahoe International
Airport is a few miles southeast of downtown. The
Greyhound
station near W. First Street and Arlington Avenue has frequent buses to
San
Francisco, Las Angeles and Las Vegas.
For other
Destinations, go to www.askaresident.com