Page 124 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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CITIES

FORGET LAS VEGAS?

THE BUILD-UP The most flamboyant city
street in the world, Las Vegas’s 5-mile (8-km)
“Strip” is a dazzling, non-stop extravaganza of
casinos and hotels with fantastic themes and
flamboyant, round-the-clock entertainment,
offering something for every taste and age.

THE LETDOWN The glare of neon and the
incessant tinkling of slot machines can get very
wearing. Strip clubs and illegal prostitution
further tarnish the sheen, as do horrendous
traffic, gamblers committing financial suicide,
and losers seeking an instant divorce.
ABOVE Bright neon lights spelling out Reno’s famous slogan
GOING ANYWAY? Visiting Vegas without
gambling is like touring France without tasting
the wine. But establish in advance the amount
Reno Set astride the Truckee River, Reno has a historic of money you’re prepared to lose. When it’s
district and bucolic parks. The downtown Riverwalk
gone, walk away. And the gorgeous stranger you
is a setting for arts and music festivals. Rent a
meet is almost certainly interested in one thing
vs Las Vegas bicycle and follow the Truckee River Bike Path or – your money. Whatever you do, stay sober. Las
explore Newland Heights, where the millionaires of
Vegas is mercenary and it’s shockingly easy to
the great mining boom built gracious mansions. marry on the spur of the moment.
Reno offers all the thrills and glitz of its big There are even hiking trails within the city limits.
And, while culture vultures might feel starved in
sister Vegas, but with a side order of charm
Las Vegas, Reno has a fistful of cultural venues and
events, as well as world-class museums.
If all that’s not enough to give this desert city
NEED TO KNOW
the edge over its rival, it’s surrounded by a sparkling
LOCATION Reno, Nevada, is wonderland of mountains and lakes. In winter, the
450 miles (725 km) northwest $ "/"%"
of Las Vegas, 180 miles (290 km) 4FBUUMF snow-capped peaks glisten invitingly – skiing at
northeast of San Francisco nearby Lake Tahoe is barely a 45-minute drive away.
/FX :PSL
POPULATION 210,000 3&/0 6 4 "
VISITORS PER YEAR -BT 7FHBT 8BTIJOHUPO % $ MAIN CITY SIGHTS
Over 5 million -PT "OHFMFT ABOVE The neon sensory overload that is downtown
National Automobile Museum Set in a stunning
DAYTIME Las Vegas at night
TEMPERATURES Jan: 33°F Modernist glass building are over 200 of the world’s
(1°C); Apr: 48°F (9°C); Jul: 70°F .&9*$0 rarest vehicles. “Cars of the stars” include James Dean’s
(21°C); Oct: 50°F (1O°C)
1949 Mercury, and Elvis’s 1973 Cadillac Eldorado.
Truckee River Arts District The Riverwalk is lined
The “Biggest Little City in the World,” Reno was with galleries, boutiques, and bistros. Visitors can PRACTICAL INFORMATION
already a mature gambling destination when Las take to the water at Truckee River Whitewater Park.
Getting There and Around cozy Harrah’s Steak House (tel.
Vegas was cutting its teeth. Founded in the mid- Nevada Museum of Art This black-clad, angular
Reno-Tahoe International Airport +1 775 788 2929) will satisfy
19th century as a crossroads settlement during the structure holds an impressive collection of works is 2 miles (3 km) southeast of carnivores with four-star dining.
Comstock Lode silver- and gold-mining rush and depicting nature and the desert environment. downtown Reno; shuttles and Where to Stay
construction of the transcontinental railroad, early Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center taxis are available to to downtown The sophisticated Eldorado Hotel
Reno boomed as a divorce and, later, wedding Northern Nevada’s crystal-clear night skies are Reno. There is a well-developed & Casino (www.eldoradoreno.
and inexpensive public
capital well ahead of Las Vegas. By the 1930s, the perfect for stargazing. The planetarium’s SkyDome com) is highly regarded for its
transportation system within the stylish rooms, great facilities, and
back-room gambling dens that initially served has dazzling movies and 3D shows to inspire you. city, and the old town center is excellent location right by the
transient miners had turned mainstream and legal, easy to get around on foot. The “Biggest Little City” sign.
adding respectability to Reno at about the time South Tahoe Express (www. When to Go
that mobsters were developing Las Vegas as their souttahoeexpress.com) offers a Early April to late June are warm
shuttle service from the airport to
own boomtown on Nevada’s southeastern frontier. and sunny, while winter months
Lake Tahoe, and Sierra Nevada
Reno’s city fathers have since been careful to Stage Lines (tel. +1 800 822 are perfect for hitting the slopes
preserve its quality of life and areas of old-world 6009) operates between at nearby Lake Tahoe.
charm, avoiding the wilder excesses of Vegas. Sure, down town Reno hotels and Budget Per Day for Two
Reno’s answer to The Strip, Virginia Street, is a Lake Tahoe. Allow about US$140 per day to
sparkling river of neon at night, lined with casinos, Where to Eat include accommodation, meals
The elegant White Orchid (tel. +1 and local travel.
and the city has plenty of lounge bars and cabaret
775 689 7178) serves top-notch Website
shows. But, where Las Vegas is nothing if not over
American contemporary cuisine; www.visitrenotahoe.com
the top, Reno manages to remain endearing. ABOVE Skiing fresh powder in the mountains above Lake Tahoe

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CHAPTER: ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL SIGHTS