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10 reasons Reno is superior to Vegas

 
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remano



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 717

PostPosted: Aug Fri 01, 2014 5:27 pm    Post subject: 10 reasons Reno is superior to Vegas Reply with quote

RGJ columnist Chris Murray does a weekly list of 10 things, this week being 10 reasons why Reno is better than Las Vegas (reproduced below). It's more geared toward why it's better to live here but some of the points are of interest to visitors as well - such as proximity to Lake Tahoe and Sierra outdoors activities, great skiing, better weather, reduced traffic etc.

For visitors I would also add better playing conditions in the casinos (lower limits, better game rules and slot pay tables), cheaper entertainment (still good shows but you don't pay $150 per ticket), more manageable scale (takes less than half an hour to get from your room to the hotel lobby). Maybe others can add more advantages.

Here's the RGJ article:

Every Sunday, Reno Gazette-Journal sport columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list. This week's list counts down the top-10 reasons Reno is better than Las Vegas (because last week's Sunday List on Nevada's top 10 cities, which placed Reno over Las Vegas, ruffled some feathers down south). The list was "heavily oriented toward Northern Nevada towns," as the Las Vegas Review-Journal put it.

1. Lake Tahoe: Reno is one hour from the happiest place on earth (which isn't Disneyland, but Tahoe). With 72 miles of beautiful shoreline, Lake Tahoe is a dream vacation spot, and it's less than 40 miles from downtown Reno. Las Vegas has an equally great attraction in the Strip, but locals avoid that place like they'll catch a fatal disease from it. What's the point of having a top attraction if you can't enjoy it?

2. The weather: Seriously, have you been to Las Vegas in the summer? It's 110 degrees almost every day, and that's not exactly going to get better with the climate change heating up Earth. Las Vegas has three consecutive months where the average temperature exceeds 100. I'll take Reno's four seasons over that. We mostly avoid the 100-degree heat and usually get a white Christmas.

3. Traffic: I've visited plenty of big cities and only Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle have worse traffic than Las Vegas. I have better things to do than spend 90 minutes a day in my car, which can be the reality if you live in Las Vegas. Reno's traffic isn't perfect, but it's significantly better than what you face in Las Vegas. I will give Las Vegas credit for one thing: Its freeway art is much better than Reno's.

4. Skiing: Most people are lucky to live next to one or two high-end ski resorts. People in Reno live next to 10 or 15, from Alpine Meadows to Boreal to Heavenly to Kirkwood to Mt. Rose to Squaw Valley (host of the 1960 Olympics) and on and on. Las Vegas has Mt. Charleston, and that's about it. When you add the hundreds of hiking trails in and around Reno, you have a nature lover's paradise.

5. Reno's university is better: The University of Nevada has one of the prettiest campuses on the West Coast. UNLV has a community college campus. Nevada is ranked as a Tier I university. UNLV ... not so much. Nevada's endowment also is much larger. When you compare these colleges, there is no comparison.

6. Reno has heart, history: Reno has much more respect for its deep history than Las Vegas, which is a transient city that oozes corporate influence. Reno is a real community with real people, whereas Las Vegas looks like a mishmash thrown together in an attempt to pump money into the bottom dollar. For example, our downtown restaurants are owned by locals, not "celebrity chefs" looking to make a buck.

7. We have the Truckee River walk: Reno's downtown river walk is one of the nicest in the country. The only water trickling through downtown Las Vegas comes when a tourist wets himself after having too many drinks. Speaking of water, Las Vegas' supply (Lake Mead) is running empty. Not good. The L.A. Times has called Las Vegas "the nation's driest city," so get ready for mandatory one-minute showers.

8. We hosted the 20th century's top sports event: The greatest sports event of the 20th century was Jack Johnson's win over Jim Jeffries, the Great White Hope, which was held in Reno in 1910. Las Vegas' greatest sports event? The NFL's Pacman Jones going guns blazing in the "da club" during 2007 NBA All-Star weekend.

9. Reno has a real football team: Biggest sport in America? That'd be football. And who owns the Battle for the Fremont Cannon? That'd be the Wolf Pack, which has won eight of the last nine games between the teams and has nine more bowl appearances than UNLV despite spending 14 less years at the D-I level.

10. No card slingers: There will never be anything tackier than people slinging escort cards at you as you walk the Las Vegas Strip. You might run into a homeless person in downtown Reno, but never something as sleazy as the Vegas card slingers, which a pockmark for the city.

Next five: 11. Reno's best college coach (Chris Ault) didn't have to cheat for success like UNLV's best college coach (Jerry Tarkanian); 12. Las Vegas' urban sprawl is the epitome of an environmentally destructive city model; 13. Reno has the Awful Awful; 14. Reno has a better newspaper; 15. The color blue (Wolf Pack) is better than the color red (Rebels).

And as we wrap up this list, I'll admit I actually like Las Vegas. I just would never live there. Reno is the place for me. But, in the end, the cities need each other if Nevada is going to be strong as it heads into the future. So, jokes aside, can't we all just get along?

— Chris Murray, RGJ
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BC Dave
Site Admin


Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 1592

PostPosted: Aug Fri 01, 2014 9:45 pm    Post subject: Lets come up with one hundred more! Reply with quote

I agree with all the above comments and thought I'd start to fill out the list a bit more.

My top reasons for much preferring Reno to Las Vegas.

1) Great casinos with hotels that won't break the bank on rates.

2) Great food in those casinos - I think the food is better in Reno than Vegas, it's just an added bonus that it's cheaper too.

3) Virginia City is nearby.

4) Carson City is nearby.

5) There's lots of great shopping in Reno. Most visitors to Las Vegas get stuck in the Mega Casino's giant over priced malls.

6) I think several of Reno's casinos rival anything Vegas has to offer. How can you beat the Peppermill, Atlantis, Eldorado, Silver Legacy etc.

7) The Cal Neva - they are in their own category (as I'm sure you've noticed!)

Cool Shooters! I'm sure Vegas has it's dive bars. I haven't been to one. So Shooters wins!

9) Sparks! It's a pretty cool place. It's got JA's Nugget (or whatever they decide to call it) a few smaller casinos and the Peppermill's little sister The Western Village Inn.

10) John, Charlie and Higgins live in Reno. (Last but not least!)

Anybody care to contribute more?
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spdmrcht



Joined: 12 Oct 2012
Posts: 498

PostPosted: Aug Sat 02, 2014 8:11 am    Post subject: Newest opening. Reply with quote

One of the best things to Open in Reno is the Lucky Beaver Bar and Burger.
It's across the street from the Atlantis. We were at their grand opening on
the 25th. They have one I found in Tahoe quite a while back. The Food is
great, and the Employee's are Very Friendly. Check them out and tell
them Ron Sent ya. PS. if your staying down town you can catch the
bus and it stops right next to their front door. No driving!
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CaSwede



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Posts: 866

PostPosted: Aug Sat 02, 2014 1:10 pm    Post subject: let's go Reply with quote

Well, I am convinced. Reno it is for me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


spdmrcht- In April I had dinner at the Lucky Beaver between Harrah's and MontBleu at Tahoe and I agree with you- it was very good.
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spdmrcht



Joined: 12 Oct 2012
Posts: 498

PostPosted: Aug Sat 02, 2014 3:06 pm    Post subject: Re: let's go Reply with quote

CaSwede wrote:
Well, I am convinced. Reno it is for me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


spdmrcht- In April I had dinner at the Lucky Beaver between Harrah's and MontBleu at Tahoe and I agree with you- it was very good.


I like their VP, if you get dealt 4 to a Royal, tell the bartender and
he will check it and if you don't fill it out they will give you an entry
for a drawing for a free trip.
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LilyJDragonfly



Joined: 03 Mar 2009
Posts: 425

PostPosted: Sep Fri 05, 2014 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And while I'm not a baseball fan, Reno does have a cool baseball stadium right downtown!

Also, there is an ice skating rink in the winter. Again, not a fan of this activity for my own self, I do like that it's there.

And you can ride the California Zephyr right into downtown Reno! No trains run into Las Vegas. It's an Amtrak bus. (I know, I've taken it there - it's not bad, but it's not a train.)

Lastly, ain't no place in Vegas that has the Phat Philly (available at the Casino Grill inside the storied Cal-Neva) - ooooo-weee, good!
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