Posted: 7/21/2011 9:33:50 PM EDT
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So I wanted to drive down to San Diego...I've never been on US 95 through Oregon, so I figured, hell it would be a nice drive...I like driving and just enjoying the landscape....why not stop off in Reno and see what that's about while I'm at it...
So I booked myself, the wife and the 5 year old kid unit a room at the Circus Circus... Free circus acts, seemed more family oriented...OK..I'm not into gambling, but my little girl would dig a free circus show... Well, I am NOT impressed. The parking garage...I could have sworn I saw a guy casing the place, looking for a smash and grab... Shit, I hope my car doesn't get broken into...I got an uneasy feeling about that place. The front entrance was dirty, and unswept..it was nasty.... Hotel room...a half notch above super 8...but not anywhere near what you get at a Holiday Inn.... Saw a guy sitting on the edge of a large flower pot drinking a can of Tecate in the hallway...also saw a guy carting a 12 pack of Bud Light ...what is this?, a BYOB casino? The buffett...a casino is not worth a shit without a good Buffet...I got there about 7:30...it was closed!!!! WTF???? So I went to the "Gecko's" rib place....The food was TERRIBLE....Applebees has better ribs, the pulled pork was filled with grease, the corn on the cob was mush...I couldn't eat most of it, it was so bad 
The arcade area is setup like a little kiddy casino...not a bad concept.... But the "freee circuis acts" last about 5 minutes and the stage area is tiny with little room for people to stand and watch... The Nugget in Vegas was a class act compared to this joint....I'll gladly go back there again...never this place.
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Well we never said it was great. Circus Circus dude? Really? I know it's cheap but damn. Anything involving clowns and you can count me out. That side of downtown is pretty shitty. If you get closer to the river it's alright. ETA: Stay at the GSR or Silver Legacy next time. If there is a next time. |
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Reno was rated number 1 in the country for recreational drinking by some magazine like Newsweek or something. There is beer and alcohol eeevvverrrryyyywhere. That's part of what makes it awesome. Should've asked on here first, brah. Someone would have been able to give you a better suggestion than the Circus. That place has it's moments, but there are definitely better places to stay and better shit to see... even for kiddo.
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Quoted:
Reno was rated number 1 in the country for recreational drinking by some magazine like Newsweek or something. There is beer and alcohol eeevvverrrryyyywhere. That's part of what makes it awesome. Should've asked on here first, brah. Someone would have been able to give you a better suggestion than the Circus. That place has it's moments, but there are definitely better places to stay and better shit to see... even for kiddo. The kid had fun, but daddy sure wasn't impressed... |
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Next time, plan ahead and drop in the NV HTF beforehand.
We could have steered you clear of Circus Circus and downtown Reno in general for that matter. Hell, I run one of the better non-gaming hotels in town and could have gotten you a deal at my place. Reno is like most other good size cities - there are places to go and places to avoid. You chose poorly. |
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My family went to Reno once on a trip when I was young, circa 1970 or so. The parental units parked my younger sister and I at Circus Circus for the day while they went "sightseeing". I was beyond through with that place before 3 hours were up, but we were stuck there all day. It sucked, and I can't imagine 40+ years more have helped the place out any.
Steve |
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Quoted:
Next time, plan ahead and drop in the NV HTF beforehand. We could have steered you clear of Circus Circus and downtown Reno in general for that matter. Hell, I run one of the better non-gaming hotels in town and could have gotten you a deal at my place. Reno is like most other good size cities - there are places to go and places to avoid. You chose poorly. Yes, I understand about cities...have to find the good places...true of any city. When the grandparents are in town to take care of the little one...I may plan a little escape with the wife unit and hit you up on that offer... |
| Next time, you might do better at grand sierra resort for entertaining the kids. A game room/play area (like a bigger version of McD's kid's area), $3 movie theater, bowling alley, go kart track, and bungee launch are all on the property. They seem to run deals regularly on the rooms there. Sorry that your family didn't have a better time. |
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Quoted:
Next time, you might do better at grand sierra resort for entertaining the kids. A game room/play area (like a bigger version of McD's kid's area), $3 movie theater, bowling alley, go kart track, and bungee launch are all on the property. They seem to run deals regularly on the rooms there. Sorry that your family didn't have a better time. This. GSR is great times for all age groups. |
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Reno is not the prettyest city on earth but there are some nice parts of it and honestly i love the town,, i head down once in a while from tahoe for a date, when i feel like going out with a city women
At the very least, your drive down 395 is going to be awesome (and far far better than the main route through the bay area) still lots of snow in the mountains to see, great small towns on the way, great hunting in that entire area etc And watch your speed through the small towns on the way through, they dont screw around with speed limits, thousands of people everyweekend drive up to mammoth and tahoe from the LA area and handing out speeding tickets is one of there only ways of realy bringing money in, and they love to do it and the ski and snowboard bums love to *fly* there north lake tahoe is not even an hours drive from there and is worth the sight to see, we have had fantastic weather recently. and buy cheap gas when you see it, a few towns on that path are nothing near cheap, but leaving carson and if i rember bishop has some realy cheap gas for that route to. |
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It always amazes me that people who travel all over the country and are used to staying at various Holiday Inn, Hilton, and Marriott brands head straight for the shitty casinos when they come to Reno and bypass the hotels in the Reno area that they would stay at in any other city . This goes for both business and leisure travelers.
Remember, these casinos are gaming organizations, and not lodging companies. They only run hotels on their properties to facilitate gaming. We have seen casinos here in the Reno area offering rooms below their cost just to try to get people in the door and to the tables/slots. Not good business because it doesn't work and it cheapens the value of the Reno destination as a whole. We even get potential guests that demand that we match rates with the casinos. That is always a fun conversation. It normally goes something like this: Are your room charges at the casino free of any additional resort fees and add-on charges besides room tax? Do you get free breakfast at the casino? Do you get free high speed internet access at the casino? Does the casino have a pool/spa (some do, some don't)? Can you get your normal hotel points or airline miles at the casino? Normally, once they realize that they are going to be paying extra for all of those things, they may book with us instead. My advice always is: stay at a nice non-gaming property unless you really want to be at a casino (that is fine too). You can always go to the casino to gamble or do other activities. Bottom line, come to Reno and have some fun!! 
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Well...
395 is an excellent road...Except for the last 60 or so miles headed to San Diego (VERY busy two lane road with not many passing lanes...but I averaged over 60 on that stretch...so still not that bad). I made the trip from Reno to Escondido in 11 hours....not bad, considering the traffic when you get onto 215.... Coming into California from Nevada was awesome...very fun stretch of road to drive in my Mustang....and the scenary was stunning 
Yes, watch the gas prices...the first few little towns past the Nevada border wanted $4.89-$4.99 /gallon.... Prices averages $3.89 to $3.99 not far after that....Fill up in Nevada before hitting the CA border to make sure you have enough gas to hit the reasonably priced stations. California isn't all bad...it's a very pretty state...especially the eastern part.... |