Visitreno

[stan_allen]

No, the subject line is not an attempt to impugn the El Dorado's name with a Homer Simpson-ism; I just couldn't resist the wordplay.

I was, in fact, a patron at the El Dorado last Tuesday, and it was a pleasant stay; here's how it played out:

I had a one-night trip to the area, courtesy of work: usually, I can stretch these to two nights, but I was only needed for the morning this time, which meant it would be one of these 24-hour turnaround deals...but we all know how much fun can be packed into even a short time in our favorite city!

The big question was, what type of rental car? Recall that we'd had substantial rain in the region over the last few weeks, and I'd assumed that I would need an SUV for the summit - but when the day arrived, the only precipitation being forecast for Truckee was "Light Showers" (that's the city I usually type into the weather websites; tell me if you know of a city name that corresponds better to the summit!), and so I opted for the cheaper wheels - in times like these, it's always better to keep expenses down, even when you're being reimbursed.

So with my little Kia, I was off at about 11 a.m. - I didn't even know they still made cars with windows that are rolled up and down by handles! Yet it had satellite radio - go figure! I wound up listening to Sirius's heavy metal channel for a lot of the ride, which induces a sort of hyper-attenuated state, which is probably good for driving, but later on becomes a sort of nagging imperative of empty chaos - good thing the casinos have all those noisy machines to drown out one's soundtrack!

And the drive was gorgeous, as all the inclement weather had left behind rich deposits of snow - in these conditions, one can see the gigantic CalTrans snowplows - they are powerful machines, indeed. Roads themselves were scarcely even wet. I was a bit disconcerted to observe degradation of the road at the initial climb section; that is, after Colfax, but before one reaches the higher altitudes - I could have sworn that they had just finished this re-pave within the last few years, and yet the right lane is already shredded! Good ol' shaky California infrastructure...with all the budget drama, it's yet another reminder of just how hard one's taxpayer dollar "works". I don't think we're at the level of a "Potemkin Highway" yet, but neither are we far off.

After crossing the Nevada state line, I eased into the final approach. There sure were a lot of Nevada State troopers doing the speed-trap thing, though - I counted three different waiting-to-nail-you setups.

I arrived at my shake-things-up destination of choice for this trip, the El Dorado, around four p.m. I made this decision after comparing and contrasting with my usual haunt, the Silver Legacy.

As many on this board know, I've defended them from those who found the hotel less than desirable, but this time around, it seemed worthwhile to try something else. For one thing, the "Sterling Club" corporate account we use at the Legacy doesn't really give us a discount rate of any kind; rather, for an extra ten dollars, we get a room that's higher up, and a coupon book for each night of stay. In the coupon book, the useful ones are for a free drink, a free newspaper, and free access to the "Spa" - I hardly ever use the last, but the free drink and newspaper is always welcome. Still, the ten dollars isn't even necessarily on top of the lowest rate, which one generally finds on the internet, so that the room winds up costing fifty or sixty dollars - and since I'm usually inclined to tip a dollar when collecting a free drink, the value of the coupons is further eroded. The other luxury is that newspaper - it's nice to get the Wall Street Journal to read over dinner (I'm a big fan of reading the paper at meals; it's quite a timesaver), but with the proliferation of free "Entertainment"-style papers available all over the place, it's easy enough to make a substitution, even if the subject matter is somewhat less substantial. So the benefit of the coupon book gets smaller and smaller upon closer examination.

Another benefit to the Legacy is the parking garage, whose elevator proximity offers the briefest of walking from car to hotel room. While the Eldo charges for parking, it's validated for guests, so this "Objection" is also easily defeated.

So after carefully reviewing the options, I'd decided on the Eldo for its highly affordable rate of thirty-five dollars - both the Atlantis and Peppermill had much higher rates, suggesting some event going on at the expo center - and plus, I really prefer the Cal-Neva for blackjack, whose minimums are still affordable - why, oh why, in the face of all the economic doom-and-gloom, do the casinos continue to insist on five-dollar minimum bets? Since, as I've said before, it's terrifically easy to lose ten hands of blackjack in a row, one realistically has to have a fifty-dollar bankroll to participate, and that's a bit more dear than I can pony up - not that it's physically impossible, but a lot harder to explain to Mrs. Allen! This way, I get my downtown setting, plus a good deal for my company, which is paying for it.

Upon entering the Eldo garage, I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of spaces - unlike at the Legacy, there was no need to go up to the 7th, 8th, or 9th level - and while it's generally better to see crowded facilities, at least for long-term health, I was very happy to ease right into a corner spot on level two.

It's a bit longer a walk to check-in than the Legacy, but the line was light, and when I got to the counter, I succumbed to decadence, and asked if the five-dollar "Deluxe" upgrade was still available. Apparently, it was, and I was dispatched to the elevators right behind the check-in, rather than the other bank, which is a bit farther, and in a much more high-traffic location - it's the little details that make the difference, as always!

I didn't get the thirty-somethingth floor that I usually do in the Legacy - the sole remaining benefit - but I was in a reasonably nice twelfth floor location, and there was a good enough view of the West side.

A few other differences stood out right away: the deluxe rooms do have safes, which are apparently free of charge - I don't need them myself, being a low-roller, but it's the kind of thing that might make a difference for others (didn't a recent trip report lament this very omission at Harrah's?) - and also, you get the single-cup coffeemaker, with a couple of different varieties to try. Bingo! The last advantage of the coupon book - a free coffee at "Sips" - had evaporated. Since these are always business trips, I absolutely have to get a cup of Joe in the morning, and there's nothing more grating than being on the way out the door in the morning, under time pressure, and finding a deep line at the coffee place. Problem solved! I think I am going to become an Eldo fan. Plus, the room was reasonably large, and had fairly bright colors, so the overall feel was in contrast with the 'Leg's rather dowdy and frumpy interiors.

With all settled and in good shape, I enjoyed a post-drive libation (or two, heh-heh), then headed out in search of Cal-Neva's three-dollar blackjack. With little effort, I found a single-deck table that was empty, and off we went. Not a great session; a double or two that paid, and one or two that didn't; only one natural - just a slow grind. A little drama here and there - hitting a sixteen and not busting counts as high excitement in my book! - but nothing to write home about. I left just before my bankroll was depleted, and settled for some penny slots, since I'd managed to last long enough to get a Corona out of the roving cocktail service. I put in a dollar, and was up two dollars on that machine, but didn't walk away - for shame! - but it's low-roller entertainmnet, and a Corona costs a minimum of four dollars anywhere else, so even this is reasonably good value!

I headed back towards the hotel, and took a few moments to let the closing of the Fitz sink in - that whole stretch of Virginia street is now graced by mostly closed casino facades - even one of the convenience stores has gone bust - and I've got to admit, it's a depressing sight. Now that the train track project is completed, and the trench is covered, and the adjacent roads have all endured their makeovers, the benefit that would have extended to the Fitz is obvious and thus even more ironic. The downtown has a more attractive infrastructure than ever before, but it's got that "Too little, too late" feel to it.

Bummer. Well, we all know what chases away the blues - drambling! Back to the action it was, though for me, it mostly consisted of a dollar here and there in either "Larry the Lobster" or some random pick. The other big event of the evening would be dinner, and I looked forward to using the few food vouchers I'd managed to acquire from Sterling Club stays of past days. Surprise, the line at the generic restaurant was waaay long, and it didn't even occur to me to try the buffet instead, so I went back in search of the Eldo's equivalent - lo and behold, it was closed for maintenance of some kind, which would help explain the absurdly long line at the other place - and so for a few minutes, I was stuck - until I realized that there was no line at all at the Brews Brothers! This seemed totally counterintuitive, but I approached, and was immediately seated, and drinking a custom microbrew inside of five minutes.

I ordered their "Spicy Fish Tacos", and I will confirm to anyone who asks that they are indeed spicy. They went well with the beer, though, but the overall effect was a bit more than I'd bargained for, and found myself fighting off the cries of "We're not used to this!" emanating from my digestive system.

But hey, a little more beer is perfect for putting out most fires, even if they've already resulted in disaster, if you know what I'm talking about. So after dinner, it was time for a little more walkabout, and the inevitable return to the Cal-Neva to try and reclaim those lost "Winnings". We've all done that one, and it wasn't much different this time - a little more drama, a split with one-wins-and-one-doesn't, a natural or so (finally!), but ultimately, a drain. Oh, well, at least I got my action!

On some nights, you win just enough to keep going, or you lose, but just slowly enough to keep going - this night was of the second type, so my teeny bankroll kept me going for a while, but eventually, it was time to quit. I'd saved the rest of my libation for the room, anyway, so what was left of the evening was dedicated to an in-room beer and cable t.v., which is still relaxing.

On the following morning, I bade my new find farewell, and used t.v. checkout - it got stuck on the email confirmation send, but a fellow at the front desk was able to verify that it worked. I noticed another benefit - I hadn't even been charged the five bucks for the upgrade! Woo-hoo! And the parking garage still seemed refreshingly uncrowded, and I was off, with my second cup of coffee, which had been so helpfully provided in the room.

Dispactched to my work engagement, I was done with it by early afternoon, and hit the road just before two. The skies were dark and somewhat ominous - snow started falling just as I began the climb - but I made it to summit-land well ahead of any sticky situations, and my final gamble - not getting an SUV - appeared to pay off. The rest of the return was uneventful - just as I like it - and I'm already looking forward to the next time, which will be a three-day sweep - that should give me plenty of material to report on.

Thanks for reading!

[RenoLady]

Nice.....

We use the Truckee entry to determine road conditions too and also noticed and commented on the lousy state of the roads with "didn't they just redo these?!"

Do you have a Cal Neva card? with minimal play, they offer free slot play and rooms, coupons attached on the mailers too. I also noticed that in one of their bars (not sure which one, as I get turned around in there with the two buildings and multiple levels) it has penny slots! yes, penny slots at the bar. This bar also had a pretty good lounge singer on the weekends.

I liked your road music description. R and I have different tastes. I like R & B, he likes the heavy metal, so, we compromise with Annie Lennox or Styx on the way up. I'm going to use the phrase: "nagging imperative of empty chaos" to describe what he's doing to his brain with the Disturbed CD's and thereby win some airtime for R & B.

[BC Dave]

Hey Stan, welcome to the Eldorado! It's the first Reno hotel I stayed in...back in '85. I watched it grow and grow over the years and open new themed restaurants and bars. Kinda amazing while so many places around it closed down. Just in the last two years they've added that cozy little bar in front of La Strada and done a huge remodel of their Buffet.

Sounds like you had your usual wild time. If you ever get bored though, the other side of Reno awaits across the road (from the Silver Legacy) at Shooters!

Can't wait for your extended stay report.

[stan_allen]

RL: Thanks! I realized later that the "Nagging imperative of empty chaos" phrase was clearly the best thing in the trip report, and even though I was using it to describe heavy metal, I suspect it could also be applied to the casinos themselves. Heck, maybe I'll record a heavy metal album one day, and really have a chance to use this name!

Dave, thanks for the warm welcome! Now, if I could just find this "Free Buffet for out-of-towners" deal...