My first visit was in 1995. I latest visited was earlier this year. The difference I have noticed is that there are more hotel/casinos, Virginia Street downtown has been reworked, and highways are much more crowded. Oh, yes! many more subdivisions off of I-80.

Downhill? Not from my point of view!

IMO reno hit it's bottom about 5 years ago with the closing of many of the older & not so old casinos such as the Comstock, Harold's Club, Riverboat Etc. Since it is having a rebirth with the Condo building, new museum, The in the works downtown ballpark, convention/arts centers & other attractions. Lots of old Reno gone which I find sad but lots of excitement also.

Thanks for the replies! I think I will go ahead with my trip then. I'm sure too that being there over the 4th of July weekend it will be busier too. Thanks again, your info was appreciated.

Reno has alot going for it these days, in 1993, downtown was sort of "drab" these days, its becoming more and more urban, I think a previous poster said 4 casinos are being have been converted to Condos, th population of Reno itself is 220,000, MSA 400,500, so its ALOT bigger now than then, new shopping malls well underway, Station Casinos and Scheels (in Sparks) coming soon, Like I said, nothing but good, (hopefully) to come for this city.

It's never busy. No traffic on freeways unless there is an accident. Avoid the slow lane when heading north on 395 near Grand Sierra Resort, lots of accidents due to a short ramp/turn on. If you want pure excitement and a great vibe, go to Vega$. If you want quiet and somewhat cheap, go to Reno. Avoid Virginia Street in downtown late at night, lots of druggies and homeless. Downtown still needs LOTS of work, it's still very seedy. Feels like a ghost town during the day, very strange even with the new Montage condo tower to open soon. The area near Truckee River is probably the best of downtown - Wingfield Park area. Avoid Taco Del Mar, horrible food on 1st and Sierra. Recommend the Peppermill (south of downtown about 10 blocks; go to Romanza restaurant, great Italian) or Harrahs (really nice rooms; modern and up to date). Avoid area near Wild Orchid strip club and smoke shops about 2-3 blocks south of downtown. Go to Tahoe. If it wasn't for Tahoe, Reno would not be much. I don't think Reno has gone downhill, I think they're trying to improve esp. downtown. We'll see how the new downtown ballpark works out. Besides downtown's rundown look, there are lots of interesting back streets/off the path areas outside of downtown. Some beautiful old brick homes just west of downtown - take CA Ave all the way west or the parallel street (can't remember the name). CA Ave has some cool shops and eateries. Check out the Chocolate Bar. There is also one at the Summit Sierra in south Reno (nice new outdoor mall in a great new area; clean, respectable and not seedy; 15 min by car south of downtown). Be sure to bring body lotion, it's pretty dry in Reno like Vega$. Overall, friendly people in Reno. Hope you have a good trip.

You will be in for a big shock. We haven't been there for 2 years. We used to go 3-4 times a year. A lot of things mentioned in the forums about what to do while there are great but if you are expecting the old downtown Reno and the gambling and nightlife experience, it has changed. I don't really want to go to Reno to site see as much as to gamble. The casino streets are devoid of the Ritz and Glitter of the old days with all the Casino tear downs and closures. Kind of like a ghost town after 11 or so at night. We have many friends that used to travel to Reno like we did that won't go back because of all the changes. It is sad but we are hoping that the plans for Reno will be positive for us "gamblers.

No traffic? Are you an idiot? You don't live here so don't comment on that, disregard that post, Reno has traffic and I can prove it because I've seen it and I've DRIVEN in it. Sure that's not good, but, Reno is a CITY and has such things, some people I think are still living in the past.

Not living in the past as much as just missing the old reno the way it was. And yes, last time we were there (two years ago) the traffic was hectic! And again, the changes in Reno (for us anyway) were drastic to say the least with all the casino closures and the empty streets at night. Again, will be hoping for a positive change in the near future in Reno...

Harrah's-

I think it's uncalled for to call someone an idiot on a friendly forum...doesn't promote an atmosphere people are comfortable posting in!

Please keep in mind that everyone's perspective is different...I've lived in the Reno/Sparks area for going on 7 years now (having lived in both SF and LA), and I consider our traffic to be very manageable. Now...if I was making the drive from the North Valleys southbound every a.m. I might be singing a different tune, but, in general, to people traveling here from larger metropolitan areas where there is traffic nearly 24/7, Reno is VERY doable (for now...)!

Living in the Bay Area where commute traffic is a monster, I can attest that Reno traffic is very manageable. However, that's not to say there is none. I often come to Reno for business and will try to hit the mall at lunch - man, the backup on So. Virginia in either direction makes me wonder where everyone is going!