It must have been 5 years ago when I was last in Reno, Nevada.  What I clearly remember is that during my last visit to the biggest little city in the world, I felt so let down by the place I swore I wasn't going back ever again.  It had gone down hill so much back then.  It was so different from the times when my family and I would frequently go to its casinos and gamble a little bit back in the early 90s.

I remember walking in its downtown streets in 2006 and all I could see were the boarded up casinos that had gone out of business, tacky souvenir stores, and pawnshops.    It felt scary and gritty.  It looked like a town that was down on its luck.

Well, last Friday morning, my partner, Marc, and I decided to go back for a quick weekend trip and see what was up with the city these days.  Was I surprised by the changes.  It was so clean!  So clean it reminded me of a Singapore and Tokyo.  That's how spotless it was!

The downtown area just seemed revitalized.  Its last addition, The Siena Hotel, which was up and running when we were there last, was now joined by the presence of the Montague, a brand spanking new condo complex selling units from 80K to 700K.  There was a new Reno Events Center as well as a nice looking bus terminal and a new AMTRAK Train Station.  There were security men and women in the main city streets and it felt fun being there once again.

We stayed at the Silver Legacy Casino and Hotel, one of Reno's finest.  Although now one of the oldest hotels in the city, it was still enjoyable to stay in.  It was immaculately neat and clean and I recommend it highly.  I knew it was connected to El Dorado Hotel.  I didn't realize Circus Circus was too.

Anyway, this is how Silver Legacy looked at night when it was all lit up.

As usual, the hotel and casino's icon, the silver mining rig designed my Sam Fairchaild was still there and this time it was draped in red, white and blue welcoming the participants of the US Bowling Championship.

After check in, we strolled around the casino.  We reached the entrance of the Circus Circus arcade where we were greeted by two huge elephant statues.

The arcade was as colorful as ever reminding me of the time when I once won lots of stuffed animals during one of my very first visits there with my mom and sister's family over twenty years ago.

Of all the games in the arcade, this was Marc's favorite.  He played it twice during the whole time we were there.

After visiting the arcade, we went outside Silver Legacy and walked around the tiny city.  Our first stop was the Reno Arch.  Still there after all these years.  I remember seeing it for the first time and posing in front of itfor a quick photo op last 1989.  I was still studying in Madrid, Spain at that time.  I came to the Bay Area for the Christmas holidays and shortly after New Year's we traveled to Reno for a wonderful winter getaway.

The Silver Legacy Hotel Towers

Harrah's Casino

The El Dorado Hotel and Casino.  Gee the building is truly humongous.

The Golden Phoenix and Casino

The Nugget

Sadly, three of the casino hotels we used to visit were now closed.  The Sundowner, the Virginian, and the Fitzgerald's.  The last one was the place where part of the movie, Sister Act, by Whoopi Goldberg was filmed.

On the corner of the Fitzgerald's facade was a plaque with a stone from the Blarney Castle in Ireland.  I had to take a picture of it as it reminded me of my visit to the exact same castle in Ireland in 1997 as part of my UK and Ireland summer vacation with Marc.

The Siena Hotel in downtown Reno.  It is new, modern, and hip.

I would like to stay here next time we go to Reno.

It is located right next to the Truckee river.

One of the entrances to the hotel.

Now, look at one seating area for its guests.

Some of the decor.

In the hotel lobby, there was a beautiful water fountain enclosed in glass which changed color every minute.

Here it is in blue.

Then, pink.

Next, orange.

The colors changed all the time.

Close to the Siena Hotel is the Pioneer Theater Auditorium.

The statues represent the pioneers who came and helped turn Reno into the city it is today.  What struck me when I saw this theater was the color of its roof.  Very gold.  Here's a more complete and closer view both of the statues as well as the theater.

Another venue for plays in downtown Reno is the Bruka Theater opposite the Pioneer Theater Auditorium.  Unlike the latter, however, the shows in Bruka are edgy and avant garde.  Definitely not the traaditional plays Reno and Nevada conservatives would want to see and hear.

There are a few private and public establishments in downtown Reno similar to many towns and small cities in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Just like there is a main street, in Reno there is their US Post Office by the Truckee River.  I really like the building's design and architecture.  It looks very imposing.

Then there is the Washoe County Court House

Here's a view of the Wells Fargo Building and the Veterans' Memorial in the foreground.

The Montague, the newly built upscale condo building in downtown Reno.

Hmm, should I buy or shouldn't I?  Can you believe it, you can own a piece of this beautiful property for as low as 80K.

It would be wonderful to be in Reno at Christmastime when it is covered in snow.  Just divine.

Around 9 pm Friday, June 10, we decided to take a walk around downtown to see the city lights.

This is what we found.

The El Dorado Hotel and Casino

Circus Circus

CAL-NEVA

The Ichiban Japanese Restaurant

The following day, Saturday, June 11, we went back to El Dorado Hotel so I could see Neptune's Statue.

From here, off we went to the Bowling Stadium.

There was quite a number of people as a tournament was being held inside.

A view of the bowling lanes.  Too many to count.

What do you think of this cart in the shape of a bowling pin?  Cool, huh?

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Reno Events Center.  Could this be the city's converntion center just like Moscone is to San Francisco?

I never realized that there was an old Reno Arch.  It was right in front of the Automobile Museum.

The National Automobile Museum

Can you imagine, I never even realized that there was this fabulous museum in Reno.

I sure was glad we visited it this time.  It was definitely a superb museum.

The cars all came from Bill Harrah's personal collection.  Mr. Harrah was the founder and owner of the Harrah's Hotel and Casino.  This is the museum building.

This museum is big.  Very big.  It has an extensive collection of cars displayed and grouped by year and decade.  The earliest cars are in one gallery, followed by cars in the 1910s and 1920s, and so forth.

This is the first of the galleries featuring, you guessed it, the very first model cars.  Enjoy.

The 1892 Philion

The 1908 Frayer Miller

The 1912 International

As you leave one gallery to go on to the next, you see scenes  from the past.

This scene below has cars parked along the curb in front of an apartment complex next to a movie theater.  The cars parked were a mix of 1930s to the 1950s vintage.

In this shot, some cars from the 1920s are parked in front of a candy store.

The second gallery we entered had an extensive collection of cars from the 1920s. The collection of cars from this time period was so extensive.  The cars came from the US and Europe.

A scene depicting cars for sale in a used car lot circa 1920s.

More 1920s cars

The 1925 Julian

A beautiful vintage car from the 1920s.  One of my favorites.  It reminds me of the film the Great Gatsby.

Another great looking car from the 1920s-1930s.

A 1929 Ford supposedly parked in front of the old Reno Arch.

The 1930 Marquette

The following shots were taken in between galleries featuring more modern cars from the 1940s and up.

This particular scene shows a car parked in a gasoline station.

Here's another exhibit where a 1954 BUICK is undergoing some repair in a shop.

And here are supposedly the machines and other gadgets used to repair cars in the same shop.

Another gallery in the museum displayed a mix of cars from the 1930s to 1950s.

I need to call my lawyer so he can get me this 1934 Mercedes quick.

A Chrysler Convertible

What do you think of this car in the shape of a fish?  It's the 1950 Airomobile Experimental.

This is the 1941 Indian Motorcycle

This is its passenger side.

More 1950s cars.  I love the colors!

These cars look like candy!

Here come the race cars from the 1970s and up.