Reno: Further explorations downtown

To be honest, Reno really does have a lot going for it. Most of the same entertainments and vices anyone could want from Vegas, like fancy dining, gambling, card games, cheap questionable meal deals, booze and slots, along with the natural beauty and outdoors entertainment of the natural splendors surrounding in both the high desert and northern california. Lake Tahoe is pretty close, I guess. Given that you're quite a ways farther north than Vegas, there are more options for skiing and snow play available, though that's not to say that Vegas is entirely lacking in those things. 

In Reno, there are vices you can fulfill and tantalize that aren't as readily accessible in it's bigger brother down South.  

These days, Reno is the closest approximation to my hometown I have available unless I wish to jump on a plane to Vegas (which would end up costing me less in the end). It's still quite a trek, however, to step foot on Nevadan soil. Maybe this should sadden me, but it doesn't, not yet. Maybe in time some aspect of the irradiated desert and it's desiccated expanses will call to me, but for now, this is more than enough pleasant nostalgia.  Suffice to say, Reno has most of the things Vegas has to offer, without the excessive crowds and much more enjoyable weather. There's still the spun-out homeless lingering in alleys, a profusion of booze flowing throughout the city and illicit substances in the veins of it's downtrodden. You can also get a $5 steak! And a hooker! You can even rock-climb the hotel you're staying in! And there's plenty of snazzy street art and beer gardens and other hip, happening things to pass the time and add to the sense of surrealness. 

Vegas: Cosmopolitan and Aria

Given that summertime temperatures in Vegas are regularly soaring well over 105 degrees Fahrenheit (or a cool 40 degrees Celsius), it should come as no surprise that one of our city's largest attractions are the obligatory hotel pools at each resort. There are more pools than there are casinos, by far, as most have multiple places to swim or play with beach and pool clubs running alongside their usual family-friendly offerings all along the Strip, not to mention our suburban waterparks like Cowabunga Bay. Each pool is going to invariably be as unique as the individual casino hosting it, and it's well worth staying at different hotels or paying for a day pass to explore the different offerings available all throughout the city! Another way to keep cool, between relaxing swims, is to explore the nicely air-conditioned interiors of the hotels themselves and dabble in some real or window shopping. There's a lot of connections and bridges making it exceptionally easy to get from one to the next without having to risk traffic, though you might get accosted by a "monk" who demands a donation in exchange for a cheap bracelet or fancy golden card they try to push on you. Don't let them dupe you, though- they aren't allowed to demand money from you, no matter how aggressive they get. They make me really mad and I've shouted obscene things to them in the past when they tried to get hands on. There's a lot of buskers and hecklers out there on the public streets, but they're kept out of casinos due to private property laws and security, so don't worry. 

My good friend Blaze and I found ourselves here to see a movie. Originally Antho had gotten tickets to the event for us to go, but he ended up having to work, so I invited Blaze out in his stead and we had a blast! We spent most of the early evening sipping on Fat Tuesday drinks and exploring the Cosmopolitan and the Aria. I'd never really been to either resort before, so it was a lot of fun to see how extravagant and fancy they are! We'll be going to at least a couple more movies throughout the summer, so hopefully I'll get to make a side quest to try the Secret Pizza restaurant, or Momofuku and Milk Bar. If the inclusion of options like Michelin-star award winner Momofuku don't clue you in, the Cosmopolitan fancies itself one bougie bitch. She's not wrong, mind you. The air is pumped full of a dense rich vanilla scent that made me feel a bit like I was trying to snort vanilla pudding. For someone who's not used to smelling much of anything at all, I found the smell cloying and overwhelming and was really relieved to get up to the roof and into the fresh air.