Photos From Reno, Nevada

Last week I was in Reno attending the Reno Air Races – my 2nd time attending.  It’s a fantastic event – I hope that they’re able to find some way to continue the Air Races in the face of the terrible crash which happened on Friday.  My prayers certainly go out to all of those touched by this tragedy.

When I attended in 2006, I didn’t have time to do much sight seeing in Reno itself – something I rectified this trip.  My impression of Reno on my last visit was not entirely positive – it seemed liked what one might image Las Vegas was in the 1970’s…not well maintained or updated, and much seedier.  Quite frankly, not being a gambler, I didn’t see the attraction to Reno as a vacation destination.  Having returned and spent more time in the city, I’m sorry to say my impression was not changed.  Being from Dayton, Ohio I don’t often get to look down my nose at many other cities.  But comparatively speaking, I think Dayton actually has more going for it than Reno does.  That’s sort of like loosing a foot race to Fat Albert….you know you’re in bad shape when that happens.  Here’s some photos I took in “fabulous” Reno:

I’m pretty sure that sign is older than I am.  Like much of Reno, I’m sure it looks much better at night and if you’re somewhat intoxicated.  But the light of day is not flattering:

Take away the tatoo parlors and pawn shops, and you’d have a lovely, unobstructed view of the Reno desert.  Here’s the hotel I’ve twice stayed in:

The Eldorado certainly looks like a nice enough place…and it’s not bad per se.  It actually has a couple of nice restaurants inside.  Shopping?  Forget about it.  I found all of four retail clothing outlets inside, two of when were for women’s cloths, and one of which sold only Harley Davidson clothing….not exactly my cup o’ tea.

There’s something of a bright spot for Reno in their River Walk area, about a five minute walk from the downtown area.

Again, it’s not bad per se….it just has a bit of a transient population problem.  But the area itself was clean and well thought out:

Again, I like Dayton’s River Walk area better.  Of course, Dayton doesn’t have a desert terrain, which is quite beautiful.  While at the Air Races, I got to shoot at one of the race pylons (#3) which seemed to be in the middle of the desert:

Out of respect to those who were impacted by the accident that took place on Friday during the final race (I had gone back to the hotel about an hour before the crash occured) I don’t intend, for the time being, to post any photos from the Air Races itself. I can only say that from my perspective the Reno Air Races officials handled this worst case scenario as well as anyone could expect under the circumstances. Please pray for those who were touched by this terrible tragedy.