Many times in life it's the simple things…read more Along the Truckee River there's a gentleman that takes rocks from the river and creates small sculptures of people and animals. He manages to balance these various sized river rocks to make his creations. It amazes me the size of the sculpture he can produce and how perfect they appear. I'm glad he has the passion and time to make these. I enjoy checking them all out when Sheela and I walk along the Truckee River. It is really disappointing to know that some people thinks it's ok to destroy the works; they are in anyone's way or bothering. Just enjoy.

I love art when it just sort of happens unexpectedly…read more I have been a fan of Mr. Hobo for awhile now as I am a frequent walker along the Truckee Riverwalk. His works are thoughtful, humorous, beautiful and poignant. I really love his reclining people and the little stories each one seems to tell. He is a gifted artist. The creativity of closing, arranging and balancing pieces of river rock to make his sculptures is truly a sight to behold. He does have pieces for sale that have the rocks attached, but most of his displays are completely stacked and balanced. When the water level is low enough, he adds pieces in the river between the Sierra and Virginia Street bridges. This guy Rocks! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

I really thought this was a formal event. I wore a gown and the husband was in a tux. We had…read moretickets for the 8:30 portion of the event. When we arrived, it was more like a low key night club with loud music, lights and the with booths for samples. Some people were dressed in formal wear and others in Halloween costumes. The theme was Nightmare Before Christmas and some people leaned more with the Halloween part. The booths were giving out samples, like popcorn from Galaxy Theaters, tiny samples of Kettle's espresso martini, a bit sized sample of fudge, and ice cream. It reminded me of a craft fair with the random samples. For an event titled, "Fantasies in Chocolate", I would have thought there would be more chocolate. For the event, I was surprised there weren't more places for photo ops with good lighting. All in all, this wasn't my style. I was thinking it was more of a formal event.

Incredible night!! We love every minute of Fantasies in Chocolate!! This was my 3rd time at this…read moreVIP event!! Best ever!! We'll be back for more!!

This event in the Reno area is THE BOMB! I have lives her for 5 summers and last year 2025 was the…read morefirst year that I attended. I was kicking myself and so mad that I had not taken to tiem to come and see this awesome event in the 3 years prior! Yes, its an early wake up but man-oh-man what an awesome sight to see 75-100 hot air balloons glowing at 5:30 am in the dark morning sky. I was so enamored with this, I joined the crew for one of the balloons and now i get to come every year and help set up and launch/recover the balloon. Seeing this first hand and being up close is so fun. 2026 was a little dicey as we struggled with some wind in the forecast. The entire week showed that Saturday was looking pretty grim for flying but Sunday would be beautiful. Well, as a surprise to all, we lucked out on Saturday as the winds were within the range for safe flying. However, Sunday came and so did the winds. At 3:30 am winds were out of the west at 17mph way to fast for the max of 7 mph to fly. In fact they could not even inflate for morning glow. It was fun either way and as a Navy Veteran, I was asked to hold the flag for the singing of the National Anthem. What an honor.

If you've never been to the The Great Reno Balloon Race, put it on your list. Watching the balloons…read morelight up before sunrise and slowly fill the sky is something you have to experience in person. The event is well organized, family friendly, and has a great community atmosphere. My biggest tip is to arrive early, dress in layers, and bring a chair or blanket. It gets chilly before the sun comes up, but it's absolutely worth it. Whether you're a local or visiting Reno, this is one of those events that reminds you how special our community is. I'll definitely be back.

Today was the inaugural opening for the event they hope to be annual. It was held at Rancho San…read moreRafael Park in north Reno. The park is plenty big for the event, but lacks any shade for humans or pets. And by the opening at 10 am it was getting pretty warm. Wild Island sponsored four covered areas with large wading pools for the pets to cool off in. There could have been a few more drinking water areas, although I always carry my own in case. The event was set up in a large circle of awning for each vendor. There were several adoption agencies to look at and even take home a new loved today. It wasn't really advertised as a recue pet event, but that is what I truly took from it. It was nice to see so many organizations that take in various animals and trying to relocate them to loving homes. There were also tents that offered pet supplies, boarding facilities and groomers. For those who brought their 2 legged kids there was an area for them to enjoy with a bounce house and rock climbing wall. A couple of food trucks were also on hand to feed humans. Jump from Vegas set up some bleachers and an arena for agility runs and three dog performances. It was cool that the owner noted all his dogs in the show were all rescues. It seemed very busy for the early time I was there and yet there was plenty of space for everyone to move around with out getting their noses and tails out of joint. I hope they do even better next year and will watch for the event again

Great event to support mans best friend. There was a nice balance of vendor booths, food trucks,…read moreand activities for everyone to enjoy.

Whenever we have guests visiting us in Reno, we take them to this city to check it out…read more Quality/Quantity - Welcome to the wild wild west, lol. A good tourist place to visit. Lots of things to see, do, eat, and drink. See Atmosphere below. Other attractions are - St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church, Historic Fourth Ward School Museum (see other 5 star review), Virginia City Outlaws, The Washoe Club Haunted Museum, Mackay Mansion, The Way It Was Museum, Silver Terrace Cemetery, Virginia City Visitor Center (see other 4 star review), etc. Atmosphere - Always a fun and great city to visit. Historical town. Sadly, I will miss the camel and ostrich races, see pictures. Also, I miss the motorcycle rodeo. Known for their tours - Ghosts, underground, mine, railroad, historic, trolley, etc! Parades - Approximately 8 a year; see their website. During the off season, there are plenty of free street parking, or $10 private lot parking. During peak season, you will have to park further and walk. Service - Good, caters to tourists. Price - Reasonable prices, especially for a tourist destination. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1859. I am glad that you are still prospering.

VC is still a great short drive weekend from Reno…read more The historic old mining town sits in the mountains southeast of Reno. And offers a day exploring quaint shops, more than its share of bars, interesting restaurants and old school hospitality. For a quiet trip come up when there's not an event. For a parade and full filled day, come up during on the the town's many event weekends. My go to is the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival or as my friends call it - the Testy Festy. The Saturday before St Patty's where 15 or more groups complete to show off their creativity and cooking skills with testicules. At noon the locals gather for a St Patrick's Day parade, a mix of cowboys and folks celebrating the Iris in them. We choose to come up the day before and enjoy VC before the crowd and spend a couple of nights in one of the old school hotels. Visit shops. And have a few drinks. Explore the old streets and historic sites. Bonus is we are here before the crowd. :). On event weekends there is hardly any parking on the main street C and sometimes a couple of the parking lots are closed. So you'll need to catch one of the side streets off D.

West Street Plaza is a perfect little jem. A great space for a myriad of events…read more One of my favorites is the summer free concerts by the amazing talent from the Reno Phil. Every Tuesday at 6:30. Highly recommended

A small city plaza downtown…read more Nestled along the Truckee River as part of the Riverwalk, this area sits between the Cinemark Riverside theater and Java Jungle. It has ramp access from Arlington and Sierra Streets, stairs from West Street. There's also a bridge access across the Truckee to Wingfield Park. And a large stair area into the Truckee for wading on hot days. On beautiful days various artists and musicians set up spots to sell wares and play. Be careful on busy days, as pedestrians, dog walkers and bicyclists can make the area rather congested. During summer events this can often be full of vendors.

So what happens when you get a group of intrepid, young entrepreneurs together in a rundown seedy…read moresection of town? You get an event like this. East 4th street in Reno is one of those scary areas with homeless shelters and gospel missions, iron works and auto repair shops, empty buildings and dicy looking businesses. Enter the likes of Under the Rose Brewery, Reno Bike Project, and just a few blocks down, the Morris Burner Hotel and soon to be opened craft distillery. I had the great pleasure of attending the second annual Positively 4th Street Event this year and what a great event is was. The real showcase to me was the demonstration of a proposed bike path/street beautification project being proposed along the 4th street corridor. Totally brilliant idea. The street was adorned with potted plants and carefully constructed wood flats benches and the two lane green bike path was carefully roped off with cones and caution tape. A street party was in progress when we arrived with food, bouncy houses, local farmers market (yes truly local!!!), and a bike swap. There were walking, bus and bike tours from the Historical society. There was a pop-up restaurant produced by Campo, Sup, and Homage. All I can say is, "Midtown, watch out. There is a new kid in town."

What a lovely dining experience fitting of the old school charm in the space, with delicious food…read moreand fantastic personalized service to boot. Walking in you're immediately transformed to the dining era of yesteryear. Warm woods adorn the walls, an iconic and historic bar welcomes, friendly suited up servers smile and greet you, and that's all before your host seats you! Reservations are almost a must, but don't hesitate to call and see because they will always try to get you in! We did just that and got seated in the large private dining room and started with an app special of fried artichoke hearts, lightly breaded in a gluten free flour, a great idea so more could enjoy it! For dinner I had the veal piccata with a lovely linguine with garlic and oil. I loved every bite and mopped the plate. The mussels were delicious. The artichoke salmon excellent. Honestly all of it was spectacular. I'll def be back.

A friend of mine asked me to join them for dinner. We had a reservation in which we were seated…read morepromptly. We took a few min to decide on what to order. We decided and the waitress happily took our order They accommodated my friend as she asked for muscles instead of clams. She enjoyed her dinner. Another friend ordered Caesar salad with salmon. I must say the Caesar was a side salad portion normally it would be a larger size when adding a hunk of protein. It literally was a sm soup bowl size. The salmon was a decent size. I asked how was the salad dressing was. And she mentioned she makes a better one at home with a little more anchovy forward. I mentioned I hope it's not from a bottle. 2 of us ordered chicken Parmesan. This is where it went screwy! Instead of the big pasta noodles it came with, we asked of we could sub it for angel hair with Alfredo sauce. Sure she said. Let me ask the cook though. She came back and it was a go. As we waited for our dinner, my friends chicken parm came back with no marinara just mozzarella on her chicken which looked a little dry and her angel hair ( or capillini pasta) had little Alfredo sauce on it I told her that not traditional chicken parm. When I ordered I said I'll have the same as her. When I received mine, the Alfredo sauce was on the side in a dish. I can live with that. The chicken parm was just a fried piece of chicken. Everyone said it looked dry. No sauce no mozzarella. I wish I would have taken a pic of that. So I send it back and ask them to add marinara sauce and mozzarella and pop it under the broiler briefly to melt cheese. I could hardly cut the thin piece of chicken that looked like it was deep fried. It was dry by that time. I hate sending things back to the kitchen cause you never know what's going on now with your dinner She said there must have been a miscommunication. I guess there was.!! Needless to say I didn't eat but a couple of bites, since it was pretty dry. The Alfredo sauce had no flavor. I definitely could have done better myself. When you go out to dinner the point is not having to cook at home. I spent 39.00 with tax and top for a meal I didn't enjoy. Boo! And uneventful and disappointing to say the least. Ok ... So they ordered dessert. The espresso crunch gelato was tasty as I tried that and their tiramisu was very well done. I didn't try the cannoli as I didn't want to take from my friend's medium size cannoli. Not enough to share. Here's my final take away... I'm not sure if I'll ever go back as I had been there once before for happy hour and it was SPENDY for a happy hour. We all could have ordered a meal for the price of half hour. Needless to say they don't do HH anymore. I have to wonder why. ? I think I can guess. Im really surprised the owner didn't check in when I didn't receive my dinner and that they had all received theirs and then when it was sent back, he didn't check. I'm not sure if it will be a long term establishment in the long run Anyway thats my review the good, the bad, the unsavory! I think I'll stick with Mario's ( basically a block or 2 over or Johnnie's. May e even Zozo's.

August 8, 2015 Saturday - 4:00 PM for BEER! 2 Adults…read more Atmosphere - 5 stars Food - 5 stars Service - 5 stars Background - Been to Freeze Your Pints Off so I had to go to Sweat Your Pints Off. Atmosphere - A cool night with a little rain which did not damper any ones spirits. I loved how they had covered areas with picnic tables and high top tables to rest, eat, or just get out of the heat, if there was any heat. Food Drinks - I think every brewery came from the area including Tonopah Brewing and The Brewing Lair. I love trying new beers and everyone brought stuff which I had not had before. The twist on the event today was most had two brews listed and soon as one of those beer were gone a new beer was added. So when you went around the second and third times around there were new beers to try. Dinner - With ticket purchase you get a coupon for a food truck, I picked Brothers. That sandwich was out before I could blink. It was so good, packed with meat. One of the things I have learned at these beer events is to eat during it so you are not overwhelmed by the alcohol. I even bring my own pretzels to snack on. Service - To me this event is about beer but more important interacting with the brewers. They all show the pride of their craft. Lots of the brewers were actually hopping around and work other booths to interact with each other. It is a small community and it is great to see them all work together so nicely. Future - Yes.