Carson City on a Budget

In the last blog entitled "A Night in Reno" it ended at the airport picking up a car rental from Payless Rental Cars. Payless gives a great deal on their car rentals. You can get one there in Reno for between $15 and $20 a day. Anyways, this picks up as I left the airport headed straight down to Carson City which is only about a 30 to 40 minute drive. It's just straight down the highway with almost no turns. Once you get outside Reno it's a really nice scenic drive. Growing up in a small town I tend to get anxious driving in larger towns. I can do it just fine but don't particularly enjoy it. The drive to Carson City is a nice one however especially if you like landscapes.

Though I shouldn't have I quickly lifted the phone and snapped the photo you see above quickly as I was driving down the highway. Now before I left for this trip in addition to booking my room in Reno I had also hopped on Orbitz.com and picked up a room at the Carson City Plaza Hotel for a couple nights. It's listed as a 2 star hotel but I think it's a little better than that. The place is definitely an older place but to me that isn't a big deal. Back in 2005 I'd stayed at the Brookdale Lodge in California and that place was over 80 years old at the time and it was celebrated. On top of that it was extremely haunted! Last I heard that placed got closed down but not sure why. Anyways, I arrived at the plaza and was a little early. I was hungry and asked if their were any good places close by to eat. I was told Red's Old 395 Grill was right next door across the side road. This was perfect for me because I could walk to it. I kept the bags in the car since I was too early for check-in. If it was close I'm sure they would've just checked me in early but this was more like a couple hours early so I completely understood and it was fine. It was a really nice day out the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze blowing. Over the next couple days I saw that Red's could get really packed but I happened to be in luck at the moment and caught it at a slow time. I was able to walk right up to the bar and grab a seat. The place looked really nice it had an old west type of theme. It was pretty much a steakhouse but they had plenty of diverse choices on the menu. They also had a huge selection of beer on tap. I didn't count but it had to be at least 50 or more.

There were some video slot and poker machines built into the bar so I slid $20 in there after I ordered my food. I kept is simple and ordered a hamburger. The day was going well, after about 10 minutes I'd won $100! Then right after that my food arrived and it was excellent! The staff was really nice after I won the money they paid it out promptly. As I was eating my lunch I happened to look up and I noticed they had some copper mugs. To me that only meant 1 thing. They serve moscow mules!

Now a couple years earlier I'd been at a bar in Phoenix, AZ. I have this thing where if I go to a bar in a town I've never been I always at the bartender if the area has a special drink. A lot of places I go to they have a drink that you must drink if you go to that town or you are somewhat of a poser. For example, in New Orleans it's a Sazerac. Well in Phoenix the guy didn't know so he guessed it was a Moscow Mule. I tried it and from that moment on it was my favorite drink. Others may find it boring but I love it. It's a sweet drink but doesn't contain sweet & sour mix that would make you sick if you drank too much of it. Recipes tend to vary but I know it has 2 ounces of vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, an optional mint leaf, and ginger beer. Where I live in Alabama the bars do not have ginger beer so back home I cannot get my favorite drink. So it's always special when I go to a place and see those copper mugs.

While I was in Carson City I'd eat at Red's every night. To this day it's still one of my favorite restaurants in the country. The place looks good. The food is great. The staff is really nice and helpful. I even made friends at the bar with a lot of the people it town. It's just a really good place so check out Red's if you are ever in Carson City.

So I walked back across the side road, admittedly with a buzz, and checked into my room. The room was pretty basic but it had everything I needed. I was only on this trip for work I wasn't looking for anything special. It always annoys me when people bash hotels in comment sections for small things that don't matter. I was there for work and everything else was just icing. When I looked on Orbitz recently the plaza was listed at $80 a night. I remember it being lower for this trip. I do believe the prices change depending on the time of year and this would've been in late October so If I was planning on going there again during the same time frame I'd wait until the middle of October to book the room and save some money. There is a Wyndham Garden Hotel right across the road and I'm sure it would cost a great deal more. The Plaza is actually in a really good location. Across the side road of course you have Red's but just across the main road you have the Carson City Max Casino if you are into that.

Another thing I liked about Carson City is that though it's the state capital it's actually kind of a smaller town or at least has that feel to it. the Plaza is right there on Carson St which is the main strip in town. With a short walk from the hotel there are plenty of shops and other restaurants and bars. There's other casinos as well. It has a lot of the same things Reno has it's just on a smaller scale and a slower pace which I find more relaxing. I tend to do a lot of urban hiking when I travel. I like to do it in all the cities I travel to and just wander around. The exception would be New Orleans, if you don't know where you are going don't ever just wander around in New Orleans. I really enjoyed Carson City and honestly it's probably my favorite city that I actually do work. It's an equal distance from Reno as well as Lake Tahoe both are only around 45 minutes away and the drive isn't bad at all. If you are looking for a nice place to visit on a budget that has a ton of other options in the general area then I think Carson City is a good place for you.