Biggest Little City in the World | Reno, Nevada

A pocket of population in the high desert, Reno truly is the Biggest Little City in the World. It's a slice of Nevada culture without the grandeur of that other popular gambling city to the south. Chalk full of its own character and quirks, there's something special here that we only got a brief taste of. On the long road back to Canada, we had started the morning in San Francisco and pulled into Reno in the early afternoon.

Dave and I took to exploring downtown and crossed under the famous Reno arch. Welcome to "the Biggest Little City in the World". To me, neon signs always look naked during the day without the glow to complete the package, but they were cool nonetheless. Smaller, less imposing casinos stretched around several streets, many mimicking their Vegas counterparts.

Reno certainly has its own vibe, and despite being an obvious gambling town, it felt a lot different than cruising in Las Vegas. There was more of a local personality about it. It didn't feel like everyone was a tourist, and on top of that, it's pretty secluded from everywhere else. Maybe it was just the harsh light of midday taking some of the fantasy out of the scene, but surprisingly I didn't even feel swayed to gamble. Instead, we pushed onward to Salt Lake City.