We made an impromptu trip to Reno, NV last Saturday – after heavy rains lashed the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday and Friday – to pump up our sagging adrenaline levels and to try our luck in the numerous casinos there.

The trip was smooth as silk and the weather was simply spectacular. In three (3) hours and approximately 250 miles later, we were already playing our favorite slot machines in Boomtown Casino Resort in Verdi, NV (roughly about 12 miles away from downtown Reno).

We moved on to downtown Reno later on in the afternoon.

Reno was noticeably not particularly busy on that gorgeous weekend. The Indian reservation casinos must have taken a massive bite out of their lucrative business.

Casino habitués were not flocking to this mini “Sin City” like they used to –especially on a lovely weekend like that one.

For us, it was a welcome relief. Traffic inside the main strip was very light and going from one place to another was easy as it could get. Parking was incredibly hassle-free (especially with the use of my ‘temporarily disabled’ parking card (side note: in most Indian casinos, these privilege parking spaces seem to be always full) and going in and out of the casinos was without the usual hustle and bustle. In was an exceptionally relaxing weekend in an otherwise stressful place.

As an aside, we also dropped-by our favorite Filipino eatery in Vallejo – Andrea’s – where we picked-up all our food for the entire trip. These included “chicken adobo” (a stew of various chicken meats in vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and soy sauce) and the saucy “beef kaldereta” (spicy beef ribs with vegetables stewed in tomato sauce, liver, and cheese) served with rice.

For dessert, we had the “taho” (a food-drink made primarily from curdled soybeans) with lots “arnibal” (syrup made of brown sugar and vanilla) and miniature “sago” (tapioca pearls).

Of course, the package won’t be complete without their irresistible and delightfully crispy “lechon” (roasted pig) with the mildly spicy liver sauce.