pogoism

Christmas in Reno was certainly interesting. It was strange not being surrounded by family and doing all the usual things. 

I met Sean at San Francisco Int’l last Thursday, not really being sure what to expect. I’d dated, and was dating other guys, but I promised myself and him that it wouldn’t be awkward. Turned out, that problem got solved fairly quickly, which in a way I’m glad about, because it meant that the next week or so was a lot of fun.

I wrote about what we got up to San Francisco and snowboarding in my previous posts, so I guess I’ll just fill this post with the other stuff we got up to…

One of the things I absolutely love Reno for is it’s eating out. It’s pubs, bars and clubs may be dire, but Reno does dining well. One of my favourite places to eat in Reno is Pneumatic Diner, on 1st and Ralston. It’s fairly difficult to find, it located upstairs in what seems to be a standard apartment block. It’s worth the effort though. Everything on the menu is organic, and the main reason I like it, everything is also vegetarian – a hard thing to find in Reno. The staff are usually very friendly and helpful, and the menu is varied. The food is freshly cooked, and is generally healthy. I had the super burrito, or whatever it’s called. It was lovely, though not really a burrito… Anyway, if you fancy a change, go try Pneumatic Diner. Oh, and I forgot the mention, the decor is really funky.

I also introduced Sean to one of the wonders of Reno – all-you-can-eat sushi. I’ve tried a few places in the past few months – Sushi Plus, Sushi Pier, but for me, Sushi Lover on W 5th is by far the best. For $25 (the standard price around Reno it seems), you can have all you can eat sushi. The service in the place is excellent, and if you go, make sure you get the renee chips and the peanut roll – they’re amazing. I’m still a little unsure of why Reno is so big on sushi though…

I took Sean on a tour of downtown. It’s interesting taking people around Reno, I don’t think visitors are sure what to make of it. You take them along Virginia to the casinos and the arch, and they don’t say anything, probably because it’s so tacky. Certainly for visitors from the UK, it’s likely they’ve never actually been anywhere quite as horrid as downtown Reno. But then you go along 1st, to the newly developed area, and it’s like a totally different city – with coffee shops like Dreamer’s and Java Jungle and shops like La Bussola and Dharma Books, all against the backdrop of the Truckee River, it feels like an entirely different world. And, let’s not forget the Bruka Theater, and the Pioneer Events Center for a bit of culture…

Other than this, Christmas was generally chilled. I needed that, just to hang out with someone from back home – I was going crazy knowing that there wasn’t anyone physically near me that I could trust, so it was nice to have that, if only for 10 days.