Venue Information:
**Maps: Reno Ski Areas and Reno General Map, Atlantis Floorplan
Banquet Location: National Automobile Museum
Notes on the Venue, written by Jim Bezdek. Jim lived in Reno for 5 years, and knows the area pretty well. If you have special questions on this area, just contact him at : jbezdek@uwf.edu and he will try to answer them for you.
1. General Location. The Atlantis is about one mile southwest of the Reno airport, more or less all by itself with respect to the other casinos and hotels in Reno. The majority of all the other hotels, and the commercial district of Reno, are about 4 miles north of the Atlantis. There is just one other casino/hotel within walking distance: the Peppermill. You may be able to find a slightly cheaper rate at the Peppermill through the internet. But why? Our rate, $72 USD for the tower, $62 USD for the motor hotel immediately adjacent, is the lowest rate for an IEEE conference hotel in my memory - ever. And, the Atlantis is REALLY NICE - this is not a dump, but a very classy resort casino. So, we ask you to book the Atlantis through their web page (use "IEEE05" for the Special Offer Code or Group Code) when you register for the conference, and help us avoid possible penalties for not making our room block guarantee.
2. Transportation to and from the Reno Airport and the Atlantis. The Atlantis runs a free shuttle bus from the airport to the the hotel and vice versa every 30 minutes from 0530 am to 0130 am. In hours when their shuttle bus is not running, you can take a taxicab from the airport to the Atlantis for about $7 USD, and the Atlantis will reimburse you. If you are handicapped, you can take a taxicab at any time for about $7 USD, and the Atlantis will reimburse you. If you are leaving the Atlantis for the airport at a very early hour (between 0130 and 0530 am), the Atlantis will take you to the airport in a minivan. Summary: getting to and from the airport is easy, and free.
3. Public Transportation in Reno. The Atlantis does not run a shuttle to downtown. Taxicab fare from the Atlantis to downtown Reno is about $7-8 USD. There is a city bus that runs by the Atlantis that also can be used to get around Reno. A roundtrip bus fare in the Reno-Sparks region is $3 USD. You can buy a 7 day pass for $18 USD. Here is the link for detailed information on all types of commercial transportation in Reno: www.RTCwashoe.com. Summary: getting around Reno is (relatively) easy, and not too expensive.
4. Restaurants. The Atlantis has about a dozen restaurants in the hotel, some are quite reasonable. There is an "all you can eat'" buffet of the highest (American !!!) quality, that costs $11.95 per person. You are not trapped at the Atlantis. Directly across the street is one of the biggest shopping complexes in Reno. I estimate that there are 50 restaurants within easy walking distance from the Atlantis. Every fast food joint on the planet, every mid-scale joint (O'Charleys, Applebee's, Chevvies, Chili's, Outback, TGIF, etc. ad nauseum), and quite a few pretty nice upscale restaurants (Brazilian steakhouses, Italian, Sushi bars, etc.). Summary: it ain't Paris, or even San Francisco, but you'll eat good.
5. Grocery Stores. If you want to buy and prepare your own food, the shopping complex across the street has many huge supermarkets: Walmart, Sam's Club, Albertsons, Raley's, Safeway, etc. are all within easy walking distance. Your room at the Atlantis does NOT have a coffee maker, nor microwave, nor refrigerator. There are free ice machines on every floor. Summary: this is the way I like to travel. It's easy to do at the Atlantis.
6. Other Stores. The shopping complex across the street from the Atlantis has almost every conceivable type of store (electronics, clothes, department stores, specialty shops, etc.). Summary: You will be able to purchase, and carry back to your hotel room, just about anything.
7. Things to do. Reno was the original casino venue in the USA, long before Las Vegas was more than a whim of the imagination. Reno was famous for quick divorces and marriages, and many Hollywood icons did both here in the 1920s-1940s. The casino scene today is slightly less grandiose than Las Vegas, but you can still lose all your money as fast as you want to in Reno, and have a good time doing it.
For those with other interests, Reno is somewhat better located than Las Vegas. For starters, Lake Tahoe is about 30 minutes away. Lake Tahoe is one of a handful of so-called "pristine" lakes in the US, and is really beautiful. You can spend a wonderful day up there, touring the lake. Of course, the Nevada side (California owns the west side) has plenty of casinos right on the lake, so you are never too far from a deck or a handle.
Another very interesting locale is Virginia City, about 1 hour's drive southeast from Reno. This was the site of the famous Comstock Lode, which provided most of the Silver that financed the North's campaign against the South in the American Civil War. This is the reason Nevada became a state, in 1865. This is a great town to poke around in, have some lunch, some beers, and pull a few handles.
Beyond this, there is much to recommend local sightseeing at Pyramid Lake, fishing in the Sierra Nevada mountains, searching for bottles and arrowheads, or just nosing around the environs of Reno, which are much like they were 100 years ago in most parts of the Washoe Basin. If you haven't been to the interior west in the US, this is a great introduction to the high desert. Summary: you will have a great time in Reno. Please join us at FUZZ-IEEE 2005!
