BallReviews
General Category => USBC Tournament => Topic started by: n00dlejester on March 08, 2023, 03:39:08 PM
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Hello fellow bowling sadists! This year's tournament is already underway, with a 3200+ out the gate.
I'm going to make two threads (for the 9 of us still on these boards) to keep a sort of timeline for the tournament. This thread will be for all things non-bowling related – travel tips, local food or drink suggestions, local businesses to visit, casino reports, gambling woes, etc. etc.
Safe travels and good luck to everybody making the schlep out to Reno!
[NOTE: the other thread is all things bowling related https://www.ballreviews.com/usbc-tournament/2023-nationals-thread-all-things-bowling/ (https://www.ballreviews.com/usbc-tournament/2023-nationals-thread-all-things-bowling/) ]
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I'm close enough to Reno to make the trip multiple times a year for tournaments. A great place to stay is Whitney Peak. It's not a casino, but it's a close to everything.
Just an FYI or those who have been before, Harrah's is no more.
Also, the Sands is now called J Resort and has been remodeled.
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I'm close enough to Reno to make the trip multiple times a year for tournaments. A great place to stay is Whitney Peak. It's not a casino, but it's a close to everything.
Just an FYI or those who have been before, Harrah's is no more.
Also, the Sands is now called J Resort and has been remodeled.
Oh nice, that's good to know. I might check into Whitney Peak.
Since you're a regular to Reno, any FOOD recommendations?
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I'm close enough to Reno to make the trip multiple times a year for tournaments. A great place to stay is Whitney Peak. It's not a casino, but it's a close to everything.
Just an FYI or those who have been before, Harrah's is no more.
Also, the Sands is now called J Resort and has been remodeled.
Oh nice, that's good to know. I might check into Whitney Peak.
Since you're a regular to Reno, any FOOD recommendations?
The best restaurant in town is the Steak House @ Western Village, but it's in east Sparks (McCarran Blvd @ I-80)
If you are okay eating at a casino, Roxy is a good steakhouse in El Dorado. For Italian, La Strada @ El Dorado is first rate.
Brew Brothers in Silver Legacy is good for burgers and beer.
If you want something other than a casino, walk south on Virgina across the river to the riverwalk. There are tons of very good to great restaurants. My favorite of them is Wild River Grill, but there are many, many more.
Edit: One I forgot, for a GREAT breakfast, Peg's Glorified Ham and Eggs. South of the river a maybe three blocks on S. Sierra street. (Sierra runs parallel to Virgina) It's walkable on a nice day.
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milo - aka The Wealth of Information! Thank you so much
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Thanks Milo for all the food places that help me out for sure come june when I head out. U by chance play any golf around there?
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Yea used to a lot
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I live in Reno a few years. Wild creek I played a lot, love that course. Northgate tend to be very tough if there is any wind. Sierra sage in Stead can be brutal if you can't hit the fairways
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Reno cc is supposed to be very good but never played it
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I did a bit of hunting around for local restaurants to try, I found a ramen joint I might scope out. Anybody know any good spots within walking distance of the stadium? And I'm looking for spots away from the casinos.
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There is a decent Vietnamese restaurant on East 2nd street. It's one block south of the stadium at the corner of University and E 2nd. I think the name is Pho 777 Or something close to that.
Ramen4Real is about one block north of J Resort (Previously The Sands). It's really good, but not sure I would walk there at night. It's on West 5th street about 5 blocks west of S. Virgina. If you prefer Taiwanese style ramen, then right beside (Literally, same strip center) is 101 Taiwanese. It's one of the "sizzling broth" style noodle restaurants.
There is a Vietnamese restaurant closer to S. Virgina on the same street, Golden something, Maybe Golden Flower. I don't recommend it though. Also the same issue of do you want to walk it at night.
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There is a decent Vietnamese restaurant on East 2nd street. It's one block south of the stadium at the corner of University and E 2nd. I think the name is Pho 777 Or something close to that.
Ramen4Real is about one block north of J Resort (Previously The Sands). It's really good, but not sure I would walk there at night. It's on West 5th street about 5 blocks west of S. Virgina. If you prefer Taiwanese style ramen, then right beside (Literally, same strip center) is 101 Taiwanese. It's one of the "sizzling broth" style noodle restaurants.
There is a Vietnamese restaurant closer to S. Virgina on the same street, Golden something, Maybe Golden Flower. I don't recommend it though. Also the same issue of do you want to walk it at night.
Duly noted regarding the walk there. I'll make them lunch spots, then. Or perhaps an early dinner. Thank you again!
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Was just out there a couple weekends ago, few thoughts.
La Strada in El Dorada was really good, priced were reasonable and would eat there again. Roxy and Brew Brothers were both let downs, food was okay, but goodness, service was horrendous, your mileage may vary, but wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back.
Away from the Row visited Lead Dog brewery, definitely walkable from the row and even closer to the stadium, very solid brewery if that’s your thing. Cal Neva’s Top Deck restaurant is cheap, and solid, nothing amazing but for an inexpensive breakfast it’s worth checking out.
Also on recommendation by BU, hit up Lucky Beaver that’s out by Atlantis, bit of a dive, but you won’t beat the food for the money and it’s actually got great hours which can’t be said by many places in the Row.
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Was just out there a couple weekends ago, few thoughts.
La Strada in El Dorada was really good, priced were reasonable and would eat there again. Roxy and Brew Brothers were both let downs, food was okay, but goodness, service was horrendous, your mileage may vary, but wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back.
Away from the Row visited Lead Dog brewery, definitely walkable from the row and even closer to the stadium, very solid brewery if that’s your thing. Cal Neva’s Top Deck restaurant is cheap, and solid, nothing amazing but for an inexpensive breakfast it’s worth checking out.
Also on recommendation by BU, hit up Lucky Beaver that’s out by Atlantis, bit of a dive, but you won’t beat the food for the money and it’s actually got great hours which can’t be said by many places in the Row.
Good stuff!! Time to start a list - thx again themagician
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The cost to rent a locker went up to $10. As far as I know that is a change from last year.
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The cost to rent a locker went up to $10. As far as I know that is a change from last year.
Boooooooooo!!
Thanks for the heads up.
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How much fits in a locker? Never rented one but considering it as we bowl at 930 pm and I don't feel like dragging my crap back to the hotel at midnight
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How much fits in a locker? Never rented one but considering it as we bowl at 930 pm and I don't feel like dragging my crap back to the hotel at midnight
$10 lockers easily fit 6 - 3 ball totes and a couple shoe bags or backpack. We make it happen every year. The smaller lockers will hold 4 - 3 ball totes and not much else.
Just play adult Tetris and it’s easy to get value out. Also lockers don’t have to be paid for til you want to lock them so feel free to grab an open one and see how much stuff you can put in it before you buy a token.
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How much fits in a locker? Never rented one but considering it as we bowl at 930 pm and I don't feel like dragging my crap back to the hotel at midnight
I always rent a locker at the Open. Even in Reno where the parking is at the venue and not on the far side of it.
$10 is still a fair deal for not having to drag your stuff in and out. Although, it's $10 EACH time you open the door, not for the entire tournament.
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How much fits in a locker? Never rented one but considering it as we bowl at 930 pm and I don't feel like dragging my crap back to the hotel at midnight
I was able to fit 2 3-ball tournament totes (standing up) and a 3 ball wheeled bag, with some elbow grease, in 1 locker.
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Thanks for the replies - appreciate everyone!
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Does anyone know if the AYCE sushi bar is still open inside the bbq restaurant by circus circus?
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I don't remember a sushi bar in a BBQ restaurant, but there was one inside a Mexican restaurant. It is no longer there. It was replaced by a Food Court.
El Dorado has Sushi Sake though. And there is an Ichiban there as well.
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Has anybody used BBExpress this year? I haven't used it in awhile, I know the cost went up quite a bit. I'd ship 4 balls from Ohio, just wondering about a ballpark estimate on cost. Thanks
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Its stupid expensive. I am thinking about shipping a ball or 2 (from Ohio as well) so I just went to BBE to see how much 1 ball was. With the "handling fee" the cost for 1 ball was over $60!!!
Below is a copy and paste from the site showing me the total:
Package Information
Pkg No Wt Insured Value
1 16 0.0000
Billing Information
Payment of Transportaion: All Currencies in USD
Transportation Total: **36.29
Handling: ****25.00
Total: **61.29
The displayed rate is for reference purposes and does not include applicable taxes.
*For delivery and guarantee information, see the UPS Service Guide. To speak to a customer service representative, call 1-800-PICK-UPS for domestic services and 1-800-782-7892 for international services.
**Rate includes a fuel surcharge.
***Surcharge for forwarding Duties and Taxes to UPS Account.
****Handling fee is $25.00 per package
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Its stupid expensive. I am thinking about shipping a ball or 2 (from Ohio as well) so I just went to BBE to see how much 1 ball was. With the "handling fee" the cost for 1 ball was over $60!!!
Below is a copy and paste from the site showing me the total:
Package Information
Pkg No Wt Insured Value
1 16 0.0000
Billing Information
Payment of Transportaion: All Currencies in USD
Transportation Total: **36.29
Handling: ****25.00
Total: **61.29
The displayed rate is for reference purposes and does not include applicable taxes.
*For delivery and guarantee information, see the UPS Service Guide. To speak to a customer service representative, call 1-800-PICK-UPS for domestic services and 1-800-782-7892 for international services.
**Rate includes a fuel surcharge.
***Surcharge for forwarding Duties and Taxes to UPS Account.
****Handling fee is $25.00 per package
Thanks....yikes it used to be a bargain. The $25 handling fee is dumb, a money grab by USBC.
I had heard a 4 ball box was around $160 but it looks a lot higher than that!
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Nope $160 is spot on. The $25 fee isn't as tough to swallow if you send more than 1 ball. I put in a 4 ball box (60 pounds) and here is what the result was:
Package Information
Pkg No Wt Insured Value
1 60 0.0000
Billing Information
Payment of Transportaion: All Currencies in USD
Transportation Total: **137.49
Handling: ****25.00
Total: **162.49
The displayed rate is for reference purposes and does not include applicable taxes.
*For delivery and guarantee information, see the UPS Service Guide. To speak to a customer service representative, call 1-800-PICK-UPS for domestic services and 1-800-782-7892 for international services.
**Rate includes a fuel surcharge.
***Surcharge for forwarding Duties and Taxes to UPS Account.
****Handling fee is $25.00 per package
Responsibility for Loss or Damage
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Last time I used it was Syracuse and it was $100+ for 4 balls, so $160 now seems to be in line.
Sending 60 lbs. at that price is not a bad deal in my opinion.
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To anyone shipping with BBE, the big price scaling comes from boxes over 50lbs, if you stick with 3 balls in an old 3 ball bag box, or 3 balls, and one empty box in a 4 ball box, and keep the weight under $50 you’ll see the prices become way more reasonable, ~100-120 one way from the Midwest to Reno.
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Last I heard, BBE won't let you ship a bag with the balls. Has that changed?
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Even though I have never traveled out for nationals, when I went out to vegas for the TAT tournaments the past couple of years , I bought 2 of the 2 ball cases from caseclub. There is room for 2 balls + shoes and accessories in each one. What I like about those cases is they are sturdy and durable and when I fly out on Southwest, they each fall within the size and weight limits to fly free...I put as much as I can in my free carry on and I pay nothing extra for baggage...it does limit me to only 3 strike balls and a spare ball. but these I will be able to use for air travel for years to come. The company also makes a 3 ball case and a 4 ball case, but with those you'd get stuck with extra charges to fly and then they'd be quite heavy to deal with.
Brad
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Even though I have never traveled out for nationals, when I went out to vegas for the TAT tournaments the past couple of years , I bought 2 of the 2 ball cases from caseclub. There is room for 2 balls + shoes and accessories in each one. What I like about those cases is they are sturdy and durable and when I fly out on Southwest, they each fall within the size and weight limits to fly free...I put as much as I can in my free carry on and I pay nothing extra for baggage...it does limit me to only 3 strike balls and a spare ball. but these I will be able to use for air travel for years to come. The company also makes a 3 ball case and a 4 ball case, but with those you'd get stuck with extra charges to fly and then they'd be quite heavy to deal with.
Brad
Yes, I bought one of those 2 ball cases, very nice & sturdy. I've used it on international flights to China & The Netherlands. I don't like putting my bowling shoes in there though.
I'm going to put 2 in that case & fly SW to Reno. Probably ship 3 to the stadium.
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Whether the ticket sales time you can provide a little early. It's hard to get a spot quickly.