Poor, overlooked Nevada. It’s the 7th largest state by land area in the country, and it welcomes half a zillion visitors from all over the globe each year, but all that those visitors see of it is a 4-mile piece. And I’m not talking about the railway museum in Ely, or Winnemucca’s Buckaroo Hall of Fame. The state’s tourism board seems to go to great pains to emphasize that Nevada is more than just Las Vegas. But is it?
Nevada State Capitol
I began my most recent visit there in Reno, in order to find out. Well, that’s not entirely true. We flew into Reno-Tahoe International Airport, but we didn’t spend more than a moment in Reno itself. Truth is, from my research, I got the strong impression that Reno has seen better days; and there wasn’t a sight — not even the “Biggest Little City” sign — that trumped the other items on our itinerary. So we headed straight for Carson City. I hadn’t realized until we reached this tiny capital city that every town in Nevada, even the dustiest outpost, has a casino or two. Make no mistake, we’re not talking The Venetian here. These places are small, unglamorous and very, very “local.” So, pass the Horseshoe Club and go just beyond the Nugget, and you’ll find the Nevada State Capitol.
It took all of 20 minutes to tour the whole thing. The entrance is, to put it mildly, unspectacular. No soaring rotunda, no grand staircases, no dome that reaches to the heavens. It has all the gravitas of a county courthouse. In fact, it’s more of a historic capitol than a working capitol, because — like in Arizona, Florida and North Carolina — the legislature and supreme court are located in adjacent buildings. Still, the governor’s office is located there; and in the old Senate chamber, there are some exhibits on Nevada history, as well as the history of the capitol, that are interesting. I learned that in 1981, they gutted the building and gave it new innards. Even still, the place feels creaky to me.
Carson City is kind of a hoot, in an Old West sort of way. It has a few restaurants, and it has been built up with fast food restaurants and big box stores on the southern end of town. An easy drive from Reno and Lake Tahoe, it has enough stuff to do to fill up an afternoon. I was surprised by how enjoyable the Nevada State Museum is. After having just visited the underwhelming capitol, I was expecting to go through the museum in 10 minutes. But they did an excellent job featuring the mining, railroad and gaming history of Nevada. It does what I wish all state museums would: it demonstrates the ways that the state is distinctive from the other 49. Other than that, well, there are whorehouses. We could have kicked ourselves when, upon returning home, we learned that the famous Bunny Ranch and some other legal brothels are located no more than minutes from town. We would have loved to have gotten our pictures taken there.
I saw some “Nevada” bumper stickers while driving through these parts. I assume they refer to the university and its sports teams; but I bet you don’t see that a lot in greater Las Vegas. Northern Nevada seem to embrace the state and its ideals, which sets it apart from its neighboring states. Take, for example, uptight Utah. Sure, the people of both states — as well as most of the West — have a tradition of fiercely protecting individual liberties, a “back off, government” mentality and conservative leanings. But in Nevada, vice is legal, and that’s a big distinction. I respect it for that.
Head west on U.S. 50 from Carson City and you’ll get to Lake Tahoe in less than a half hour. Sure, Lake Tahoe is “shared” by Nevada and California, but most visitors stay on the southern end; and most of them probably stay on the California side, as did we. The Nevada side, in Stateline, has a few high-rise hotel/casinos. Built in the 60s and 70s, they have not aged particularly well. That’s not to say that I’m a casino expert; your average grandma is more of a high roller than me. I know where to put the dollar bill in, how to pull the slot machine’s arm, and that’s about it. So for me, a trip to a casino or two results in — at the most — an hour’s worth of entertainment. On the northern end of the lake, up in Incline Village/Crystal City, the casinos are even more run down. But it’s worth a trip to Cal-Neva, to stand in the (very shabby) banquet room that is split down the middle by the state border. The line is painted gold on the California side, silver on the Nevada side.
Head east on U.S. 50 and you’ll see the huge, huge swaths of the state have absolutely nothing to offer. No people. No beautiful scenery to speak of. No agriculture. That’s why U.S. 50 is the loneliest road, and why the whole region seems like such a good place to bury nuclear waste. South of town, you’ll find more of the same. Going home, we flew from Reno to Las Vegas. Up in the air for only a few minutes and you’re over Carson. Then… nothing. An hour later, over some mountains, Vegas seems like Oz. From 20,000 feet, you can see it a good 10 minutes before flight attendants begin their final pickup of cups and magazines. It fascinates me, landing in Las Vegas or Phoenix. The borders between residential areas and desert are so abrupt. It reminds me that the desert isn’t fit for human habitation.
And for me, a little Vegas goes a long way. Two days and nights there is plenty, and I can’t imagine going there more than once every 10-15 years. It’s fun to see the differences between the various casinos on the strip, but it doesn’t take long before they all run together. For variety, I highly recommend a day trip to Hoover Dam. I was utterly surprised by how fascinating it is; and it’s a real tribute to American ingenuity.
Tags: Carson City, Nevada, Nevada State Capitol
