Fun & gaming

Best place not to forget in a desperate moment

Enoteca
Siena Hotel Spa & Casino
One South Lake St.
337-6260

So we booked downtown on a Saturday night. We drove around looking for parking near the Eldorado. Went to a groovy bar where the band was loud, but we couldn’t talk. Stood outside. Wondered where to drink and talk. Walked to another bar where we were carded by a smarmy looking bouncer. Since we’re all old as dirt, we passed the test. But still no place to sit. Needed drinks. Needed to take a load off. Went to yet another bar. No place to park it there, either. Realized too late we should have gone to the Siena’s basement wine bar, Enoteca. Smooth, mellow jazz. Soft squishy chairs. Not overcrowded. Friendly bartenders. Elegant. Nice wine. No mirrored balls. Next time.

Best casino coffee shop for hanging out with the non-geriatric crowd

Tivoli Gardens
Inside the Eldorado Hotel Casino
345 N. Virginia St.
786-5700

It may be the rock ’em, sock ’em double combination of BuBinga Lounge and Roxy, but there’s a crowd in Eldorado’s coffee shop late Saturday nights that gives lie to the theory that Reno’s core visitor is either on restricted travel at the senior citizens’ center or forgetting to leave the Auburn Indian casino. It’s a little disconcerting, really, sitting in the coffee shop, waiting for the General’s Chicken, sipping on your non-alcoholic drink and realizing that you, and only you, are the oldest person in the entire restaurant.

Best cavernous place to smooch your honey

Magic Carpet Golf
6925 S. Virginia St.
853-8837

The Astroturf at Magic Carpet recently has been replaced, and the obstacles are the best-looking in town. Where else can you find a giant, cowboy-hat-wearing, cigar-smoking pink snake? Or a life-sized Easter Island head? Or a Cinderella-coach-sized pumpkin? Magic Carpet features two 18-hole courses and one 28-hole course. All three have at least two large, cavernous obstacles that are big enough to sneak inside with your beau and enjoy a little midcourse smooching. There is an anger-prone elderly groundskeeper who might reprimand you if you try to redo a hole, but other than that, there’s lots of shade, winding manmade creeks (on hot summer days, the creeks look awfully inviting) and beer and pizza inside. They’ll even let you take your beer on the course. Don’t drink too much beer, though, or you might never make it out of the pyramid with your sweetheart.