photos by FlipChip/LasVegasVegas.com

Raymond "Pappy" Smith, who founded Harold's Club and made Reno "The Biggest Little City in the World", wore suspenders, loud ties and cussed a lot. In contrast, Bugsy Segal, the mobster who started Las Vegas, preferred fine suits, silk ties and diamond stickpins. Pappy passed away; Bugsy was blown away.

Reno epitomizes the West. The place and the pace are warm, friendly, come-as-you are. Las Vegas is flash, and dash. If Reno were a car it would be a Ford or Chevy; Las Vegas would be a Cadillac or Corvette...where you either lead, follow or get out of the way.

Las Vegas has been called "the East Coast capitol of the West." The cabbies are all immigrants from New 'Joy-see' or New Yawk'. People greet each other with the warmth and zeal of a Nor'easter. It's a fast moving, fast talking, bustling, hustling town where everything goes (and sooner or later does).

"The City of Lights", Las Vegas is the pinnacle of casino gaming and entertainment. Its mega-magnitude amazes. It's a fantasy beyond imagination, from rollercoasters to Roman statues, jousting knights to world class fights, Pyramids to Paris. It's a Mirage, you see it but you don't believe it.

Visitors fly to Vegas. Folks flock to Reno. Reno has an arch; Vegas has New York.

Reno is a rodeo. It's boots, blue jeans, beer and bulls. Stetsons and 4-wheel pickups fill its streets. Las Vegas is a James Bond epic. Action is the attraction; you've got super stars, expensive cars, every sin, and a few who win.

One writer described Las Vegas as "a town that faces the facts of life and lives up to them." Las Vegas is famous for beautiful, nearly naked ladies. Around Reno, you're more likely to see only bear breasts.

Las Vegas is an indoor destination. You can play night and day. You can wine, dine, sin and win. And remember, anything or anyone you do stays there.

Reno rests in the shadow of the High Sierras. Lake Tahoe is less than an hour drive from downtown. Skiing, hiking, boating and sightseeing are just part of the cornucopia of outdoor delights tantalizing Reno visitors.

So, if you prefer a large scale, intense, fantasy, visit Vegas. If it's a casual, manageable, variety of indoor and outdoor activities you like, relax in Reno.

Email: mousehohl@aol.com