Forum Members;
This e-mail serves as an update to the 2009 POCA Fun Rally message that I sent last month. A team that included Judy McCartney, Fun Rally Chairperson, and Mark McWhinney, our POCA President, along with others performed an on-site inspection of the hosting facility in Reno and provided a written review that immediately follows my remarks.
I apologize if this e-mail is a duplicate of one you have already received, The Fun Rally committee wanted to ensure that POCA members not affiliated with a Chapter and Fun Rally participants who are not affiliated with POCA received the opportunity to share their opinion.
Of course, the feedback from non-attendees is welcome; especially to the extent it includes comments as to how the Fun Rally could be modified to attract you in the future; however, the survey input of persons who would strongly consider attending in 2009 and have participated in past Fun Rallies takes priority.
Thank You
John Taphorn
POCA Fun Rally Co-Chairperson
----- Original Message -----
From: msm@portata.com
To: POCAPREZ@yahoogroups.com
Cc: jpoca2@hotmail.com
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 4:08 PM
Subject: [POCAPREZ] Reno Fun Rally Review
Hi all,
The following is my review of the possible new venue in Reno for the 2009 Fun Rally. I also appended Judy McCartney's comments to this e-mail.
Please forward this information to your chapter members for their consideration and remind them to take the survey about the Fun Rally. The survey is in the September Newsletter as well as on-line at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=QWr9MLBa83JDZ46KuNPZdw_3d_3d
Mark McWhinney
POCA Pres.
On Saturday August 23rd, a group of POCA and POCA chapter officers met to tour the Circus Circus property in the Reno. The group included Jim Nowlin (President of the Reno-Tahoe POCA chapter), Judy McCartney (POCA Membership Director), Judy DeRyke (POCA Vice President), Jack DeRyke (POCA Newsletter Editor), and me (POCA President).
Our purpose there was twofold. We wanted to verify that the property really meets the Fun Rally requirements. These requirements include such things as the need for a secured parking area, a ballroom that can display cars, street space for a car show, etc. We also wanted to verify that the condition of the property was acceptable. Brochures and reality can diverge substantially, so we needed to see it for ourselves.
We were not there to make direct comparisons with the Orleans in Las Vegas, though such comparisons were inevitable. Las Vegas and Reno have a different orientation, so apples-to-apples comparisons are not valid. Las Vegas is oriented more towards large-scale opulence, whereas Reno is oriented towards outdoor activities. Reno bills itself as "America's Adventure Place", which is a fair statement given the plethora of outdoor activities and events. You can think of Reno as Denver with gambling.
The result of our trip is that we found that Circus Circus meets our needs and that the condition of the hotel is good. As for a subjective comparison with the Orleans, in most areas Circus Circus meets or exceeds the Orleans. In short - this should be a slam dunk.
The following are my observations, some of which are facts, and others purely my own opinions.
The Drive: There are many spectacular routes into Reno. I came up I-80 from the Bay Area which is pretty good for an interstate freeway. But, certainly anyone caravanning up in a Pantera group will want to come up through the two-lane twisties. The drive up I-395 from southern California to Reno is one of the most scenic roads in the country, plus it's quite fast and wide-open much of the way.
There was good cell reception the whole way, but the smaller roads probably will have some dead spots. The hotel is only two blocks from I-80, so traffic is not an issue in town, though I-80 itself can get busy during the morning and evening rush hour.
Hotel Conditions: From our earlier experiences at the Plaza, our biggest concern with our choice of hotel was the condition of the hotel and the rooms. I was relieved to find that the furnishings and carpet were not threadbare or dirty. The hotel and casino were as clean at the Plaza in its good days and comparable to the Orleans. The hotel is 30 years old but the hotel's owner, MGM Mirage, has put money into the hotel to keep it competitive in the market. There was also a concern that the Circus Circus may be a bit gaudy. I found the neutral tone carpets, walls, and furnishings to be modern and tasteful. The midway was cheesy but intentionally so.
Rooms: There are three towers: North, Sky, and Casino. Sky is a little further to walk, but the rooms there are $10 cheaper and there is an above-street tram. The standard rooms are moderately sized and well-appointed. There are in-room coffee makers with free coffee, cable TV, etc. The furnishings are modern and clean. The mini-suites have a bedroom, one and a half bathrooms, a living room, and a wet bar with small refrigerator. (Tentatively, they will be an extra $30 per night above the standard room rate.) The executive suites include a full dining room and are larger than my house.
The beds were firm but comfortable. The pullout sofa beds were awful.
There are no in-room safes, but there is a safe available at the front desk. There is wireless Internet connection for $10 per day.
70% of the rooms are non-smoking.
Hospitality Suite: The hospitality suite is the big winner. We have the entire floor to ourselves with secured escalator and elevator service. The escalators lead to a vestibule with a desk for check-ins and waiting area with restrooms. Behind the vestibule is one giant room with high ceilings in the middle and lower ceilings on the sides. The main section can be divided into two rooms with large accordion walls. The side areas can be divided into as many as six rooms - each secured and lockable. This gives us the ability to combine the hospitality suite, the ballroom, and the meeting rooms and then to carve them off as needed. We can set up the club stores and vendor areas on the side of the hospitality suite then close them off and lock them so that the stores do not have to be staffed all day and all evening long. The raffle prize display area could also be shown then secured as needed.
We can display cars in this hotel, so we can have cars in the hospitality suite as well as the ballroom for dinner on Saturday night. The cars can be owner-driven into the hospitality suite. The hotel requests that we put the cars on plastic to protect the carpet from tire and oil, that there be minimal gas in the tanks, and that the gas caps be taped.
There are two large screens and projectors already in place for displaying pictures and slides.
The kitchen is adjacent to the hospitality suite / ballroom for the Saturday night dinner service.
Street Display: The Circus Circus - Silver Legacy - El Dorado complex runs along Virginia Street which is the main drag through downtown Reno. The city will close down the street for us to display our cars as we had in the old days on Fremont Street. Tentatively, we will have thee three blocks that will run from the hotel to the famous Reno Arch. While I was there, they had one block blocked off for an event. Traffic just routed around it.
Parking: There are two large parking structures. Of course, for the Panteras we will have our own covered, secured area as we did last year at the Orleans. We will likely be on the second or third level of the six-level garages. There is a separate 112,000 sq-ft parking lot for trucks and trailers. It is gated and secured but has an easy in and out with pull-though parking spaces.
There are water spigots available in the garage for washing our cars.
As with all hotels in Las Vegas and Reno, it is a bit of a walk from the garage to the rooms, though shorter than the Orleans. Depending on where you park, it can be less than 100 feet from your car or tow rig to the registration desk and elevators.
Gaming Facilities: The gaming (Nevada parlance for gambling) was plentiful in terms of the number of machines but was of moderate quality at best. The low ceiling gave it a cramped feeling with not much ambiance. There are live bands that play in the bars in the casino area in the evenings. On the upside, the Silver Legacy is attached to Circus Circus, so you can easily wander over there. The quality of the gaming there substantially exceeds the Orleans and Plaza in terms of elegancy and ambiance.
The smoke in the casino was less than most casinos. There is also a small non-smoking gaming area, which is detached from the main casino.
Theater: MGM Mirage which owns the interconnected Circus Circus, Silver Legacy, and El Dorado has a common theater with big name music and comedy acts. Well, Larry the Cable Guy was there that day, but other acts in the next three weeks include Carlos Santana, Bill Cosby, Reba McEntire, and others.
Neighborhood: Circus Circus is in a somewhat urban area, so there are a lot of casinos and other attractions within walking distance including the Harrah's auto museum and the Reno arch. The neighborhood is relatively clean and free of street people; however on one side of the hotel is a row of motels. The city suffered decline in the 1990s, but the redevelopment efforts have created an upscale area.
Five blocks from the hotel is the Truckee River which is lined with parks and cafes. Though not quite like the San Antonio River Walk, it is a pleasant area with plenty of daytime activities and nightlife. The river has been set up as a water park with swimming and rafting. Also within walking distance (three blocks) is the National Bowling Stadium as well as a new baseball stadium for the local triple-A team. There are 40 golf courses with 20 miles.
There is a free shuttle in town if you don't feel like walking.
Restaurants: There are six restaurants in the hotel. They vary from a buffet to an up-scale steak house. There is a good BBQ restaurant and a sushi place. The low-end, all you can eat buffet has a lot of families. The upper-end places are more adult-oriented. Collectively, the restaurants are the equal of those at the Orleans.
Bars: The bars range from small, non-descript to mid-range. They are just a notch below those at the Orleans. For more upscale and lively bars, it is an easy stroll to the Silver Legacy area.
Pool: There is no pool at the hotel. The pool at the Silver Legacy was available for a fee. It is comparable to the one at the Plaza but not as nice at the one at the Orleans. The river which is a few blocks from the hotel has been set up with large rocks to create swimming holes for tubing and swimming on one side and for white water kayaking on the other side. There is also a water park just out of town.
Health Center: There is a free health center for working out.
In-hotel Shopping: the shops within the hotel have various logo-ed items and apparel and some jewelry. The Silver Legacy has higher-end merchandise. Overall, the shopping is better that the Orleans but not like the Bellagio.
Dog Kennels: There is an on-site dog kennel. Each cage has a camera, so you can see your dog 24/7 on the TV in your room.
Transportation: The hotel is at the intersection of I-80 and 395 Bus. (AKA Virginia St), so access by car is easy with little in-town traffic. The hotel has a free airport shuttle that runs every 30 minutes. The Amtrak train station is within walking distance of the hotel (four blocks).
The following is from Judy McCartney
Hi Everybody,
I just got home from Reno, much to my surprise I was very impressed with the Circus Circus Hotel, and what they have to offer us. I spent two nights there. The Hotel was very clean, rooms were as nice as the Orleans, and there were plenty of restaurants. Walk ways inside include three hotels. I've never seen so many gift shops and restaurants, so many choices, without even going out side. (I needed to drop crumbs so I could find my way back to my hotel)I liked the layout of the convention area. We can put as many cars as we would want to on display. We could have all the vendors set up a car or cars, and show their new ideas.
We would have the whole convention area to our self. I really didn't see any reason why not to move the rally. We would have a street display and maybe a private dinner at the Car museum. The only down side is the drive, but as many people have said to me, it's the journey getting there that is also part of the fun. I would like to see more caravans. We can really relive the olden days when we had close to 200 cars in town. If we can't go back to the plaza, Circus Circus would be great.
And remember I was against moving the event, but they sold me.
Judy McCartney POCA Membership Director Fun Rally Coordinator
Original Post