RENO
The Biggest Little City in the World is famous for its legalized gambling and quickie divorces but also offers plenty of outdoor adventures. Reno is also the part-time home of Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skating and "Dancing With the Stars" champion.
(Editor's note: ExpressJet plans to eliminate non-stop service to Reno, Omaha and Austin on Aug. 23.)
• Flight time: 2 hours, 5 minutes on Express Jet.
• Eat: 4th Street Bistro's menu offers "market driven, fresh, sustainable, local, seasonal. . . ." Try the grilled Niman Ranch filet mignon with French beans, potato-sunchoke gratin and cabernet shallot butter ($40). The bistro, at 3065 W. 4th St., is closed Sundays and Mondays (1-775-323-3200).
• Drink: Imperial Bar and Lounge, 150 N. Arlington Ave., which opened in March 2007, is a gastropub with a large beer selection and plenty of exposed brick and dark hardwood.
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• Stay: The Grand Sierra Resort, 2500 East 2nd St., boasts a casino, pool and a theater that this summer will host punk rocker Billy Idol (June 28), indie songwriter Andrew Bird (July 16) and comedian Tracy Morgan (July 19).
The Sienna Hotel, Spa and Casino, 1 S. Lake St., calls itself Reno's first boutique hotel. Lower your blood pressure with a spa treatment or raise it with a game of blackjack (1-775-321-5831).
• Nightclub: 210 North, 210 N. Sierra St., is a club and lounge that bills itself as "Reno's only true nightclub experience." Stylish dress required. Go-go dancers and DJs.
Or party poolside at Niki Beach, at the Grand Sierra Resort. Lounge in a cabana or dance the night away. Try not to fall into the pool.
• Do: You don't have to leave Reno for outdoor adventures. The Truckee River runs from Lake Tahoe through the center of downtown Reno and up to Pyramid Lake.
"People can kayak or rent a tube or a raft," says Reno magazine editor Amanda Burden. "You can go hiking all over Reno and Tahoe. There's climbing. For me, I'm a big mountain biker, and this area is just the best for every kind of mountain biking you can imagine."
• Extra: The Tucson Sidewinders will be moving to Reno in 2009. So starting next summer, Reno will have minor league baseball, too.