Eating Good on the Cheap

We did a train run to Reno to visit family. I'm always on the look out for cheap eats and found a few bargains on this trip. First, you have to suffer through photographs I took while training. The view from the train is pleasantly different from what you would see from a car or plane. It is challenging to shoot from a moving train but I love it.


C and H Sugar Martinez, Ca.                                                                                                   



Southbound Amtrak Coast Starlight Emeryville, Ca.




Bald Eagle nesting above Donner Lake, Ca.





Truckee River near Reno, Nv.

 On with the cheap food! Before any train trip we stay at the Emeryville Hyatt House. It is only about forty minutes from our home but on weekdays the traffic wreaks havoc. I find it much more relaxing to stay the night before and walk to the train. The hotel offers a free (my favorite price) breakfast with your stay. On week nights they have a happy hour that caters to the business crowd that stays there. The prices are more than reasonable. I had the mini burger sliders ($4.50), that came with a pile of crispy fries. Avril had the roasted chicken wings ($4.25). Generous pours of Michael Mondavi's Canvas wines ($5.00) completed the feast. Trust me, this is plenty of food for dinner.
Emeryville Hyatt House happy hour

Reno offers a lot of cheap food choices. I've noticed that prices have edged up a bit, but overall prices are kept low by the casinos who offer extreme value prices to draw gamblers. This practice tends to keep the other town restaurants prices competitively low. We stayed at the Sands Regency which is located a few blocks off the main strip and offers some real food values. We had dinner at their Copa bar and grill. Coming from the Bay Area it is hard to imagine a tender fillet mignon with a giant potato and veg for $9.99 but here it is a great nightly special. We added a side salad ($3) and enjoyed the wine of the day special ($3.)

Sands Regency Copa Bar and Grill Fillet Mignon special and side salad.

If you get yourself an A Play casino card (free), and are over fifty you can grab some breakfast cheap in the Cabana Cafe.   Sands  Regency Cabana Cafe senior coffee and donut fifty cents each; Hot breakfast sandwich $1.99; huge croissant $1.95; fruit cup $2.95 I need to go win a jackpot to finance my next trip. More food next blog.