Reno - Where do you like to Stay and Play

So I've been to Reno tons of times and I'm going again Friday.

However I stay at the same hotels a lot because I like them and I want to stay somewhere new.

Where do you like to stay and why?  Also where do you like to play and why?

I use to love playing at Fitzgeralds because the table minimums were low and the dealers were nice and down to earth (The Nugget dealers were this way too).

I love to stay at Peppermill but it's not right on the strip.  Yes I know it's cheesy but the spa suites in the old Peppermill Tower I think are super cool especially for the price, and the best room I ever stayed in was at the Siena which I think we got on accident.  It was a Penthouse Suite booked through some site like Expedia or something for like 70 bucks.  I haven't stayed there but I've heard the Summit at Grand Sierra is nice.

Mostly I like hotels that aren't just the basic hotel room but have some character or special things to them I can't find in my own home.

This time I'm thinking about trying Silver Legacy or Eldorado or something right smack in the middle but I don't want to stay anywhere really gross (not saying these casinos are grosss) and even though I smoke I don't like the room to be stuffy and stinky.  I'd rather go outside or downstairs to smoke so that I can sleep in a clean room lol.

Anyways any input is appreciated good or bad.  And any funny stories you might have too please share!

OOooO!! The ELDORADO...OOOooOO!! Loved them back in the 80's The staff was always great. We also (Mom and I) always liked C&C but we found the "Mint" out in Sparks was a great place to unwind also.