The Lights Stayed On

During the height of COVID, I wanted to see what the Biggest Little City looked like at night with almost no one out on the streets.

The neon was still blazing. Casino towers glowed in pink, blue and green, the Eldorado and Circus Circus lit up the skyline, and the famous Reno Arch shone over an empty Virginia Street. Along the Truckee, the river ran beneath a softly lit bridge, while metal sculptures of horses and warriors stood watch in quiet plazas. Downtown, a colorful mural spelling UNITY glowed against the darkness.

Seeing a city built for crowds standing nearly silent was eerie and strangely beautiful. The lights kept shining, waiting for everyone to come back.