Letter: Two cultures of Lake Tahoe

To the community,

We recently spent our first vacation in Lake Tahoe. From experience and observation this is what we found.

The culture of South Lake Tahoe is dominated by big time gambling, parties, drinking, restaurants, tourist traps, and lake activities. For sure action is the buzz word for tourist. There is only one main road around the lake and in South Lake traffic moves at a snail’s pace because of traffic volume and stoplights. Be ready to spend one to two hours in bumper to bumper traffic when driving through South Lake Tahoe.

In North Lake Tahoe we found a culture of laid back, kick back, relax, stop and smell the roses. A place to enjoy nature, fine food, beautiful beaches, dense forest, and scenic drives. As a professional AV producer-photographer of 40 years, I found North Lake Tahoe to be a photographer’s paradise.

From the Internet we happened to pick a lodge that perfectly matches the culture of North Lake Tahoe. In addition, this wonderful place to stay just happens to have the finest small gourmet restaurant in America. With two master chefs, they keep traffic low and food quality at the highest levels, better than five stars. For the ultimate taste bud experience and treat make reservations at The Rustic Lounge months early.

John and Brigitte Sims, Dallas