Visiting and Living in Vegas…Things I’ve Learned

[lvratpack]

Ladies here are some tips that will (hopefully) make your stay in the “City of Sin” a wonderful experience.

1. Mass Transit...Vegas is no stranger to moving people around. Thursdays through Saturdays are generally the busiest times. Taxis are plentiful and not overly priced especially when you share the cost. Limos are fun and also plentiful. Not really expensive when shared. Expect to pay $60 on up per hour depending on how big of one you hire. They are available at the airport and the major hotels…just contact the front desk or concierge to hire one. Tell them where you want to go at what time and when you want to be picked up. You will be charged for 2 hours…or hire one for a cruise down the Vegas strip just for fun. See #2.

2. Tipping...Vegas thrives on tipping. From the days of the Rat Pack to now a $5 or $10 bill will open many doors for you. Generally valet parking is never full and shows are usually never totally sold out. When you check into your hotel consider handing the registration person a $10 or $20 folded up with your drivers’ license and credit card and ask if there are any upgrades. Tipping should be discreet. Have the bill folded up in your hand ready to go…don’t look for one in your purse. When in doubt…tip.

3. Panhandlers...They are about as plentiful in Vegas as slot machines. Learn to say NO and mean it. Enough said.

4. Coupons...Probably more plentiful than panhandlers…use them wisely. You can save money but spending $20 for a cab ride to somewhere just because you have a coupon for a free beer doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…do the math.

5. Timeshares...Personally I consider them maybe a half step above panhandlers just better dressed. Do you really want to spend part of your Vegas vacation in a “presentation” just for a free dinner or tickets to one of the B-list shows? More plentiful inside the major strip hotels…not so much on Freemont Street. Your choice…

6. Drinking...Vegas is a 24/7 city and so is the sale of alcohol in 99% of the city. Open liquor is legal on the strip and on the Freemont Street Experience downtown. However there has been a few changes to the downtown drinking laws. Used to be that you could buy alcohol at any of the walk-in liquor stores on Freemont Street. You still can but you can’t drink it on Freemont Street. There are plenty of outside “legal” bars on Freemont Street. You may pay a little more but you won’t get hassled by the police.

7. Skin Care...Bet you didn’t expect this one. Here’s a lesson I learned the hard way. Remember Vegas is in the desert. Granted that in March the temperatures will be milder but it is dry out here. Your skin will take a beating. Drink plenty of bottled water (available everywhere) and use some type of skin moisturizer. I did neither when I moved out here and quickly learned my lesson.

8. Gambling...Pretty much the reason Vegas exists today. Remember that Steve Wynn did not pay for Wynn's and Encore by people winning at his other casinos. Just use common sense. I always set a personal limit on how much I am willing to lose and if I hit it I don't make my next visit to the ATM machine. Remember that spending $500 to win $200 is not really "winning".

See you in March!
Steve

[annie]

Welcome to the forum, Steve!

Looking forward to seeing you in person in LV next month.