Basic point form notes about Vegas and an interview with someone who has been.
Basic Info
Founded: May 15, 1905
Currency: USD (American Dollar)
Language: English
Known for: Mob, drinking, shows, food, massive hotels, expense
Interview
Oh what can I say about Vegas that has not already been said?
Land of debauchery?
A sexy beast that pulls you back into it's grasp?
Foodie capital of the US?
Sunburn waiting to happen?
It has all been said before but every time you go back there is something new to discover. I've been a few times so how do my different trips compare? How are they different? What can I recommend? Why do I keep going back?
One answer: Vegas is a forever changing dream.
Why did I use the word "dream"? Sure it can be nightmare and has been for me in the past but usually trips happen so quickly that you never really get to be part of the adventure.
Over the trips I have taken there, I'm always asked what advice I can provide and how can people have fun on a budget.
My first time to Vegas was for a girls weekend which is a polite way of putting "a bunch of girls got drunk and stayed drunk for a weekend".
- We stayed at the Luxor and the first thing I did was pull the bed sheets back. Hair and stains on one, dirt on the other. Took three hours to have the sheets changed so check when you first arrive not when you want to sleep.
- This first time was in February and it turns out that at that time of year it is cold. The first thing that went through my head was "it's a dessert" which was my first mistake. I highly recommend looking at weather reports or even just an average temperature for the month you are traveling in. Needless to say once we landed we went shopping quickly for warmer clothes. I've only ever owned one parka in my life and I bought it at the outlets in Vegas. It is lovingly referred to as my Vegas parka. The fact that I get a lot of laughs from people at the idea of purchasing a parka in Vegas has comforted me over the years and made me realize I am not the only one to not inform myself of weather patterns...
- During this trip I also had my first experience with being roofied. Make sure that if you go to the bathroom and you leave your drink with someone you know that they are paying attention to it or that they are not the ones that spike it. To this day I have no idea what happened to if or by who but take your drink with you and hold it in you mouth with your teeth in the stall if you need to.
- Pregnancy candies that help with morning sickness are a must if you plan on drinking a lot as they also work on hangovers. There is a motherhood maternity that sells them for about $8 at the outlet so when you go to pick up you warmer clothes, swing by there. You are welcome.
- Also, club crawls are a great way to get into multiple clubs and to get hammered for one low price. Highly recommended if you don't want to remember what happened the night before and if you are a guy this is the cheapest/easiest way you are getting into a night club. Just saying.
My next trip was for work. I'm sure that most people dread work but since I worked for a travel agency, this brought a lot more perks as I had experience everything Vegas had to sell.
- Rent out an entire beach club? Check. Also found out this is a great way to drink till you puke which normally takes 1, maybe 2 drinks since it's cheap and sugary.
- Stay at the Venetian? Check. One of my favorite hotels since they keep the theme throughout the entire resort. They also have airplane hanger size meeting rooms, multiple rooms of this size, in case you and tens of thousands of your friends want to rave.
- Helicopter over the strip at sundown? Check. Not worth it, over priced and short.
- Fighter pilot experience? Check - while hung over and on an empty stomach. Once in a life time, highly recommended.
- Caesars Palace. Check. Pools are awesome, resort is huge, different classes of hotel rooms depending on how you want to stay so not themed throughout.
- Exotic car racing? Check. Fun to do a few laps and depending on who you use, you are trained very well.
- Gun shooting? Yup. Can't miss it, great to blow off steam and have some fun!
- Table service with bottles? Worth it if there is a group of you or there are a lot of males in your group. We did it a Chateau in Paris with a table overlooking the Bellagio fountains. Can't complain at all. Just check to make sure its a club worth doing it at first.
The most recent trip was for a friends 30th birthday who had never been.
- Check out Old Vegas - lots of fun looking for the hidden tourist sights like the "Blarney Stone", "Golden Nugget", "Quarter machine" and "Million Dollars in bills". A lot of people weren't looking for these but it was a lot of fun trying to find them in the resorts. Not to mention the food is a hell of a lot cheaper.
- Catch a show - we did a time share to get free tickets to Absinthe. It was an awesome show that I would have paid full price for. Highly recommended if you are an adult that does not get offended by everything
- Club crawl - again, if you have to club go on a club crawl. If you are male then I cannot stress this enough!
- Walk the strip: a lot of people miss doing this. The resorts themselves are massive with lots of interesting nooks and crannies so explore.
- Did you know the Bellagio is famous for introducing the idea of conservatories to the states? Check theirs out as it always is changing.
- Most resorts are owned by MGM or Caesars, ask if you can use their amenities like the pools at other sister properties.
- Taking chips from the casino's is actually illegal and the larger denominations usually have RFID chips in them for tracking.
- The Flamingo has really good pizza at a little cafe just inside by the animal habitats. Oh and the animal habitat's are open late if you want to check them out.
- Want to drink cheap? 2 tall boy beers + 1 alcohol sampler for $5 if you pop into the corner stores or even the little shops throughout the resorts.
- Eat of cheap? You can find places that will do a burger and beer for $10 or $5 burgers that are not fast food, just wander and look. There is one place just outside the Forum shops beside Caesars place for example...
There is so much to Vegas and it is always changing; It's a great place to go to get away if you do it correctly.
My top tip is:
If you go make sure to be respectful of the locals which everyone seems to forget. They live there and deal with tourists on a daily bases so if you are acting like an ass, imagine having to deal with 50 of you in a week and how you might feel.
