Whoever says Las Vegas is a lawless land isn’t far wrong. At least, there are far fewer rules being followed there than in the rest of the United States. For this reason, the city, which has a semi-arid climate and is located in the state of Nevada, is known as the entertainment capital of the world and has the slogan “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.
I arrived in the city unsuspectingly in the middle of Saint Patrick’s Day and came across crazy people, dressed in green, doing what wasn’t allowed in other states: drinking on the street, driving drunk and smoking in closed places (this, in fact, bothered me very). I spent two nights and two days in the city. Now, I’m going to break the rules and tell you what happens in Vegas.
To begin with, to my advantage (in fact, my great disadvantage) I didn’t lose my dignity in Vegas at any point. This is because, when I was there, in March 2009, I was a 20-year-old girl, that is: underage according to American laws. And, unfortunately, if there is one rule that they continued to follow, it is the one that says that anyone under 21 cannot drink. Therefore, I couldn’t enter any nightclub and had a lot of difficulty taking advantage of the free drinks offered in the casinos.
See too: Where to stay in Las Vegas?
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Wait, did you say free drinks? YES! Seriously people, in casino gaming rooms, girls in short dresses are walking around with drinks (beer, whiskey, etc.), handing them out to whoever is playing. And not just for those who are playing poker and losing their pants. Those who use the machine, which costs 5 cents, can also participate in the game – they say it’s good manners to tip a dollar in this case. As by law I couldn’t gamble, much less drink, I only managed to get the drink clandestinely once without being asked for my ID. Of course, it’s worth remembering that the objective of this booze is for you to get drunk happily and spend more money at the casino.
Another good trick for those who play are “comps”. I haven’t tested these, but they say that when you stay at a hotel-casino and spend money on games, they give you “complimentary”, that is, some nice things that range from small gifts to plane tickets. Those who are already planning to spend a lot on gambling can now notify the hotel on check in who gets a special card, like a VIP customer.
Finally, girls who don’t want to pay entry to nightclubs can try the trick of hanging out outside nightclubs during the day. Just ask the hostess, like someone who doesn’t want anything, what’s going on there that night. There’s an absurd chance they’ll give you a freebie for the party. This tactic worked for me, but then they didn’t let me enter the place due to my age. Fail.
So, what is there to do in Las Vegas?
What’s really popular in Las Vegas is located on The Strip, a stretch of around 7 km on Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs from Stratosphere, in the far north, to Mandalay Bay, in the far south. Along the way are some of the most famous and cool hotels and casinos in the world: Bellagio, Caesars, Luxor, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Paris, The Venetian.
And even those who don’t really enjoy gambling, like me, will have something to do in Las Vegas, whether spending very little or splurging. To begin with, just visiting the hotel-casinos is a trip in itself. They all take great care to be a great entertainment center. It has a casino that imitates famous places such as New York, Paris, Venice and Egypt, including reproductions of tourist attractions. Others have a more historic feel: they imitate castles or the Roman Forum. Additionally, many have free exhibitions and shows open to the public. The Bellagio, for example, has a beautiful fountain show at night and inside there is a butterfly garden and a very well-kept garden. MGM has a mini-zoo just for lions. Treasure Island puts on an explosive show with a ship and dancing pirates.
Of course, there are also exhibitions, museums, theme parks and paid shows. After all, the city lives on this. But the cool thing is that there are really cool and exclusive things in Las Vegas. For example, Cirque du Solei has around seven continuous shows in the city, including Love, inspired by Beatles songs – which also resulted in a themed shop and nightclub. These big attractions tend to sell out quickly, so it’s worth booking in advance or asking the staff at your hotel as soon as you arrive. Another cool thing is that there are some offices around the city that sell shows with cheaper tickets or through discount coupons that you can find in magazines. The parks have very fast roller coasters and free-fall toys that are very popular, but I wasn’t excited to try them.
Those who want to shop can end up in Las Vegas, because in addition to having three large outlets nearby: Las Vegas Premium Outlets – South, Las Vegas Premium Outlets – North and The Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, there are also huge shopping malls inside the hotels , which try to maintain the atmosphere of the city while you shop. To achieve this, they invest in elaborate decoration and music and dance shows. There’s also a really cool Coca-Cola store, with vintage bottles and lots of souvenirs, and another equally cool MMs store.
Eating, sleeping and moving around: the most basic Las Vegas tips
In Las Vegas you can eat everything, from sushi to the famous dollar sandwiches. fast-foods. As it was my last city on the trip and I had already saved a lot, I even gave myself the luxury of leaving my regime of Burger King and McDonald’s and venturing to the Outback for a day. There is no shortage of restaurant options for all tastes and budgets, as well as bars. There aren’t many mistakes. And here’s a tip: if your hotel is charging you a fortune for Wi-Fi, the beloved Burger King offers free internet.
The rule for hotels is the same as for restaurants: they have everything. I stayed at an HI hostel called Tod Motor Motel, which was off the Strip, but not that far and with 24-hour transportation options. The advantage is that it offered free breakfast. Furthermore, the staff of the staff It was a lot of fun and there was barbecue for the crowd. However, if I were to go to Las Vegas again I wouldn’t stay there, because some of the casino hotels aren’t expensive, so you can have more comfort and be closer to the busy area. And if you can stay during the week, there’s an even greater chance of paying cheaper, because there are promotions.
As the city is located in a desert area, it is obvious that the heat in summer is unbearable. Therefore, it is worth avoiding the months of July and August if possible. In winter, it’s a “you need a coat, but you’re not in the snow” kind of cold. I was at the best time, which was the end of winter and beginning of spring. The days were cool and it got cold at night, but a light coat did the trick.
Regarding transport, in Las Vegas there are bus services that cross The Strip day, night and early in the morning. I bought a $9 ticket for the Deuce – a bus that runs along The Strip and stops at specific points – and for the Strip & Downtown Express. This ticket entitled you to unlimited rides within a 24-hour period. You can also opt for regular buses that cost 2 dollars, but only run until 1:30 in the morning. However, they pass through other destinations that the Deuce does not serve. There is also a monorail that crosses part of the city behind some of the casinos. It is possible to take taxis or rent a car, but it is good to prepare for the possibility of facing traffic jams.
One last tip: to go to that “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” sign, you need to take the bus to Mandalay Bay and walk from there. It’s not very close, nor very far, but it’s a good walk. Anyone who has a car or wants to pay for a taxi will find it less difficult.
