Adventures In Vegas

I can't stress this enough, do your homework before you go to Vegas. Figure out where you want to stay, what you want to see, and where you want to eat. For god's sake don't rely on the advertising once you get there. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING in Vegas is advertised as being the "Best" "Biggest" Best Value" "Highest Payouts" "World Famous", and my favorite "Voted The Best Of Las Vegas" (by some publication you've never heard of). One of my favorite signs of this ilk you'll see if you drive north on Las Vegas Blvd. past the Strat headed towards Freemont Street. There is a restaurant that advertises it's "World Famous One Pound Liver And Onions Special". Yummy! Find honest websites that have actual reviews from visitors, not ones that just regurgitate press releases. If you find yourself in the mood for a cheap steak dinner your head could explode from trying to figure out where to go if you were just looking at the advertising. You'd probably give up and just eat at the place you're staying, and unless you're staying somewhere expensive, that more often than not turns out to be a mistake. Hey, maybe I'm just anal, but Vegas is a town of great bargains. Half the fun is finding these real bargains amongst all the hype.

When my sister and I booked our first trip to Las Vegas we were very concerned with having transport from the airport to the casino and made sure to opt for the extra charge through Expedia for the shuttle. For chrissake don't worry about this. Somehow, we had this impression that without that computer printed voucher we'd just be stuck at the airport the whole time with no means of escape. (Not that my sister would mind. She'd never leave the airport slots if someone didn't pry her away.). We learned very quickly that this wasn't the case. Vegas is a town that relies on tourist money after all, they're not going to leave you high and dry at the airport when you're willing to pay for a ride. There are about six billion cabs and shuttles at McCarran at any given time just waiting to wisk you to the destination of your choice. The shuttles are cheaper than the cabs, the downside being you're crammed in with a bunch of other tourists and you have to stop at every casino on the route. Cabs are faster, but more expensive, especially if the driver thinks he can get away with taking you the long way around. "Hey didn't we pass the MGM already?"

If you want to travel a good distance on the strip and you don't feel like walking, or if you're looking to get downtown and there's no free shuttle service from your hotel, take the CAT bus system. It's cheaper than a cab ($2.00 a ride, day passes are also available) and it's reliable. On our first trip we were lured by the strip trolley service which was cheaper than the CAT. I don't know if they run this anymore, but you're better off going with the CAT bus. The trolley's were small and crowded despite the fact that Vegas was practically deserted the week after 9/11. It felt like the thing was going to tip over on every sharp turn.

"What about the monorail?" I hear you saying. Don't get me wrong, the monorail (assuming the thing is still running) is GREAT if you want to go from the MGM Grand up to the Sahara, LV Hilton or the LV Convention Center. Anywhere else closer and you're wasting your time. The monorail runs along the back of the strip; so to get to the monorail stations you have to walk through monster casinos, some of which hide the stations pretty well. In the time you spend looking for the stations, you could have already walked to the nearest CAT bus stop.

• One of the best parts of a Vegas trip; waking up in a pitch dark hotel room on the first morning, forgetting where you are for a second then suddenly remembering that you're in VEGAS.

• There’s nothing like flying into Vegas after dark and seeing all those lights to put you in the right frame of mind. Six hours sitting in Coach doesn’t seem to matter once you’ve seen that.

• A quick shower and/or a couple of cups of coffee are as least as good as two hours of sleep in Vegas.

• A red eye flight back to the east coast may seem like a great idea, but it really isn’t. You will not magically wake up fully rested at your destination. Don’t forget that you lose three hours.

• The Bellagio and the El Cortez are two places everyone should visit at least once; preferably during the same trip.

• Vegas operates in a different time stream. Every day feels three days long. When you get there you feel like you never left, but by the time you get home you feel like you never went at all.

• And remember, you’ll have plenty of time to sleep when you get home!