1) DON’T go to Las Vegas with Gamblers.
I highly recommend going to Las Vegas with friends/aquantances that are not into gambling and have similar interest as you do. It will make your trip much more enjoyable. I can share past personal experience going to Vegas with gamblers. They will just slow you down and prevent you from doing the things that YOU want to do. Remember is YOUR vacation just as much it is your friends.
When you friend loses $500.00 in BlackJack in 10 minutes he won’t be so eager to go to a clubs that night or buy a round of drinks at the bar. He will become obsessed with winning that money back. So all the shows, bars, shopping and site seeing things you would like to go and do he will have no internets in it because he is in the hole and not have money to spend. SO your forced to do things solo which can be a tad bit awkward. Or re book anther trip to las vegas in the future and go do the things that YOU originally wanted to do. Set your own schedule and go at your own pace. Also would suggest you go with someone who the same interest as you.
2) DON’T take pictures with street performers, or accept anything from someone that tries to hand to you something personally on the strip.
Often while walking on the Las Vegas strip you will be approached by these vultures of street performers like men dress up as Super Mario or Transformers. Women dress up as Showgirls or sexy police women outfit. They will take a picture with you and then expect a extremely large tip in the amount of money just for taking a picture with them. I have heard as much as $20-$40. and it gets ugly and a scene is caused. Also do not accept anything from anyone that tries to hand you something. The “Card Flappers” that hand out Adult content or some fake monk will try to but a bracelet around your neck or wrist and expects a donation. A random unknown guy who wants to be a rapper will try to hand you a music demo CD and wants $10 for it afterwards. Dont partake in the scam of 3 card monty its all a set up scam with bystanders that are in on the scam. Dont accept anything from nobody and just keep walking and say “no thank you.” There is a police presence on the strip with uniform police their patrol cars parked on the side of the curbs, bike police patrol and beat cops that walk the strip that are visible to everyone.
The Brown, Yellow and Green of the LVPD are all there to be seen.
My past personal experience, I did take several pictures with street performers in years past, Like some guy dress up like Zack Galafanakis (from movie Hangover) And 2 girls dress up in showgirls outfits, and i was told while the picture is being taken. “We work on tips” but no dollar amount was forced upon me. I gave them $2 buck each, no issues and got into in my cab to head to the airport. I would not do it again in the present time after hearing how bad things have gotten for those individuals looking to make a quick buck.
3) DON’T take the hotel staircase stairs instead of waiting for the elevators.
It’s Friday or Saturday night, the city is jumping and your all dressed up to the nines ready to go out and party it up. You hit the down arrow button for the elevator and you wait and wait and wait and wait. Still!! no elevator has come to the floor your on. So you and your friend decide its quicker to take the stairs and walk down the staircase to the lobby/casino floor. DON’T DO IT.
I/we were in that exact situation as my friend presented the idea of taking the stairs, we opened the door walked down one flight of starts to open the next staircase door when it was locked. We doubled back up the staircase and tried to open the original door for the floor we are on and it was also locked.
So now we are trapped in a staircase at night in Las Vegas hotel staircase. You now have to use your cell phone and be charged data/roaming charges, google the hotel your staying at, get the front desk phone number because you dont have it memorized or in your phone. Then you have place a embarrassing call advising the front desk you are guest of the hotel and are trapped in between floors. Front desk radios security.
Security arrives and a man that look a like actor by the name of Nick Offerman (from the movie “We’re the Millers”- The DEA Agent)arrives with his moustache and Burgundy blazer jacket pretty quickly. He lets you back on the floor where your rooms are and makes the comment of. “Let me guess you didn’t want to wait for the elevator so you decided to take the stairs down instead.” We both said yes, He asked if we are guest of the hotel, we said yes and in a sharp tone he said, “Now let me see some ID.” We presented our ID’s. We went back waited for the elevators. Just wait for the elevators and dont take the hotel staircase in Las Vegas.
4) DON’T rent a vehicle if your staying on the strip.
Everything is within walking distance and has been been purposly designed that way. Dont waste your time having to pay for parking, gas. Unless your planing a day trip outside of the city limits. If your staying locally there is a Tram that runs across the strip and stops at some of the Hotels on the strip.
There is also a double decker city bus called “the Deuce” makes stops outside the Major Hotels along Las Vegas Blvd. Most site seeing tour companies have their own tour vans or SUV, Limos that picks up and drop off their customers at their hotels its part of the package when you book. Whether its Grand Canyon tours or Las Vegas motor speedway to race exotic cars or Hoover Dam Tours, Death Valley National Park walk.
The majority of these tour companies have their own transportation to pick up and drop off their customers round trip to your hotel.
5) DON’T wander of the Las Vegas Strip. (stay in the zone from MGM GRAND TO WYNN/ENCORE HOTEL)
Las Vegas Blvd is also know and called “the strip”. The North end of the strip is where the Hotels, Wynn and Encore, Resorts World and The Fashion show mall are located. The south End of the strip is by the outskirts of Las Vegas Airport where private G6 jets are parked, where the MGM Grand and Luxor and Mandalay Bay Hotel are located. Walk further south you will find the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign across the street from Harley Davidson store is.
The strip is 6.8km stretch of road called Las Vegas Blvd. I’ve walked its length several times from Mandalay Bay to Encore Hotel making frequent stops to keep hydrated and buy water. Once you pass the fashion show mall (before Resorts World was build and a boarded up chainlink fence with advertise flyers stood) There were signs posted like a no parking sign but look up and instead it said “walk at your own risk” because from Sahara Ave to the hotel called the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino, is a very sketch part of town and we have walked it during the DAY. I can only image how bad it is at night.
Once your start to see Bail bonds, Pawn Shops, Pink coloured Motels and “The Worlds Largest Souvenir Shop” your now in a very bad part of town. Just past the Stratosphere Hotel is a place called ” The Naked City” AKA no mans land is filled with homeless people the live in underground tunnels beneath the Las Vegas strip.
There are stories of people that once they step foot off the Stratosphere property they get assaulted or harassed. A friend suggested we walk to the Stratosphere Hotel during the middle of the day from our hotel we were staying at Treasure Island. We never been inside the Stratosphere before. So i agreed to check it out do a walk through of the hotel casino floor etc and leave. We walked to the stratosphere Hotel and Casino without incident (surprisingly). Its on our way back when we get approached and confronted.
There was this Mentally Ill man who is missing one of his legs, confined to wheel chair, was belligerent, drunk, high on drugs very physically aggressive towards people on the side walk travelling by pushing his wheel chair and swearing at everyone he passes by, back and forth. He approaches us and i see him coming i get out of his way because he is not slowing down in his wheelchair, yelled at my friend “You fu^#ing Corona drinking MF you can’t concern me!” As we are walking back.
I purposly decided to walk with my back to the south end of the street to keep an eye on this lunatic. There was a Asian tourist dressed in Yellow Polo shirt, Khakis and has his picture camera case strap over his left shoulder he was standing on there curb trying to take a vertical picture of the stratosphere Hotel (He stuck out like a soar thumb) (the stratosphere hotel looks like a mini version of the site seeing tower in Calgary or Toronto a cheap version of the CN tower).
When the Mentally ill man decided to throw a swing swipe at him with his fist barely grazing the asian tourist rib cage, as the asian tourist flinched to avoid the punch. As i turn my head around to look in the different direction I hear a roar of a V8 engine at top speed. Its LVPD ripping down the strip and and i see anther LVPD squad car slams on the brakes and screech the tires makes sharp hard U-Turn squealing his tires and redlining his engine racing down the Blvd to save that Asian tourist who was under attack.
Someone called it in. DON’T walk to the Stratosphere Day or night, take my word for it. It’s nothing special a old outdated Hotel. If you do want to go there to have dinner at the restaurant at the top that has a rotating floor, so you can see nice views of the Las Vegas strip, please take a cab for safety reason day or night if you do want to go. Lesson learned.
6) DON’T touch or remove anything from your hotel room mini refrigerator.
Some of these hotels have the items that are on weighted censors so the minute it lifts off or moves the sensor, you will be charged for it to you room. You have to call the front desk immediately to advise them so they can reverse the charge if something was moved by accident. I usually just open the fridge to see what’s in it (if any missing items) then close it and never open it again.
7) DON’T stay at any of these hotels located on the Las Vegas strip. The Circus Circus Hotel, Stratosphere Hotel, Luxor Hotel, Excalibur Hotel, Harrahs Hotel, Treasure Island and the RIO Hotel (located off the strip)
To any newbie visit Las Vegas for the first time. These hotels are outdated, dirty and dingy from the moment you step foot inside. The only reason why they are still standing is that all the degenerate gamblers stay there for cheap rooms as they try to win their money back. I have walked through all of them, only staying at one of them.
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino– My room had missing electrical outlet covers, some of the outlets in the bathroom where hairdryer was hanging were protruding out of the wall. There was no decent sit down restaurant in the entire hotel until recently. Just some bar named Gilles BBQ Bar(Cowboy & Saloon Bar with Mechanical Bull riding competition) and Senior Frog’s Bar which would hold weekly Bikini contents to draw in a crowd. This was my first and last budget hotel i would stay at in Las Vegas.
Luxor Hotel & Casino -Just gives me the creeps as soon as i walked it. I attended a magic show performance by Illusionist named Chris Angel and left. That was the extend of my stay at that hotel.
The Rio Hotel Hotel & Casino -It had a case of Legionaries Disease outbreak years ago. I saw Pen & Teller magic show then left the property.
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino -Is a dirty dingy dump, the only visitors are the cockroaches and rats holding the structure together.
Stratosphere Hotel & Casino– Is in a bad part of town, outdated old hotel. The restaurant at the very top with a rotating floor so people can take pictures of views of the strip while they have dinner & and Roller Coaster that tilts off the roof and stops then retracts, is the only other attraction people go to see. There are better rooftop restaurants and patios at the centre of the strip to get great views from. Its much safer area too.
Excalibur Hotel & Casino– is outdated rooms anther dump.
Harrahs Hotel & Casino– Hotel recently renovated but to me its the old Harrah’s next to Imperial Palace. Harrahs Hotel is still like putting Lipstick on pig.
You could not pay me enough to stay at any of these hotels mentioned above. Don’t stay at any of these hotels regardless of the low discounted prices they offer. Take my word for it.
BONUS SPIN.
DON’T go to Las Vegas during FORUMLA 1.
Starting in the beginning of October the assembly of grandstands, lane restrictions, SIDEWALK CLOSURES, Hotel entrance closures begin. Its a nightmare to get around if you live or work on the Las Vegas Strip. So for the average tourist who is not going to the race or care about, try planing a trip after the race. Disassembly of grandstands etc apparently will last until Dec 23, 2024. when the Vegas strip returns to normal.
For more information on visiting Las Vegas visit: https://www.visitlasvegas.com
