Las Vegas, Las Vegas

as a whole. You must do the 4 mile stretch of in-your-face glitz and sleaze, of Las Vegas Blvd South. A majority of the world's most abundant hotel properties are right here.

Unique Suggestions: Tolerate the congestion of auto traffic and pedestrians

Fun Alternatives: If The Strip is too crowded for your taste, go to somewhat less congested Nevadan gambering meccas such as Laughlin or Reno.

Vegas can show you places labeled as a "trap" just like any other city or country in this world. I have lived here for 5 years+ and have traveled the world. EVERY city has its traps, don't forget this is how locals make their living. I HATE when I go to other places and I have no "pull" or don't even speak the language to navigate. Please understand that you always need to be skeptical and research for yourself. I'm a native of the mid-west and was astonished when I first learned of how the people in Vegas took advantage of others, but I soon learned people can only take advantage of those that are unaware....so where does the fault really lie? I will always have a feeling of obligation to help people visiting my "now home town" so email me please with your questions and I'll answer them as quickly as I can. Remember I travel a lot, oh.. and I am working on my master's degree. Learn from life's little mistakes...

Unique Suggestions: There are numerous activities to engage in besides gaming. For example the Lied Museum, Red Rock National Park, Bonnie Springs, Death Valley, Mount Charleston, Henderson City, Primm Valley, and the atomic museum are great palces to visit. Also don't forget the Springs Preserve and the Ethel M Factory. All of these sites can be enjoyed at a very minimal cost and truly deliver a cultural enjoyment.

In the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace there is a cafe stand offering free samples of the gourmet gelato. The gelato is very good and you can choose from 4 different serving sizes if you would like to get more than the free taste. As you are tasting and ordering your own dish of gelato from the man, there are no price lists visible in that area. Not until you get to the register with your treat do you see a very small price list. And boy what a shock it will be! $45 for 2 dishes of gelato. Most people are so shocked at the price - they just pay it and walk away in disbelief. What a scam. I guess they are not banking on repeat customers!

This company describes some of the flights by miles not time. Keep this in mind!

A friend of mine signed up for the "Apollo Las Vegas Strip Night Flight" for $79 per person. It says you you have a glass of champagne before the flight, board the "jet copter" and see the strip at night. The description says you will go 22 miles. After the lengthy safety video, everyone was rushed past the champange with no time to take a glass and into the helicopter. The total time of the flight, from liftoff at the airport to touching back down at the airport, was 5 minutes. All 6 of the passengers felt very ripped off while exiting the helicopter only to pass the pilot that had his hand out expecting a tip from everyone.

Avoid time share scams at all cost! These con artist will try and lure you with free night stays in casinos, but it's a lie. They take you to a conference room in a casino and give you the hard sell on their property. They will require info like a credit card# and your household income before you go in.

Time shares are never a good deal and the pitch is always underhanded.

All of Las Vegas is a tourist trap, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
I personally could never see that being a tourist should have such a negative connotation. Being a tourist means that you are trying to see the sights, learning the history, and enjoying the experiences the place you are visiting has to offer.

Unique Suggestions: Since gambling is a major part of the "trap" part of Las Vegas, consider gambling money the same as the money you set aside to see the sights or eat out anywhere you go.
Don't gamble more than you can afford to lose because you will probably lose. (Me, I usually stick to nickle video poker; the $$ lasts a lot longer).

Fun Alternatives: Visit Joseph, Oregon!

OK, your in Las Vegas, so you have to know that most of it is a tourist trap. But in our defense, alot of the people that work here make minnimum wage and work mainly for tips. People talk about the cab drivers, they make minnimum wage and it doesn't hurt to toss them a couple bucks. Most cabbies are just your average joe making a living. Yes, they do get a kickback from some of the strip clubs, and they do know some of the events going on. So ask a cabbie if you need some info.

The little cards those people hand you are a major problem. If you call those numbers and have a girl show up for you, it doesn't end there. They will keep sending girls to you and they will keep calling you and the next day they will call you again. Once they have your number and hotel...forget it. They don't stop. I know this because I worked in the office for all of 3 hours making appointments for these girls. Once I found out what they were doing to these people, I just couldn't do it. I got up and walked out.

Now just use your head and if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

The entire town is one big money pit, so get ready to blow every penny you've got.

I had a free place to stay, and I won at slots, but I STILL came home broke.

Unique Suggestions: This is Vegas, the world's largest Tourist Trap, that's its sole raison d'etre.

Fun Alternatives: Hey, if it's not your cup of tea, go to Lake Mead or Redrock Canyon.