There are many frequently asked questions, but also frequently asked myths about Vegas. Here are the basics.
It's Too Hot
Yes, Vegas is very very hot. People say 'but its the dry heat'. True compared to New York or New Orleans or Miami, it does not soak you with sweat, but in the height of Summer you will still feel like a thousand hair dryers are pointed at you.
However, the beauty of this city from the moment you land is the question of 'How Did They Do This?'.
Air conditioning is everywhere, even outdoors in some places. The cars, hotels, museums, malls, and convention centres are beautifully cool, and most people spend most time in these.
Sound too 'indoorsy'? Standing in the cool water of your world-class hotel pool is simply bliss. Every pool has a team of waitresses serving you cool or iced cocktails. The heat, is good.
Of course, you could just go to Vegas between October and May and get alovely warm temperature.But then again, who wants to go to the Arctic and have it heated?
What Happens In Vegas
Without doubt Vegas is a city where if you can pay for it, you can get it. BUT don't be intimidated by the reuptation. Very few peopel are running around shouting 'VEGAS BABY'.
This is an adult Disneyland of a city, and the vast majority of people you see are tourists, just like anywhere else, only with very sore feet from walking all day.
Prostitution
IT IS ILLEGAL. You will be handed cards by men on the Strip with pictures of women on. The promotion is 'STRAIGHT TO YOUR ROOM'. Again, don't be intimidated. These things are given out by the thousands every day, and they are well policed in one area.
Interestingly, the reason you only see any advertising for prostitution on moving vehicles is that it is actually illegal in Clark County - which is where Vegas is.
Prostitution is legal in the wider Nevada, but not Vegas itself.
Is It Scary?
If you are on The Strip you're going to have to walk a long way and a long time to reach any area you'd consider dangerous.
If you're at the end of the strip or downtown, its much easeier to be in a part of town that feels very non-tourist. Bail Bonds and Pawn Shops a plenty. Most places its actually perfectly fine to walk, and there is nothing to worry about.
It's fake?
VEGAS IS A CITY IN THE DESERT WITH THE EIFEL TOWER, THE NEW YORK SKYLINE, AND AN EGYPTIAN PYRAMID. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
Of course it is fake. But this fakeness is a hugely expensive venture.
Think of the last hotel you stayed in. Now imaine it had to make a million dollars a day to break even. It would multiply its size by quite a way wouldn't it?
The joy of Vegas is its service. This is a city that looks after its employees. It is a career to be a waitress. The whole city relies on the success of the hotels. The customer service is world class.
So whilst this is a fake world, and you absolutely have to BUY INTO IT / suspend your disbleif, it is also a great holiday destination with service unrivaled.
There is no space for peope who don't want to be there. If you decide you hate it, you better change your mind and get involved quick! Because there's no escape unless youve got a camel and lots of water...
What if I don't like gambling?
There is so much to do in Vegas but also around it. Check out our Travel Beyond section and also our Itineraries Vegas has a whole world of culture, entertainment, music and museums, but it is also a perfect base if you want to go out to see some of the geological and geographical wonders of the world from Yosemite to The Grand Canyon. Above all else, if you're human then you probably love FOOD. Vegas has some of the best food you'll ever eat in the world, frop the top chefs, at reasonable prices. So you could eat, walk, and watch life go past in the strangest place in the world without having to feel part of it. Literally nobody will tell you that you have to do anything. This is the wild west, which means you decide what you do.
Which films should I watch before I go?
There aren't many films about Vegas which paint it in a great light. Not unless you want to watch 'What Happens In Vegas' starring Cameron Diaz and....oh I've lost interest. To get a sense of what Vegas USED to be (in the days when the mob ruled Vegas) watch the amazing Casino. If you want to watch something insane, then watch Leaving Las Vegas. But bizarely enough, if you actually want to see what walking around Vegas is actually like before you go, the best recent offering is Last Vegas. A movie about pensioners who go for a party trip to Vegas. Once the film turns into an actual party, you're not in the real world any more. But the shots of walking around the Strip and Downtown, or sitting by the pool, actually sum up pretty well what its really like. And then there's The Hangover films, which do a pretty good guided tour too, even if your experience is likely to be very different.