Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Word on Parking . . .
Free, but far from hassle free, parking garages in Vegas range from the
standard three- and four-story concrete boxes we're used to at home to
dizzyingly huge, multilevel, multicolored, and multicoded labyrinths.
That's why some are patrolled by men on bicycles; according to one guard
with whom I've spoken, 80% of his job simply consists of helping people
find the cars they parked and then lost. Here are some tips on making
parking more of a pleasant experience:
u
Only valet park if you have a 15- to 25-minute cushion when you
leave.
Valet parking may seem the quickest and easiest way to go,
but in reality, it can be a huge hassle. Waits are particularly long if
you try and retrieve your car after a show or even after the dinner
hour in some of the plushier casinos. You'll be competing with the,
oh, 150 to 300 people who also valet-parked that night, and they're
just as eager as you are to get out.
u
Write down the name, number, color, or code of your parking
space:
The reason I got to know that nice patrol-fellow so well is
that I once lost my car for a good hour at the MGM Grand parking lot.
For half an hour of that time, two patrol guys on bikes were search-
ing through with my license plate number. This is a long way of say-
ing it's very easy to lose your car in these places, especially if it's a
rental or if you've had a drink or two.
u
Get ready to be questioned:
In the wake of 9/11, some parking lots
now have fellows outside to look into your trunk or ask why you're
going to the casino (uh . . . I have real yen to lose my life savings?).
Always build in at least 5 more minutes for security, especially if
you're going to the Venetian, Paris Las Vegas, or Harrah's (the places
where I've always encountered the most security).
Major cab companies in town are:
Desert Cab Company
(
%
702/386-9102),
Whittlesea Blue Cab
(
%
702/384-6111),
and
Yellow/Checker Cab Company
(
%
702/873-2000).
USING THE MONORAIL
Remember
The Simpsons
episode where a slick scam artist comes to town hoping
to bamboozle the city into building a monorail? Many in Vegas are wondering if
the same sort of thing happened in their city. Widely touted as being the answer
to Vegas' traffic problems, the
Monorail
(
%
702/699-8299; www.lvmonorail.com),
built at a cost of $650 million and opened in 2004, has been an unmitigated bust
so far. Officials had predicted that 50,000 riders a day would use this 4-mile track
down the Strip from the MGM Grand to the Sahara (it also loops off the Strip to
stop at the Convention Center). In summer of 2006, the number of actual riders
