Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
13
The Essentials
of Planning
T
HE HIGHLIGHTS OF A VISIT TO LAS VEGAS
—
THE TOP SIGHTS AND
activities, the hotels, restaurants, shops, and spectacles that best serve your
needs—have accounted for the bulk of this topic. But almost as important is the
miscellany that doesn't fit into broader categories. Those nitty-gritty details—
from trip-planning essentials to perks to tips for travelers with special interests and
needs—are what you'll find in this chapter.
The good news is that tourism is Las Vegas' largest industry and much of its
infrastructure is devoted to catering to the needs of visitors. It boasts the most
powerful tourist board in the nation, the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Bureau
(
%
877/VISIT-LV or 702/892-7575; www.visitlv.com),
which works with
a budget that is four times as large as any other tourist board in the United States.
It's a well-run, efficient organization staffed by real experts who love their jobs;
and its website offers a wealth of information and discounts for the traveler.
Anything that you can't find in this topic—and hopefully that won't be much—
you should be able to find through the tourist office.
WHEN TO VISIT?
The key to a successful vacation is timing. If you visit when the city is in the
throes of a major convention, you can end up paying four times as much for your
holiday as you would at any other time. Las Vegas now leads all of the other major
cities in the U.S. for most conventions per year; there are weeks when literally
150,000 visitors can descend on the city. That translates to half-hour waits at the
food courts, sold-out shows, mighty expensive hotel rooms and often (let's lay it
all on the table) more prostitutes on the streets. I've charted the major conven-
tions for 2007 and 2008 on p. 304—avoid these dates at all costs. For more con-
vention dates—and some will land on the calendar after this topic goes to
press—check the website of the tourist board (www.lvcva.com) and click on
“meetings.” I'd think twice about visiting during any period when more than
50,000 conventioneers are scheduled to arrive, as that means that over a third of
the city's 133,000 rooms will be gone.
Conventions won't be the only item to consider when choosing the date for
your Vegas vacation. Set in the heart of the driest desert in the United States, Las
Vegas also experiences extremes of temperature that can, to put it mildly, detract
from its appeal. In the summer months of June, July and August, the mercury regu-
larly hits 115°F (46°C). I've heard boosters say that because the heat is the dry
kind it's not that bad; if you'd like to decide for yourself, heat up your oven, open
the door and stand right in front of it for 20 minutes. That's dry heat too, and
none too pleasant, to my mind. Just as summer gets hot, you'll want to avoid
