Geek Guide to Vegas, Part 4: Extra Tips and Hints for Your Trip

So far in this series we’ve introduced Las Vegas, covered what to pack and how to get around the city, and suggested what to do for entertainment and what conventions might be of interest, especially for geeks.

I’ll wrap up the series with a few tips, hints, and other observations you may want to keep in mind in order to make the most of your trip to Las Vegas.

Tipping

Las Vegas primarily is a tourism and entertainment service-based city, so be sure to tip (like the building above)! Here are a few guidelines:

• taxi driver (about 15% of your fare)
  • waiter (15-20% of your dinner total)
    • cocktail waitress (about $2/round of drinks for a small group of people)
      • gambling dealer ($1+ per hand or spin)

        • bellman or shuttle driver if they help with bags ($1 per bag)

        

        Air Quality

        Air Quality: In general the air quality in Las Vegas is better than, say, Los Angeles. However, unlike most places in the US, people are free to smoke inside restaurants, hotels, casinos, etc. So while the buildings seem to have decent air filtration systems, to non-smokers the air can still be smokey, especially late at night when everyone is out in full force at the various venues.

        

        Books

        Books: While I was there I never saw anyone reading nor did I see a bookstore. In fact, this one couple bought a kindle online and tried to get it shipped to their hotel, but somehow the kindle was never delivered. It’s kind of like there’s some sort of anti-reading forcefield around Las Vegas. So if you plan on getting any reading done, it’s best to bring your own books or kindle or other electronic reading device.

        

        Electronic Security

        As in any public venue, it’s best to use extra caution when you are using your electronic gadgets or your wallet. Here are some precautions.

        1. Turn off Wi-Fi until you actually need it. Before re-enabling Wi-Fi, be certain your computer is patched, file sharing is disabled, you have deleted cached pages and stored cookies in your web browser (to reduce the effectiveness of cross-site scripting attacks), and you have purged the deleted files in your trashcan.
           • Disable Bluetooth as well on any device, including laptops, smart phones, and other electronic gadgets.
             • Be sure your firewall is properly configured: block all incoming ports and manually approve applications requesting network access.
               • Enclose passports and credit cards that are RFID-enabled in RFID blocking wallets. Note that every legitimate vendor asks for your ID when making credit card purchases. Bring an ID!

                 • Avoid USB sticks anyone might give or lend to you. Be wary of free downloads and CDs.

        Physical Security

        As for physical security, at least near the Strip, I’ve found Las Vegas to be a surprisingly safe city, especially given the number of people and the pervasive availability of alcohol. Every fourth person walking around seems to be carrying these huge frozen drink containers! You should be fine walking outside, though of course the later it gets in the day the more drunk people will be wandering around.

        Use sensible precautions:

        1. Don’t walk alone (especially if female).
           • Avoid people who come up to you on the streets (they are most likely trying to sell you something or scam you).
             • Stay on the beaten paths, unless you know what you are doing. Most people come to Las Vegas to have a good time, not to cause trouble, but there are always a few in any crowd seeking to prey on the weak or naive.

               • Test your hotel room to validate it really locked your door. For instance, our door had a tendency to close without locking… you had to give it an extra little push to secure it.

        The most common interaction walking along the Strip you’ll likely have is with the many people handing out cards and pamphlets to nudie shows. Their common strategy is to offer you a card with a naked lady on it, often making a snapping sound to get your attention. When dealing with these people the best strategy is to avoid eye contact, do not take what they are trying to hand to you, and keep moving past them.

        Besides the nudie show hawkers, there are other people running scams or wanting money, as in any big city, so use common sense and you should be fine. There is a police presence, especially along the Strip and in the casinos, so help should be close should you need it.

        That’s it, I hope you have a great time in Vegas!

        Here are the four parts of this Geek’s Guide to Vegas series:

        • Part 1: Introduction
          • Part 2: Packing and Transportation
            • Part 3: Conventions and Entertainment

              • Part 4: Extra tips and hints for making the most out of your trip to Las Vegas

              I hope to improve this guide over time, so if you have any more suggestions or ways I can make this guide better, please let me know! The best way to get in touch with me is to use my contact page.

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