10 Things No One Tells You About Las Vegas

1. Brothels are actually illegal in Las Vegas.

While prostitution is in fact legal in the state of Nevada, brothels (a.k.a the place where Lamar Odom almost died) are illegal in Clarke County, where Las Vegas is located. This is surprising if you think about it. Las Vegas, a city that encourages gambling, drinking and strippers, the adult playground of the United States, draws the line at a house full of prostitutes. Instead you need to apparently call the numbers on the cards thrown at you as you walk around the strip. Who would have thought that?

2. Smoking is allowed everywhere.

It is 2016, by now it is pretty common knowledge that cigarettes are very bad for you. Most people have accepted this and now the smoking rate is at its lowest point in history. Even so, walk into any of the casinos and the first thing that greets you is the smell of cigarette smoke. Now I get that gambling can be stressful but even still, can you put a fan in there or something?

3. You see many different types of people.

Walking around Las Vegas you will see all of the following. Old people, throwing away their life savings at the same slot machine, bachelorette and bachelor parties, couples in wedding attire, people in weird costumes, a woman in sweats drinking out of a McDonalds cup pulling dollar bills out of a brown paper bag, or a retired cop who is probably drunk threatening to wrestle his best friend while at dinner, you see them all in Sin City. While some might be sad, most are pretty hysterical and what else do expect in Las Vegas?

4. Drinking is encouraged at all hours of the day and night.

It doesn’t matter if it’s 8 a.m., noon or 4 a.m., there is always a place in Vegas to get a good drink. Start you day off with Bloody Mary’s, move on to bourbon for the rest of the day and by the end of it you will be doing shots of sake and smiling ear to ear. There is a bar on every corner, or every five feet in Las Vegas, as it should be. The old saying, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," is true because you drink so much that you don’t remember what you did the night before.

5. The clubs are really fun.

Las Vegas is home to some of the best clubs in the country. Whether you choose 1 OAK, Omnia, XS, Hakkasan or Marquee, you can’t go wrong with your choice. Alabama people: remember Ole Miss weekend? I know, I don’t like to remember that week either. That weekend every bar in Tuscaloosa was charging at least a $20 cover. You know how you pay cover at a nice club in Vegas? The night that I was present, the door charge was a grand total of $21.03. I know, really cheap for what you get. Great scenery, a famous DJ and top-shelf drinks. After you go once, you quickly realize that every bar in Tuscaloosa is overcharging to let you stand in their establishment. Why are there covers in a college town again?

6. But drinks are really expensive.

Two double RedBull vodkas and two shots of Fireball, grand total $97.86, not including tip. Yes, that is nuts. But that is everywhere you go in Las Vegas. How do you think all of the giant hotels on the strip pay for themselves? Hotel rooms are not that expensive, but every drink in Vegas is. It doesn’t matter if you order a beer, a bourbon, a single, a double, or a shot, every drink you order in Vegas in really expensive. This is why it is wise to get drunk in the casinos for free, well not totally free because you may end up spending your life savings at the craps table.

7. You do not need to gamble to have fun.

There are actually a lot of things to do in Vegas if you don’t want to gamble. You can take a helicopter ride over the strip and Grand Canyon, ride to the top of a one-third scale version of the Eiffel Tower, ride on a giant ferris wheel, see a comedian, see Britney Spears or Boys II Men. Whatever it is, there are plenty of things to do in Vegas if you don’t like to gamble. So, yes, there are plenty of other things to blow your money on.

8. The food is really good.

The food in Vegas is awesome, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter if you want breakfast, Chinese, Italian, burgers or tapas, Las Vegas will have a restaurant to meet your needs.

9. People actually live and work in Vegas.

Over 100 thousand people live and work in Vegas, many of them live in the suburbs. Shockingly, many don’t ever head near the strip. Have you ever heard of Area 51? The top-secret government facility in the middle of the Nevada desert that is home to the latest military technology and supposedly aliens. Well the workers of Area 51 live in Las Vegas and commute every day to the base on planes that take off from the Las Vegas airport.

10. After three days you want to leave.

Las Vegas is a lot of fun, a whole lot of fun. In fact, maybe too much fun. After three days, you will be tired, hungover and most of all broke. You will be ready to leave whether you want to admit it or not. You will sleep the whole plane ride home and once you land, you will be glad you left.

‘Viva Las Vegas’