Airlines Major airlines using
McCarran International Airport include
Air Canada tel 1-800/776-3000, ; Aloha
Airlines tel 1-800/367-5250, ; America
West tel 1-800/235-9292, ; American
Airlines tel 1-800/433-7300, ;
Continental tel 1-800/525-0280, ;
Delta tel 1-800/221-1212, ; Hawaiian
Airlines tel 1-800/367-5320, ;
National Airlines tel 1-888-757-5387,
; Northwest tel 1-800/225-2525, ;
Southwest tel 1-800/435-9792, ; United
tel 1-800/241-6522, ; Virgin Atlantic
tel 1-800/862-8621, .
Area code The telephone area
code for all Las Vegas numbers is 702.
Banks and exchange There's
not a single bank on the Strip, but
there can be no easier city in which
to get cash or change money: the
casinos gladly convert almost any
currency, day and night, and their
walls are festooned with every
conceivable ATM machine, though most
impose a service charge of around $2.
Conventions During large
conventions, which can attract up to
200,000 visitors, room rates in Las
Vegas can rise enormously - partly due
to the demand, but also because
conventioneers tend not to gamble as
much as tourists. The biggest annual
events are the Consumer Electronic
Show, in the second week of Jan; the
Men's Apparel Guild (or MAGIC) in
early March; and Comdex computer show
in mid-Nov.
Disabled travelers While all
the major casinos offer designated
rooms for the physically challenged -
plus, of course, accessible gaming
facilities - the buildings themselves
are on such a vast scale that visiting
Las Vegas can be an exhausting
experience. The Convention and
Visitors Authority runs an advice line
at 892-7525, and carries detailed
information on the website; to arrange
for a free disabled parking permit,
call 229-6431.
Emergencies For police or
medical assistance, call 911.
Festivals Las Vegas has far
fewer annual festivals than most
American cities. Apart from New Year's
Eve and the World Series of Poker
(held at the Horseshoe in April
and May), almost all the highlights of
the calendar are sports-related,
ranging from rodeo events like
Helldorado in mid-June and the
National Finals in Dec, to the Las
Vegas Invitational golf tournament in
Oct. Note also that the year beginning
May 15, 2004, will be celebrated as
Las Vegas's 100th birthday, with a
plethora of special events.
Film processing You're
likely to find film processing charges
fairly outrageous at the specialty
shops in town; most casinos do have
places to develop film as well, but
check on those prices first, too.
Hospitals 24-hour emergency
rooms operate at the University
Medical Center, 1800 W Charleston Blvd
(tel 383-2000), and Sunrise Hospital,
3186 Maryland Parkway (tel 731-8000).
Internet access The
Internet Caf้ of Las Vegas is
located two blocks west of Las Vegas
Blvd, between downtown and the Stratosphere
, at 320 E Charleston Blvd (tel
897-0142).
Kids We've listed Top Ten
attractions on the Strip for kids.
Several casinos will look after your
children while you gamble or simply
explore; these include the MGM
Grand , whose Youth Center costs
$8 per hour for guests, or $10 for
outsiders, and the various members of
the Stations chain. Typically, you can
leave your kids for a maximum of 3hr
30min in any 24-hour period. For a
babysitter, call Around The Clock
Child Care (tel 365-1040 or
1-800/798-6768).
Laundromats Laundry
facilities are available in all
hotels.
Library 1401 E Flamingo Rd
(Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm, Fri & Sat
9am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; tel 733-7810).
Medical help The
independent, 24-hour Nevada Resort
Medical Center is located on the
eighth floor of the Imperial Palace
, 3535 Las Vegas Blvd S (tel
893-6767).
Pharmacies The closest to
the Strip are Sav-On, 1360 E Flamingo
Rd (24hr; tel 731-5373), and White
Cross, north of the Stratosphere
at 1700 Las Vegas Blvd S (daily
7am-1am; tel 382-1733), which has a
delivery service.
Photography The only casinos
in Las Vegas that allow visitors to
take photographs of the action on
their slot machines and gaming tables
are Excalibur on the Strip, and
the Four Queens downtown.
Police Las Vegas police can
be contacted on 795-3111.
Post office While you should
be able to mail postcards, letters,
and packages from your hotel, the
nearest post office to the Strip is
behind the Stardust at 3100
Industrial Rd (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat
10am-2pm).
Tax Nevada's sales tax is
7.25 percent. Room tax in Las Vegas is
currently set at nine percent on the
Strip, and eleven percent downtown;
part is set aside to fund Strip
monorail services and the Fremont
Street Experience respectively.
Time Las Vegas is on Pacific
Standard Time, which is three hours
behind Eastern Standard Time and seven
hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, but
moves its clocks forward by one hour
to operate daylight saving between the
first Sun in April and the last Sun in
Oct.
Tipping When in doubt, tip.
The usual rate in restaurants or taxis
is fifteen to twenty percent. In your
hotel, for assistance with luggage,
tip $1-2 per bag; for valet parking,
$2; for maid service, $1-2 per day at
the end of your stay; and for concrete
help from a concierge, such as making
a reservation, $5. You're supposed to
tip dealers at the gaming tables a
chip or two each time you win (you can
also place bets on behalf of the
dealer, if you choose). Bar staff, or
cocktail waitresses bringing free
drinks, normally expect $1-2 per
drink.
