Venere Travel Blog - It's our business where you sleep!

Las Vegas is called the entertainment capital of the world. It offers a lot by way of casinos, fine dining, live entertainment and a lot of shopping.

So if you are looking for a fun filled few days head to the state of Nevada and Las Vegas in particular. You will not regret it. But remember to take a pocketful of dollars before you go there.

1. Paul Anka

Casinos in Las Vegas will allow you entry only if you are over 21 years old. So if you are one of those persons that look much younger than their real age, better carry some ID or you may be shown the door. Did you know that when Paul Anka the famous singer first performed at Las Vegas, he was below the legal age? Wonder how they smuggled him in!

2. The Flamingo

Benjamin Siegel well known as Bugsy Siegel, the mobster, was largely responsible for setting up Las Vegas as a gambling paradise. His venture into the hotel business however was a disaster and he spent lavishly on furnishing the almost 100 bed hotel which he named the Flamingo, inspired by the long legs on his girlfriend who was a showgirl.

3. Shrimp cocktails

Over 60000 pounds of shrimps are consumed in Las Vegas every day, almost as much as in the whole United States. They are eaten mainly as hors d’oeuvres in the form of shrimp cocktail. Probably it is the high price of these that keeps gamblers asking for them and hence the huge consumption.

4. Shooting your neighbor’s dog

If your neighbor’s dog is keeping you awake at night and annoys you no end, you better not shoot him if he is in his own yard, and you are living in Las Vegas. (Wait till he comes out before you take your revenge.) This precaution is necessary, because in that state, your neighbor can legally hang you if you have made the mistake of shooting the dog when he is in his owner’s yard. So better buy those ear muffs, or change your house. You will escape the temptation of shooting the dog and risking your own life.

5. Get married in Las Vegas

At least 150 couples each day make their way to Las Vegas so that they can get married. All that you need is to be over 16 years old, have valid identification and a SSN (Social Security Number). Then there are the fifty dollar fees for the license and finding a wedding chapel. Most of these work round the clock. And the nearby city of Reno will give you an equally quick divorce if things do not work out in the first place.

6. Howard Hughes

Do you know how Howard Hughes bought his first hotel in Las Vegas? He went to stay at the Desert Inn in 1966 and stayed on for two years, before his eccentricities and demands became too much for the management who then asked him to leave. He retaliated by buying the hotel and continued to stay there.

7. Quirky laws

If you are in Las Vegas, you are not allowed to buy drinks for more than three persons besides yourself at any one given time. So if you are in a large group, spread out the job of ordering drinks or you may find yourself being denied the company of more than three of your friends at a time.

8. The biggest neon sign

The world’s biggest mechanical neon sign is that of the cowboy in Las Vegas. They say it is so big that it can be seen from outer space. That is something that I cannot vouch for having never gone out in to space. But when you drive in to Las Vegas in the night you can see it from miles and miles away and it remains such a fixture in the night sky that you wonder whether you are ever going to reach Las Vegas.

So that is Las Vegas. Make note of these points and enjoy finding your way around when you get there. Place your bets, eat those shrimp cocktails or get married! It can be a whole load of fun. And maybe you will also come home much richer.

Photo of  “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” neon by biskuit