7 Things New Things I Learned During A Trip To Vegas

When I went to Vegas the first time, I went for my first vacation with my would be someday ex-fiance. We walked. Everywhere. The second time I went we went for Keke's Birthday Party Plane/BSU Game. We didn't do too much sight seeing and Keke handled flagging down a taxi for Paige and I when it started to rain. This time, it was just me and my bestie on our own. Before we bought monorail passes (well worth it if you're staying at the far end of the strip at the Stratosphere like we were) we needed a way to quickly get to Harrah's to meet up with some old friends that are living in Vegas now. The only question was...uh, where do we find a cab? Easy! If you need a cab, just go to the taxi line at one of the casinos. They've got a revolving door of rides coming through and will tell your driver where you're headed. Just make sure you tip the guy helping you out. Never try to flag down a taxi from The Strip. They're not allowed to pick you up there.

The guest list is your golden ticket to avoiding a $30+ cover charge to get into a night club in Vegas. We had friends with connections in Vegas that got us into Tryst on Thursday and Tao on Saturday, but I noticed that on Sunday (when the weekend's winding down) club promoters were reaching out to me on Instagram pics I hashtaged #vegasorbust and #vegas with their contact info to get us on the list for dayclubs and nightclubs. My only regret? That we were leaving Sunday at 7 AM or I would've totally taken advantage of those invitations.

Once I got over the stroke of how much a round of drinks cost, I realized how confusing the receipts at clubs in Vegas are. Not only are they asking you to tip your bartender (as you should) but also the VIP host. If you're not sitting at a table, that could be a bit confusing. I could only hope that I filled them out correctly.

Funny, at Roddy's I just get told to put my shoes back on when I'm walking around at the end of the night barefoot. At Tao, my friends got offered complimentary flip flops to wear as we headed to our next stop...oh, and a to-go cup for their unfinished drinks.

I, Michelle Heart, promise to never complain that my favorite shot in Boise costs $8 ever again. After paying $42 bucks for a round of three drinks, the $22.50 I pay for a similar round here seems like pennies. Although, I found that buying a refillable Fat Tuesday frozen drink cup is the way to go! I bought mine for $12 and added an extra shot of 151 for just $1. Refills were $9 ($10 if you wanted the extra shot of 151.) Those prices were way more comparable to what I'm used to drinking in Boise...and well, they got the job done. Plus there are refill stations all over the strip!

Don't be anti-social in Vegas! Talk to the people around you in the clubs, casinos, attractions, etc! We met some cool friends from Australia, a soon to be kick ass surgeon and her husband from NYC, an investor that dabbles in real estate and happened to have a property near Bogus Basin, a bunch of 20 somethings from the Treasure Valley (a Bodybuilding.com shirt gave them away) and some ECHL Hockey Refs that knew Boise as where the Steelheads play. We had a blast with these new friends and some old friends that are now living in Vegas!

You get some attractions at a discount for staying at the hotel where they're at. We stayed at Stratosphere and got a steal on Tower Admission and Thrill Ride tickets. As guests you get free Tower Admission (normally $20 for adults) and discounted ride tickets. As a non-guest you'd pay a $36 combo price for Tower Admission and an unlimited wristband to ride Big Shot, X-Scream and Insanity. As guests we got unlimited wristbands for $28.