In the last edition of the Orléans Star, I wrote about my recent trip to Las Vegas with Mike Pilon from Romantic Fireplaces and BBQs. Since then, I’ve received several e-mails from readers asking me for tips about the adult version of Disney World, so I thought I’d right a this primer.

My four-day trip to Vegas was the first time I had ever visited the city and my first impression was that it was a lot bigger than I had imagined.

For some reason, my idea of Vegas was limited to what is referred to as “Old Vegas” which is limited to five or six blocks along Freemont Street and includes casinos like the Golden Nugget, and the Four Queens. In reality, “Old Vegas” is just a small section on the north end of what is referred to as “The Strip”. “New Vegas” runs from the Mandalay Resort and Casino on the south end of Las Vegas Blvd. to the Sahara about 5.5 kms away as the crow flies. That’s a 90-minute walk if you’re feeling up to it and stick to the sidewalk along the strip.

You can also take the Las Vegas Monorail, which runs along east side of the Strip, but it has a limited number of stops.You would have to do a lot of walking through casinos to get to and from the monorail stations, which is by design. In fact, everything in Las Vegas is by design.

Walking is perhaps the best way to see Vegas and visit all the casinos, but it takes a while because of both the distance and the fact that you have to navigate through all the casinos, which is no easy task.

Most of the casinos on the strip are connected by elevated walkways with the need to occasionally go outside. For instance you can walk from the Mandalay Bay to the far end of New York, New York using two small bridges between the Luxor and Excalibur and Excalibur and New York, New York. Fortunately, there are a number of moving walkways along the way. Still, you need to bring a decent pair of walking shoes with you.

First-timers will need a lot of extra time to get around, owing to the fact that you will become lost and confused when navigating through any of the casinos. Luckily, I had Mike as my guide which made things a heck of a lot easier.

The other advantage of walking through the casinos is that they are air conditioned, which becomes a necessity when visiting Vegas anytime between May and October when the outside temperature often rises above 35 degrees and sometimes tops 45 degrees in the summer.

Which brings me to another point: while Las Vegas is hot during most of the year, it’s downright chilly in the winter. We were there during the second week of February and it only got up to 12°C during the day and it went down to 3°C in the evening. Put any thoughts of sitting outside by the pool and enjoying a margarita between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28 completely out of your mind.

The other Las Vegas reality, is that it can be very, very expensive. Hotel rates along the Strip range from $200 a night to more than $500 depending on the season, the room and the resort. The good restaurants are also extremely expensive as are most of the popular shows.

There are cheaper options, however. For instance the hotels around Freemont Street or off the Strip are often less expensive, especially if you book them through lasvegas.com which has all kinds of last-minute deals with discounts up to 50 per cent.

You can save a lot of money on meals too, if you stick to the food courts, or go to the restaurants in Old Vegas.

There are a number of cheaper options when it comes to the shows as well.

Which brings me to the gambling. The cheapest way to visit Vegas is to avoid any kind of gambling at all, especially the slot machines. If you do feel the need to gamble, establish a predetermined budget and stick to it. Otherwise, you could end up draining your bank account.

All in all, Las Vegas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back, but if I do, I will be armed with the type of knowledge that will make it easier on the wallet and just as enjoyable.

(If you wish to comment on this or any other View Point column please write to Fred Sherwin at fsherwin@orleansstar.ca)