Las Vegas, also known as Sin City, is the birthplace of “The Hangover,” the self-proclaimed Entertainment Capital of the World, the most populous city in Nevada and recently, the home of my 21st birthday celebration.
While Vegas is most prominently known for its gambling, shopping, fine dining and outrageously drunken debauchery, I’ve found that hidden in the sea of top shelf liquor and poker chips are some valuable life lessons and wisdom. Seeing as I managed to make it home with all of my teeth intact and narrowly escaped the wedding chapel, you can trust me as a reliable source.
Just a prank, Mom and Dad
You can sleep when you’re dead.
New York may be considered the city that never sleeps, but Vegas comes in at a close second. All hours of the day and night there are things to do, places to go and people to drunkenly introduce yourself to. As someone that values 8+ hours of sleep as much as the next koala bear, my mind and body struggled with the concept of 24 waking hours. In Vegas, however, curling up in the luxurious king bed of the Mandalay Bay Hotel when I started to get the dreaded yawns was just not a viable option. If you can override the urge to pass out, you’ll find your body naturally produces a second wind sans caffeine or shotgunning a RedBull. While Ben Franklin taught us “Early to bed, early to rise. Makes a 
man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” studies have shown that intelligent people actually tend to stay up later. More waking hours doesn’t necessarily have to equate to more hours at the bars (lord knows your stomach and liver can’t handle that), but more time to 1) accomplish the things you always bitch about never having time for or 2) accomplishing nothing at all and finding peace while the outside world slumbers.
With texting and social media dormant at night, you should be able to pull yourself away from your phone and relax in solitude (Avoid the “omg I can’t sleep” tweet, please). Solitude plus a relaxed brain releases dopamine and lets your subconscious mind work its wonders on the problems you’ve been fixated on during the day. You’ll be surprised what interesting ideas wander over to your conscious mind at weird hours of the night.
Know when it’s worth it to shell out the big bucks.
In a city where the hotels are so massive that some have a river with gondolas floating through the lobby and a roller coaster on the second floor, it’s clear that “inexpensive” won’t be the theme of a Vegas getaway. However, recognizing which experiences are worth your money will leave you with magical and unique memories as opposed to just a bleeding bank account. Spending money on things that you would never (or rarely) be able to experience elsewhere will leave you much more satisfied than a round of specialty shots at a high-end nightclub. Charlie Palmer steakhouse in Vegas, for example, provided me with a chance to indulge in epic culinary creations like cervena venison tartare with currants, bitter chocolate and quail egg, ovenroasted sea scallops with oxtail raviolis, oyster plant and espresso syrup, lobster fried rice and one of the best piece of steak I’ve ever tasted in my entire existence. Conversely, the beautiful nightclub at The Bellagio provided me with very average mixed drinks for a whopping $22 a pop or $95 for a bottle of Smirnoff. Yes, you read that correctly…$95 for Smirnoff Vodka.
Via: charliepalmer.com
The same logic can be applied to the less glamorous aspects of your trip, like transportation. Spend the extra $50 on direct flights and/or shorter layovers when possible. You’ll be amazed how much time can be wasted at the airport and when it’s all said and done, you’re traveling so you can spend maximum time in a cool, new place, not so you can make to your destination with the minimum amount of money. Knowing when it’s worth to splurg and when to save is crucial, not only on vacations but in life. Don’t bother keeping up with the Joneses, they have no idea what they are doing.
To increase your odds of success, surround yourself with good players.
With a relatively small amount of cash to blow and the knowledge that alcohol is free while you are gambling, I naturally migrated to the monstrous casinos in Vegas at least once (or twice…or three times) a day. While the slot machines mercilessly chewed up my cash and spit out nothing of value in return, I found I was able to control my fate a little more when settled in at a blackjack table. Being a new member of the 21+ club, the concept of adding my cards to that magic number was undoubtedly appealing. What I learned, however, is that despite how sound my judgment and decision making was at the table, the proficiency of the players around me had a massive impact on whether my pile of chips grew or shrunk. When the player to my right would act reckless and continue to “take a hit” when their hand didn’t need it, it would completely screw up the cards that were destined for me.
I found that cause-and-effect relationship is strikingly similar to the world outside the casino where you choose who to surround yourself with. As is the case with your stack of chips and who you’re sitting at the blackjack table with, your life, be it your friendships, relationships or career, is directly impacted by whom you choose to spend your time with.
Degenerate friends with interests they could count on one hand and a propensity to weave mindaltering substances into anything and everything can ultimately shape your own habits. Significant others who insist on staying home to watch Netflix instead of exploring the world and going on adventurous dates can pull you into a homebody routine. A group of coworkers that despise their job and spew negativity day-in and day-out have the power to sour your perception of your career.
If you surround yourself with people that know how to play their cards in life, or at least people that are actively trying to become better players, your winnings are bound to increase. At least that’s what the book says.
Via: jetblue.com
As I adjust back from life as a highroller (yeah, right) to life as normal college student, I can honestly say my Las Vegas adventure was a trip of a lifetime. In the city of sins, I managed to make it out with a few souvenirs of knowledge and I finally understand what Hunter S. Thompson meant when he said “A little bit of this town goes a long way.”
Viva Las Vegas.
