By Victor “Vegas Vic” Royer
Instead of driving yourself to the airport, and then paying the $15 or $20 a day for parking, or even the $6 a day in the far remote lots, or taking a cab from your home all the way there, do this:
Drive yourself to a casino nearby, or one that is close to the freeway entrance. There are many of them, and all have really quick access to surface streets as well, which are often faster to get to the airport. Then park in the parking lot, somewhere near the entrance, where there is lots of foot traffic and people almost all of the time. That way any potential thieves will be deterred, because there’s always someone around in these busy areas of the parking lot – like near the parking garage elevators, for example.
Then take your Player’s Club card – get one first if you don’t have one for that casino (they are free) – and black-out your name, but leave the club card number visible. Then put the card face-up on your dashboard, above the steering wheel, where it can be easily seen by any security guard checking on the car.
In every casino, security guards are always around, checking cars, especially those that have been parked there for a while. So, if you’re planning to be out of town for a few days, they would notice that your car is sitting there for all that time, and they could get nervous, thinking it has been abandoned. Then they would call the police, or the tow company, and your car would be gone when you came back.
BUT – if you have your Player’s Club Card visible on the dashboard, the guard can easily call it in, and the player’s club personnel will check the account, see that it is current, and so they will leave the car there. No problems. They will think you’re somewhere playing, or are in the restaurant, in the movie theatre, a show, taking a walk … whatever. The point is, you will be identified as a player at that casino, and so they will leave your car there, and everything will be OK.
So, after parking your car like this – and remember to black out your name but leave the club card number visible – then take your bags through the casino. You’ll look like just another tourist. Walk through the casino, dragging your bags with you, and all the way to the front entrance. Then walk right out and get a cab. You’ll get a taxi that won’t cost you a ride around town, because you’re close to the airport already, and this saves you money, and gets you there faster, and in comfort.
On the way back, just catch a cab from the airport, and tell the cabbie to take you to the casino, and you will again look like a tourist. But be sure to tell the cabbie not to take you through the airport tunnel. That’s a long-haul trick by cabbies, and adds almost $20 to your fare for no reason. Just tell the driver to take Swenson to Tropicana, and from there either to the casino by Paradise Road, the Strip, or hop on the freeway from Tropicana instead of the airport tunnel turnaround. This is the shortcut, and costs a lot less!
Happy traveling!
