Las Vegas is notorious for its nightlife. It is a playground for the rich, famous, and pretty. The question is, how does the average person fare in places like these? On my recent trip to Vegas, I decided to check it out. I figured if I could club in Vegas, just about anyone could. I'm your average mid-twenty-something from Indiana. I have very little sense of style, and I while I'm far from hideous, I'm not classically pretty. Based on what the media shows us about Vegas nightlife, I am not exactly the poster child for it.

Our first stop was at the Palms. We made our way to the line for Ghostbar. Fans of the TV show, Inked, will be happy with the view from the line. It takes you right past the shop and you get to see many of your show's favorites as you pass by.

We stopped by on a Thursday night in late June. Admittedly, this isn't a peak night, so we only waited maybe thirty minutes and the bouncers weren't exactly sending people away. Still, I was a little nervous. Yes I was closely adhering to the dress code. My outfit was marginally cute. I was wearing cute, but uncomfortable, shoes. However, looks-wise I'm pretty Midwest, middle of the road. Luckily, that didn't seem to be an issue that evening. Once you pay the $10 cover, you are stamped and given a card to get into any of the other clubs without cover. It is a pretty sweet deal. Then, you are whisked away to an elevator and sent up to the 55th floor.

Ghostbar is not a dance club (although, despite signs explaining this to patrons, we still found people dancing inside), but it is a great place to get a drink and enjoy great views of the city. You can see the whole strip from the balcony. The view is spectacular! The balcony also has glass panels where you can (theoretically that is, they were pretty cloudy when we were there) see down all 55 floors to the pool.

The bar is very small, and at times can be very crowded, but it seemed like a good place to hang out with friends. Sometimes you want to party like a celebrity, other times you just want to chill and mingle with your friends. This looks like a great place to do this.

We were in a mood to dance. We had caught glimpses of the club, Moon, from the balcony, and it seemed to look cool. We left Ghostbar and headed to the other tower. The line for Moon was much shorter than we thought it would be. We waited for only a couple of minutes before the bouncer let us past the velvet rope. Make sure to make it OBVIOUS you are with a group if you are with one. Our group was almost separated by the bouncer. I guess he counted off his ten, or whatever the magic number was, and then secured the rope before two of us could get by. I was beginning to think getting into Ghostbar was a fluke. Maybe I wasn't up to Vegas club standards. My worries were quickly put to rest. He saw us trying to get the rest of our party's attention and let us through. We showed our stamp to the people collecting cover, and she sent us to another holding area. This place had more of the stereotypical Vegas bouncers than Ghostbar. You know the guys that just unhook the velvet rope and gruffly point you in the right direction? This elevator had an attendant that made sure you made it safely to the club.

I was impressed when the elevator doors swung open. The place lives up to its name with the whole spaceage theme. The light up floor, décor, and lighting make it a pretty fun place to hang out and dance. There are go-go dancers, and you are more than welcome to join them on the perimeter of the wall around the dance floor, but please ladies, refrain from joining them on the platform. Security will be out shortly to ask you to step away if you do. The DJ played a nice mix of music, and it blended in nicely with the club's atmosphere.

I guess I was expecting to feel out of place and awkward in both of these places, but I didn't. I blended in with the pretty people, and I didn't stick out like a sore thumb nearly as much as I thought I would. It was a pleasant surprise.

The biggest surprise was yet to come. A few nights later, we went to Light, a club at the Bellagio. One of our friends was given VIP front of line passes. This meant we didn't have to pay cover and that we didn't have to wait in the general admission line. We had heard that Light was very hard to get in to, and that it had a lot of rules on who they did or did not let in.

Despite the warning, we got all dressed up and headed across the way to the Bellagio. Once we found the club, we took our place in the VIP line. Almost immediately, a bouncer came up and told us to go to the rope. Another bouncer let in two couples before he turned to us and let us walk up to the dark escalator. He hadn't said a word to me or any of us about not getting in. He didn't even take a double take at my ID picture with black hair--I now have strawberry blonde hair. The man just let us through. It was insane!

Once we were upstairs, another strange thing happened. Guys were talking to me. Okay, yes, the darker lighting was working in my favor, but this never happens back home. I was in one of the posh, exclusive Vegas clubs, and I was getting more attention than I do back home. I never saw that coming. Maybe it was the newly lightened hair. Maybe it was the little black dress I still can't believe I wore. I'm still not sure, but it did inflate my ego a bit.

The DJ at Light is phenomenal. He plays a great range of music and he mixes parts and pieces of songs together seamlessly. You know how at some clubs there are some songs you are really into and others you really don't feel like dancing to? I never felt this way at Light. Even if the song might not be my favorite, the way it was mixed with another song made it fun. I was very impressed!

The dance floor at Light will be very crowded, so just expect it. The club itself isn't that big, but the bouncers are good about keeping aisle ways open outside of the dance floor. Do not linger too long in one of the entry/exits or the dance floor or a bouncer will be along to send move you along.

My Vegas nightclub experiment gave me some shocking surprises, but it was very fun to say the least. I can officially say I have been to these places, and I had a great time. I learned some valuable lessons about people and myself in the process. If you find yourself in Sin City, don't be afraid to check out the nightlife. Even if you don't think you fit the bill, you may discover it isn't nearly as scary as you think it is.