So you want to go to Las Vegas. Let me give you some advice. Better yet, some tips to preparing for the trip and the scoop on the best places to go while you’re on your vaca in Vegas. But before, you have to know "Why" you're going to Vegas. Believe it or not a whole hella lot of people come to Vegas for more reasons than gambling and legalized prostitution. This by the way is actually not legal in the city limits of Las Vegas, which is part of Clark County, Nevada. Where prostitution is Illegal. So keep that in mind fellas.

In today's wired for sound, gotta have it when I want it and I want it now world, many people come to Las Vegas for the quote, unquote Vegas Wedding. No waiting, no witnesses need (because they're always provided), get it in the drive-thru, on the casino floor, where-ever, whenever, however, is how you get it in Vegas when it comes to weddings, among other things. If you, he, or she can dream it, then you can have it. For a price, and really when it comes to weddings in Vegas, just like anywhere else you get the experience you pay for. As a three time loser at marriage, I am not the one to turn to for advice about love or marriage. I believe in both, but cliche as it is, I'm not the marrying type. I'm only using weddings as an example. If you’re reading this then you've already heard of the World Wide Web and may even be vaguely familiar with some of the sites on it, like Google. The one-stop search engine of the world. Well, if you Google "VEGAS WEDDINGS" you get 24+ million results. No joke, you try it and you'll see. I tell you that, to tell you do your research and be specific about what you want or are looking for. Add a few words to that search, "LAS VEGAS WEDDINGS ALL INCLUSIVE" and your results drop to some 105+K results. Add the words "STRIP CASINO" and your results drop to some 3K. You'll definitely need some help to get through them. But the more specific you search the easier the decision making process will go. So take your time and do some research first.

Here are two out of 30-40 I looked at;

This one is actually called Vegas Weddings

They have been featured in a lot of press. The facilities seem nice enough and have an array of wedding packages that work well lots of budgets, ranging roughly from $300 - $3000 http://www.702wedding.com/

Here is a site called Las Vegas Wedding Informer

This is basically a link page to lots of businesses that pertain to getting married in Las Vegas. In your hotel beauticians, tux & gown rentals, chapel listings, reception halls, etc.etc.etc. http://www.lasvegasweddinginformer.com/

OK, enough about that gushy stuff. But you see what I mean, there are different reasons why people come to Las Vegas and getting hitched is one of them.

Now if you going to Vegas for fun, you first have to determine who's coming with and exactly what kind of fun you plan on getting into. Now if it's a fellas' field trip you turned to the right place for a how-to on Vegas. Dudes, from me to you, we got it easy. Packing is so simple, so take notes. Two, count them, two pair of Jeans, color is irrelevant. But I suggest, one pair be dark and paired with a button down shirt. Two T-shirts, make one for comfort and one for style. If you have any Ed Hardy, Marc Ecko, or Tap Out you will be indiscernible from the locals. This is where the weight comes into your carry on, three pair of Shoes. One pair of stylish dancing shoe, women in Vegas love to dance. It doesn't matter if you're visitors or locals eventually everybody ends up dancing in Vegas. Second pair should be some sort of sneak or walking shoe/boot. You can't come to Vegas and see much without walking some part of the strip, at some point. Lastly, some sort of sandal or flip flops. Try to stay away from the between the toe type. Those were classified as 5 minutes ago about 10 years ago, but I just found out. Don't ask. But you will need them at the pool and they come in handy at the airport when you have to strip for security. Anyway, a carry-on and a pocket full of cash are about all you need for a week in Vegas, fellas.

If you have a ton of funds saved up for the trip already, don't bring diddly. Because right on Las Vegas Blvd., which happens to be the real name of The Strip, there are a number of malls in the midst of everything. Nearly every major casino on The Strip has its own shopping center in-house. There is also the infamous Fashion Show Mall, nestled right between Treasure Island, Trump's (Golden) International Hotel and Tower, and Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas Casino/Hotel. Wynn, by the way, has some of the best high end shopping in town. But it's hard to compare between Wynn, The Bellagio, or Caesar’s Forum Shoppes. All which are top notch. If you dare venture off the beaten path, there's the Las Vegas Outlet Center southern end of Las Vegas Blvd. and The Las Vegas Premium Outlets. I'd take a cab to either one if I were you. Cabbies don't make as much as you think, you'll get there faster than trying to find it yourself. Save the driving for the next trip, you can impress your friends who've never been to Vegas. All this talk about shopping, probably has a few of you ladies drooling by now, huh?

Ladies I’m afraid that when it comes to you, a carry-on just isn’t going to get it. I speak for myself and most guys that I know, we generally don’t care what you wear. The less the better is our motto. But, from my experience, I see that you women love to compete with labels. Now you can take my advice and just bring some high limit plastic and go bananas all over town and look fabulous all day. However, if you’re going to pack, try to go light. Go for interchangeable, separates I believe you call them. Skirts, shorts, skorts, pants and blouses. A couple pair of sensible shoes, walkers or flat soles if you plan on walking as suggested earlier. A couple of swim suits and a pair of sandals or flip flops for the pool, one of the best places to recover from the night before. I highly suggest you leave the evening wear home and shop for it there. Trust me the deals are unbelievable around town with the recession being what it is. If you still insist on packing evening wear, one standard black dress and a pair of heels will do. You can get laundry service at all the good hotels and it’ll be ready to rock once more, once you wake up from your first 24hrs without sleep. Trust me on that too; it’s hard to sleep the first time you touch down in Las Vegas. It wasn’t until my third trip to Vegas that I was able to take it to the mattress right after my arrival.

The reason why everyone visits Las Vegas, to have fun. Las Vegas has something to suit every taste. While we're talking about taste lets talk about refueling our bodies in between partying and gambling. Every casino has some sort of food service, most have countless restaurants. Although, if your trying to budget, going off the strip is the way to go. That means leaving the casinos for awhile. You can literally find every flavor of the world in Las Vegas. I'm talking about every Asian food there is, real Italian food, Middle Eastern cuisines, Ethiopian, Rustic Americana, Latin food (and not just Mexican either), German and all other types of European food, you name it is here. You just need to know who to ask. That's where the web comes in again.

Go down to the Links section on this page, titled; Finding it... in Las Vegas. I listed the five best results out of too many to mention. It took me two years to find my, It, spot. You can do it in minutes using just the first two sites. Vegas.com, the Official Vegas Travel site, the first on the list breaks down you hunt for grubbage, by type of food, cost to dine, and location. Along with the second site, LasVegasWeekly.com, you can quickly find out what restaurants are running special and what kinds before you even touch down at McCarran airport.

Some of my own personal suggestions are;

Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas, an authentic replica of the Munich Hofbräuhaus. I've been to both and I have to save the similarities are uncanny and the food is fantastic. The beer is as good as any I've ever had while I was in Germany. That's because it's the same beer, imported directly from Bavaria. It's in the Top 100 Restaurants in Las Vegas. You'll see the awards around when you visit. Be sure to hit them early, they close at 11pm Sun.-Thurs. and at midnight on Fri.& Sat.. Best of all you can indulge in great German Cuisine for around $15-$35

Top of the World, located on the top of the Stratosphere. By far the best view of Vegas. The place rotates, you can't beat that with a stick. I would advise you make a reservation and come correct, because the dress code is strictly enforced. Business casual is the dress code, just a heads up. But the experience in itself is worth buttoning up that shirt I told you to bring. average cost is about $35 and goes up from there. It's your standard American food, from new heights.

Ellis Island Restaurant, is the late night spot. The $10 Steak & Egg is my favorite eats in all of Vegas. Especially around three in the morning, after you've been dancing up an appetite at any of the great clubs in Vegas. Most entrees are under $15. So even if you didn't do as well at the Poker tables as you do online, you should be able to afford a real good meal. not too mention there is a different special everyday.

When all else fails, or your down to your last twenty, there's Denny's or In-N-Out. There's a Denny's, what seems like, every 2 miles in any direction you travel in Las Vegas. In-N-Out, for non West-Coasters, are the best burger joints ever opened. If you've never had one, be sure to visit their headquarters outlet on Tropicana and Dean Martin Drive and visit The In-N-Out Company Store next door. Your going to want a souvenir after you eat there. Trust me on this.

Again the list of restaurants is too long for me to list them all, even my list won't fit here. See the links below, all the above, every casino restaurant and buffet, and more can be found through those pages. If it's not listed there, it's probably not a place you really want to eat.

Now you probably want to know, what there is to do for fun. That all depends on what you consider fun. There's all kind of fun here for everyone in the family. Indoor amusements for the kids via Circus Circus Casino and GameWorks, not to mention the roller coasters spread throughout the city in other numerous casinos like New York - New York, The Sahara, and The Startosphere. There are tours all over the city and Nevada itself. Helicopter tours, Bus tours, Jeep tours, River tours, details to all can be found on Vegas.com, under the Tours tab. There no less than twenty one golf courses, so you can bring your clubs with you. Ladies can enjoy an endless number of spas, for the head to toes rejuvenation treatment. Bet you can't guess where to find that info... OK, OK, I'll tell you, VEGAS.com! I've given you more than enough to get you where you want to be. The fun is up to you. You have to create your own. I could tell you where the next party is, BUT, in my opinion, it's more fun to be the party. So grab some friends, grab some cash, get in your car, get on a plane, whatever you have to do, just get here. Truth be told the party's already started, it's going on all over town and it's not going to be over anytime soon. Check out those links and enjoy yourself, your trip has officially begun.