No Car in Vegas

[pig4bill]

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Renting a care is a $20-25 a day expense. If you going to vegas with multiple four figures and staying off the strip, unless you have drivers licence issues, stick a crowbar in your bankroll and rent a car. Vegas in VERY auto-centric. If you're on or near the Strip (as far as, say, the Hard Rock or Rio), you can get by with cabs/shuttles. But any further than that, get a car.

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Dont you need to be 25 to rent a car? Im 21.

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Most major car rental companies (including Hertz, Avis, etc.) will rent to people 21-24 for a surcharge, typically $25/day. Regardless, renting a car for six months isn't the most economical choice for anyone. If you can't afford to buy a cheap car on Craigslist and insure it, you can't afford to move to Vegas and play poker for six months.

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Well its a bit embarrassing which is why I avoided it, I never learned how to drive and never plan on it, Im hiring a driver in 6 months but for now I have to get by.

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I'm guessing you're from a great big city back east. You may find that out west, you largely have to take care of your own mobility by yourself. e.g. if you want something and it's not right next to you, you're going to have to do some travelling to get it. That goes for everything from food to toilet paper to socks. After a couple weeks you may find that learning to drive and buying a cheap beater car is the path of least resistance.

[bav]

The most annoying part about getting cabs in Vegas (or anywhere, for that matter) is the wait. If you're calling for a pickup from home it takes anywhere between 5 minutes and 55 minutes for them to show up in my experience. And I'm told they often take more than 55 minutes if you call at really peak times or from incompletely classy neighborhoods. On the return trip, if you pick a busy weekend evening, or want to leave just as a big show is ending, the cab line will be an hour long. So cabs are ok for a now-and-then sorta trip. Not so good for daily use...I'd go nuts waiting for cabs daily.

Bus 201 looks to run about every 15 minutes during the day and 30 minutes at night (Google suggests the condo is at Rainbow/Tropicana-- http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/cat/routes/201/ ). You'll be among normal working stiffs, few of whom are going to try to slit your throat and take your roll while you're on the bus. At the same time, sitting alone at a bus stop for 20 minutes at 2am might not be a keen idea in that neighborhood (or any neighborhood served by the bus, for that matter). But if you normally leave during busy hours and return late, you will only have to loiter at night at the Strip stop which should be fairly busy so your window of vulnerability will be short.

After you settle into a routine, let us know what you end up doing. "How do I get around Vegas without a car" is something of an FAQ.

Still... neither of these options sounds good to me AT ALL.

[growlers]

There is no way in hell I would walk from Rainbow to the strip or vice versa at night safety wise. And I'm not overly wussy about such things. Plus that is a really long walk - that has to be more than 2 miles, isn't it?

A bike is more doable - but the rate of Car vs. Bike accidents here is astronomically high. Your cumulative risk of serious injury biking both ways has got to be approaching 100% over 6 months- trust me, my line of work sees this stuff like practically every day.

I would feel way way way more safer bussing it than either walking or biking. The buses are not that bad even at night.

edit: and no way a cab is less than $11 even from Rainbow/Trop to MGM, which is the closest big room to you in a straight line sense.

[sternroolz]

Am I the only one that thinks op has no business whatsoever living on his own, let alone playing poker for a living?

Sheesh, I wonder if a line will be set on the number of days op survives as a poker player.

[*TT*]

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Renting a care is a $20-25 a day expense. If you going to vegas with multiple four figures and staying off the strip, unless you have drivers licence issues, stick a crowbar in your bankroll and rent a car. Vegas in VERY auto-centric. If you're on or near the Strip (as far as, say, the Hard Rock or Rio), you can get by with cabs/shuttles. But any further than that, get a car.

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Dont you need to be 25 to rent a car? Im 21.

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Most major car rental companies (including Hertz, Avis, etc.) will rent to people 21-24 for a surcharge, typically $25/day. Regardless, renting a car for six months isn't the most economical choice for anyone. If you can't afford to buy a cheap car on Craigslist and insure it, you can't afford to move to Vegas and play poker for six months.

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Well its a bit embarrassing which is why I avoided it, I never learned how to drive and never plan on it, Im hiring a driver in 6 months but for now I have to get by.

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lol, dream on dreamer. Is this going to happen after you complete your 6-month goal of hitting the lottery and beating the big game?

[KurtSF]

What we know about OP:

* he's spending 6 months in Vegas
* he doesn't have a driver's license

All of a sudden he sucks at poker and at life? I don't get the hate.

[BigBluffer]

When you calculate your cab fare, or try to determine if you can hoof it, you'd better take into consideration the fact that, according to Google Maps, it is 3.9 miles from the corner of Rainbow & Tropicana to the corner The Strip & Tropicana. Add another mile to get to Flamingo (Bellagio or Caesars) and you're looking at just about 5 miles.

Best bet would be to hook up with a girl (or a guy, depending on your preferences) who would lend you her/his car and/or chauffeur you around town.

[oddjob]

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What we know about OP:

* he's spending 6 months in Vegas
* he doesn't have a driver's license

All of a sudden he sucks at poker and at life? I don't get the hate.

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nor do i. guy could be from nyc.

my suggestion is learn how to drive. buy a beater for $500. get minimal insurance.

[BigBluffer]

When I lived in Las Vegas back in the 90's I had to rely on the bus system for a few months when my car got totalled and I didn't have the cash to get another one. Actually, as long as you're not pressed for time, it's not that bad if you don't have to stand out in the mid-summer heat waiting for a bus. But we're coming up to the best weather of the year in Vegas, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The routes and schedules have been expanded significantly since I lived there. For $30 a month you can go just about anywhere in the valley. Check it out at http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/cat/ -- Good luck in your poker career.

[cwar]

Ive been pro for a year its not really an issue, having arrived I agree with the sentiment that I will probably need a car.