Legalizing prostitution in Las Vegas?

by Iva Skoch on

Many tourists think that prostitution is legal in Las Vegas. It is not, as many learned the hard way. In the rest of Nevada, prostitution is legal.

The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, suggested that Las Vegas should legalize prostitution, claiming that “everyone knows it goes on anyway.” According to the BBC, he is proud of Las Vegas’ image as “Sin City” and happily calls it “an adult playground” and himself “the happiest mayor in the universe”. Before he became mayor, he was the top criminal lawyer to the Las Vegas mafia. He probably got some great references for the mayor job.

His idea is simple: legalizing prostitution and creating a red-light district with a string of “magnificent brothels” in downtown Vegas. We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll actually make it happen.

Deadly toxin found in Las Vegas motel room

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a weird, scary motel hazard story. It goes way, way, way beyond contaminated water glasses. How about the presence of a toxin that is so powerful even a speck can kill you? That’s what was found in an Extended Stay America motel room in Las Vegas yesterday, two weeks after a man who was staying in the room was rushed to the hospital in respiratory distress.

Vials of the toxin ricin, made from castor beans, were found in the man’s room by a friend who went to pick up his stuff. The room had not been rented out since the man left. Once it was discovered what the substance was, the hotel was cordoned off and guests had to stay in their rooms until there was an all clear. Other people–the manager, police officers and the person who brought the vials of ricin to the manager’s office were treated for contamination, but all of them are fine and the motel has been cleaned.

Not much is known about the man, the friend or how the ricin came to be in the room. There were castor beans as well, and it’s illegal to make ricin. This is the stuff of spy thrillers and assassination–back in the 1970s in London, a Bulgarian dissident was assassinated when someone injected a ricin pellet in his leg with an umbrella.

This story sounds like one that could get more and more curious. It’s a page turner with the last pages missing. Hopefully, the man will be able to answer questions one day. And if you’re wondering, officials don’t think this is a terrorist plot. [via AP]

Speed train from Disneyland to Vegas?

by Catherine Bodry on

The drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is one of those legendary road trips, made famous for me by Hunter S. Thompson and my own college road trip with my girlfriends. I was so excited when I could actually quote (and I paraphrase), “We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs set in.” But — ahem — I digress.

That trip might become even more legendary, as the site of a 300 mph speed train that would whisk tourists from Disneyland to Vegas — i.e., from one amusement park to the next. What would be the nation’s first magnetically levitating train needs approval from Congress to get off the drawing board, and now it has competition. A less exciting, slower train, the DesertXpress, wouldn’t so much “whisk” passengers as it would sort of roll them at 125 mph out of Victorville, CA (1.5 hours north of L.A.). Amtrak already tried running a train between the two cities, and it closed the route down in 1997 due to low ridership.

Even though the diesel-electric DesertXpress isn’t as flashy as the MagLev, it has millions of dollars in private funding and is gaining ground as the MagLev stumbles through financial roadblocks.

With 10 million Californians making the 250-mile drive between the two cities, it might be time for Amtrak to get back in the game.

Divorcing? Head to Vegas for your “Divorce Party”

by Catherine Bodry on

Las Vegas, Nevada, may be the place to get hitched in a hurry, but it’s also becoming THE place to celebrate when that same marriage falls apart. The L.A. Times reports that it only takes 6 weeks to get a divorce in Vegas (and as little as 16 days if you’re in the know), and ex-spouses are whooping it up once those papers are signed. Celebrities such as “Dancing with the Stars'” Shanna Moakler (see photo) are bringing attention to Vegas’ divorce parties by throwing their own.

More women than men are booking “divorce parties,” planned and catered events that are specifically for celebrating untying the knot. Andrea Eppolito, director of special events for Sushi Roku and Boa, reports that men usually just want a boys’ night out, whereas women aren’t always ready to hit the club scene. She’ll book special events for groups of women such as pedicures and massages with Champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Parties can average $125 a person for dinner and a toast to $2,000 each for a spa party. Parties range from the above relaxing girls’ weekend to vengeful nights out involving voodoo dolls and preceded by racy invitations — it really just depends on how you feel about your divorce.

Tips for hotel fire safety

by Catherine Bodry on

My mom was a flight attendant and spent a lot of time in hotels. On one such stay, a fire broke out where she was staying and ever since then she’s been very aware of evacuation routes in hotels. When I left for my round-the-world trip, her advice to me was to make sure that my guesthouses, many of which weren’t likely held to any fire codes and/or didn’t have smoke detectors, had more than one way out. She also suggested getting rooms on floors near the ground so I could escape through a window on my own. I had never even considered fire safety before, but her advice made sense and I think it was sound information to send me on my way with.

I thought of her advice in a hotel on Phuket, Thailand. I stayed on the top floor, the 6th, and my room had tiny slits for windows up near the ceiling. I laughed to my friend, “My mom would kill me if she saw this room.” Days later the tsunami hit and although I had left by then, had I stayed it’s possible that being on the 6th floor would’ve saved my life. Nevertheless, fires are much more common than tsunamis, and with the Vegas Monte Carlo fire yesterday, now is a good time for travelers to look around and check out their hotels’ escape routes. Here are some more tips from the L.A. Times:

  • Make sure your room’s smoke detector is working.
  • If a fire breaks out outside your room, feel your door before opening it to make sure it isn’t warm.
  • If you can’t leave your room, call the hotel operator or fire department (this works better if you’re in a room with phones!)
  • Wet sheets and towels and place them under your door to keep smoke out.
  • Hang a sheet from your window to alert rescuers where you are.

Do you have any tips to share?