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TamTips

Hokulele said:
As a general tip, Las Vegas tends to be extremely dry, both outside as well as in the air-conditioned rooms. Bring moisturizer/conditioner if needed and drink plenty of water whenever possible. Since I am in Las Vegas fairly often for work, one environmentally-hostile thing I do regularly is when brushing my teeth, either in the morning or just before bed, I close the bathroom door and turn the shower to "nuclear". This creates a lovely steam-room effect which can help make your sinuses and stuff feel a little less desert-y.
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This must have been what the guy in the bar at South Point was talking about when he offered to give me a "Vegas facial."
 
paperskater said:
I'm hoping to find a good place to buy some Febreeze this year to spritz on my clothes after I get back to my room every night. I can't stand that residual cigarette smoke smell. It makes me gag.
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I find it easiest to simply disrobe before getting in the first-floor elevators and leave my clothes in a tidy pile right there.
 
Thanks for all the great tips, everyone. Not to mention the many chuckles, despite the number of inside jokes that I don't get!

Looking forward to my first TAM this year, if all goes as planned, so keep the tips coming.
 
Horatius said:
I'll suggest you consider submitting a paper for the Sunday Talks. If there's any topic you have a special interest in, it's a great way to get information out there, and to find other people who are also interested in the topic. After my talks at TAMs 5 and 7, I spent most of the rest of the day having people come up and start conversations about the subject. It's really quite cool.
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I would heartily second this. Giving my paper presentation at TAM4 was a heady experience.
 
Also, if you see a large, bearded skeptic in a wheel chair rolling your way, watch your toes. combined, my chair and I weigh around 500 lbs.
 
You may also want to carry around a flask with some nice scotch in it. It's a great way to strike up a conversation and share an intimate drink with Christopher Hitchens, if he's about. I have rustypouch to thank for this experience from a few TAMs ago, and since it's such a good idea, I'm gonna do it to. I'll have bourbon though.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
For those coming from overseas for the first time, in the US, we tip our bartenders.
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So in that case, we should buy all our drinks in one transaction, at the start of the evening? ;)

I have to admit, the whole tipping thing fills me with a combination of nervous angst and a mild sense of loathing. I don't understand who I'm supposed to tip, or how much I'm supposed to tip them. In addition, I'm quite adverse to the whole practice. At home, I tip someone because they have gone out of their way to provide amazing service. Is it the same in the USA, or is everyone in the service industry expecting some kind of tip? Will they be dirty on me if I tip them in Tim Tams, instead of dollars? ;)
 
Chris H said:
So in that case, we should buy all our drinks in one transaction, at the start of the evening? ;)
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Won't help. You basically tip by the drink, or as a % of the bill. Bigger bill, bigger tip. More drinks, bigger tip.

Chris H said:
I have to admit, the whole tipping thing fills me with a combination of nervous angst and a mild sense of loathing. I don't understand who I'm supposed to tip, or how much I'm supposed to tip them.
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These are some of the things we learn as adults, either by being told, or through experience.

Chris H said:
Is it the same in the USA, or is everyone in the service industry expecting some kind of tip?
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Define "service industry". A car mechanic provides a service, but you don't tip him. A dentist provides a service, but you don't tip him either. A barber provides a service, but you do tip him. Got it? :)

Chris H said:
Will they be dirty on me if I tip them in Tim Tams, instead of dollars? ;)
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Yes. They want the money. They can buy their own (better) candy with it.
 
Chris H said:
So in that case, we should buy all our drinks in one transaction, at the start of the evening? ;)

I have to admit, the whole tipping thing fills me with a combination of nervous angst and a mild sense of loathing. I don't understand who I'm supposed to tip, or how much I'm supposed to tip them. In addition, I'm quite adverse to the whole practice. At home, I tip someone because they have gone out of their way to provide amazing service. Is it the same in the USA, or is everyone in the service industry expecting some kind of tip? Will they be dirty on me if I tip them in Tim Tams, instead of dollars? ;)
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ALWAYS tip your waitstaff. Waitress, waiter, bartender. The bell boy, too, if you care to. But the waitstaff is key. Maybe one of our resident waitstaffers (I'm lookin' at you, CPP) can give an insider's look at it to help you feriners know what's right and wrong.
 
Chris H said:
I wasn't aware that you could get better candy? ;)
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I started a thread about it sometime ago, which I can't find now, wondering why every gets so excited about this candy. I tried it, it's good, but I'm quite sure that in my life I've had hundreds of pieces of candy that were better. Some, far far better.
 
Chris H said:
I have to admit, the whole tipping thing fills me with a combination of nervous angst and a mild sense of loathing. I don't understand who I'm supposed to tip, or how much I'm supposed to tip them. In addition, I'm quite adverse to the whole practice. At home, I tip someone because they have gone out of their way to provide amazing service. Is it the same in the USA, or is everyone in the service industry expecting some kind of tip?
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I've lived my entire life in the United States, and I still don't get it right, sometimes.

Just google for articles to help you, I guess.

Here are a few:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

http://www.tip20.com/tipping-standards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_(gratuity)#United_States
 
Chris H: Thanks for posting a link to this thread in the "New to TAM..." thread.

I just finished back reading and now I am hungry for something called Tim Tams. I am assuming that is not a euphemism.

Is TAM pretty friendly to women travelling alone? And by friendly I mean not overly friendly.
 
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