Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

50
CHAPTER 3 . FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
Mail If you aren’t sure what your address will be in the United States,
mail can be sent to you, in your name, c/o General Delivery at the main
post office of the city or region where you expect to be. (Call & 800/
275-8777 for information on the nearest post office.) The addressee must
pick up mail in person and must produce proof of identity (driver’s
license, passport, and so forth). Most post offices will hold your mail for
up to 1 month and are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday
from 9am to 3pm.
Generally found at intersections, mailboxes are blue with a red-andwhite
stripe and carry the inscription U.S. MAIL. If your mail is addressed to
a U.S. destination, don’t forget to add the five-digit postal code (or ZIP
code) after the two-letter abbreviation of the state to which the mail is
addressed. This is essential to prompt delivery.
At press time, domestic postage rates were 23¢ for a postcard and 37¢
for a letter. For international mail, a first-class letter of up to one-half
ounce costs 80¢ (60¢ to Canada and Mexico); a first-class postcard costs
70¢ (50¢ to Canada and Mexico); and a preprinted postal aerogramme
costs 70¢. Point your Web browser to www.usps.gov for complete U.S.
postal information.
In Las Vegas the closest post office to the Strip is behind the Stardust
Hotel at 3100 S. Industrial Rd., between Sahara Avenue and Spring Mountain
Road (& 800/297-5543). The main post office is at 1001 E. Sunset Rd.,
same phone number. It’s open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm.
You can also mail letters and packages at your hotel, and there’s a fullservice
U.S. Post Office in the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace.
Measurements See the chart on the inside front cover of this book for
details on converting metric measurements to U.S. equivalents. See also
the “Size Conversion Chart” on p. 43 in this chapter for clothing and
shoe-size equivalencies.
Taxes The United States has no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect
tax at the national level. Every state, county, and city has the right to levy
its own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and restaurant checks,
airline tickets, and so on. These taxes are not refundable and are not
included in the price tags you’ll see on merchandise. In Clark County
(where Las Vegas is located), hotel room tax is 9% and sales tax is 7%.
Telephone, Telegraph, Telex & Fax The telephone system in the United
States is run by private corporations, so rates, especially for long-distance
service and operator-assisted calls, can vary widely. Generally, hotel surcharges
on long-distance and local calls are astronomical, so you’re usually
better off using a public pay telephone, which you’ll find clearly
marked in most public buildings and private establishments as well as on
the street. Convenience grocery stores and gas stations always have them.
Many convenience groceries and packaging services sell prepaid calling
cards in denominations up to $50; these can be the least expensive way
to call home. Many public phones at airports now accept American
Express, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Local calls made from public
pay phones in most locales cost either 25¢ or 35¢. Pay phones do not
accept pennies, and few will take anything larger than a quarter.