Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

FAST FACTS: FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER 51
You may want to look into leasing a cellphone for the duration of your
trip.
Most long-distance and international calls can be dialed directly from any
phone. For calls within the United States and to Canada, dial 1 followed by
the area code and the seven-digit number. For other international calls, dial
011 followed by the country code, city code, and the telephone number of
the person you are calling.
Calls to area codes 800, 888, 877, and 866 are toll-free. However, calls
to numbers in area codes 700 and 900 (chat lines, bulletin boards, “dating”
services, and so on) can be very expensive—usually a charge of 95¢
to $3 or more per minute, and they sometimes have minimum charges
that can run as high as $15 or more.
For reversed-charge or collect calls, and for person-to-person calls, dial
0 (zero, not the letter O) followed by the area code and number you
want; an operator will then come on the line, and you should specify that
you are calling collect, or person-to-person, or both. If your operatorassisted
call is international, ask for the overseas operator.
For local directory assistance (“information”), dial & 411; for long-distance
information, dial 1, then the appropriate area code and 555-1212.
Telegraph and telex services are provided primarily by Western Union.
You can bring your telegram into the nearest Western Union office (there
are hundreds across the country) or dictate it over the phone (& 800/
325-6000). You can also telegraph money, or have it telegraphed to you,
very quickly over the Western Union system, but this service can cost as
much as 15% to 20% of the amount sent. You can find a Western Union
office at 3250 E. Flamingo Rd. (& 702/450-2359) in the Nevada State Bank.
Most Las Vegas hotels have fax machines available for guest use (be
sure to ask about the charge to use it, as charges tend to be very expensive),
and many hotel rooms are even wired for guests’ fax machines. A
less-expensive way to send and receive faxes is to do it at stores such as
Kinko’s, a national chain offering computer and copying services. There is
a Kinko’s near UNLV at 4440 S. Maryland Pkwy. (& 702/735-4402), and
another branch is located Downtown at 830 4th St. (& 702/383-7022).
There are two kinds of telephone directories in the United States. The
so-called White Pages list private households and business subscribers
in alphabetical order. The inside front cover lists emergency numbers
for police, fire, ambulance, the Coast Guard, poison-control center, crimevictims
hotline, and so on. The first few pages will tell you how to make
long-distance and international calls, complete with country codes and
area codes. Government numbers are usually printed on blue paper
within the White Pages. Printed on yellow paper, the so-called Yellow
Pages list all local services, businesses, industries, and houses of worship
according to activity with an index at the front or back. (Drugstores/
pharmacies and restaurants are also listed by geographic location.) The
Yellow Pages also include city plans or detailed area maps, postal ZIP
codes, and public transportation routes.
Time The continental United States is divided into four time zones, and
Nevada is on Pacific Standard Time (PST), which is 3 hours earlier than on
the U.S. East Coast. For instance, when it is noon in Las Vegas, it is 3pm in