Last weekend my girlfriend and I were in Las Vegas.  As we were leaving I re-learned an important lesson that I want to share that can be applied in many other areas.

Vegas is an odd combination of wealth and want, prosperity and poverty…up and down Las Vegas Boulevard (aka “The Strip).  On our way out, we stopped by a gas station just north of Freemont Street to fuel up for the trip home.  Looking back, it wasn’t the best idea.  Even during the day, there are scary parts of Las Vegas that you will want to avoid.  Even though we still had a half tank of gas we decided to stop in town instead of heading out and fueling up somewhere along the highway.

Nothing happened but it was uncomfortable for my girlfriend.  There were a few homeless people bothering station patrons and a couple suspicious-looking people waiting in their cars.  Its not the place you want to be if you can avoid it, as I filled-up I kept a close eye on everything and was keenly aware of what was happening.  Both of us were glad to get on the road and leave that station behind us.

The lesson, don’t put yourself in a situation where you could be at risk.  The area just north of Las Vegas Boulevard and Freemont Street isn’t particularly clean or safe, it should be avoided.  Should you find yourself in a similar situation and have enough fuel to travel a bit further, do so.  Avoid sketchy areas particularly if you are from out of town and don’t know the area well.  Doing so will prevent a lot of potential problems and keep your mind at ease.

So when you find yourself on a dirty boulevard, heed Lou Reed’s advice and fly, fly, fly away…