14 Reasons Why Dating in Vegas Is Different Than Anywhere Else
It's easy to make bad decisions in Vegas, but making bad dating decisions in Vegas... it's hard NOT to what with the constant influx of tourists, a casual attitude toward nudity, and the shton of naughty stuff to do, all of which combine to make Sin City a... sorry'boutthis!... singular (!) place to date. Here's why:
"Vegas normal" is different that your normal
What does a normal date even look like in a city where you can get literally anything you want 24/7? And we're not talking about 24-hour ramen shops and taquerias (though there are plenty of those). We're talking about... um, anything.
It's basically the worst of both small town and big city life
40 million people come into town every year, yet this is still the kind of place where everybody knows (and has slept with) everybody else. It's basically just the worst, period.
Your date probably can't afford the car they're driving
That person driving a Maserati has declared bankruptcy more times than Donald Trump. They are, in fact, one of Donald Trump's business partners, and will tell you that, repeatedly. You'll be splitting the dinner tab, including the $500 bottle of wine that they ordered.
Dating someone from LA is really a best-case scenario
You only have to see them once a month and don't have to explain why you're never home before 8am during pool season.
That polite guy who hasn't put a move on you even after three dates?
He's probably a Mormon and might be trying to convert you.
Every girl thinks she's Holly Madison
Bottle blonde, fake boobs, and dressed in full makeup, fake eyelashes, sequins, and five-inch heels ALL the time. She'll get really offended if you assume she's a stripper – she's a pool hostess, thankyouverymuch. Be prepared to buy a lot of lavish gifts, because as long as they're gifts (and not cash) then it's totally okay.
Every guy thinks he's Chuck Liddell
The hot maintenance guy at your apartment complex is also an MMA fighter in his spare time. In fact, most guys around here are MMA fighters in their spare time, or at least train at UFC gyms, so be prepared to be impressed by his "fighting" skills... and to pick up all the bar tabs because he's still waiting to get his last fight check.
If your date lives on the other side of the 15, you will never see each other
Ever. East side and West side are like gangs and the I-15 is the territorial divider. There are also coded class conversations about living "East" vs "West" and "North" vs "South." That means something, and we all know it.
We're more honest about Tinder than anywhere else
People in other cities like to claim that, "No, really, I've met some great people and made some great friends on Tinder!" Sure you did. But that was either after you hooked up with them or decided to Friend Zone them for life. Here, we know Tinder is a hook-up app, perfect for locals looking to hook up with tourists, and tourists looking to hook up with... well, anyone. Everyone knows this, and no one is pretending otherwise.
There's body conscious and there's "Vegas body conscious"
Sadly the superficial and hopefully unspoken rules about what you should look like/weigh in other image-conscious cities are spoken loud and clear here. Which, to be fair, is at least honest. Plus there's always Tinder/tourists.
No one in Las Vegas is actually looking for a relationship
And when they finally decide that they are, that's when they move back to the Midwest.
We should probably drink a little less
It's one of those negative Vegas stereotypes that is actually completely true. Even if you think you drank a lot in your hometown, moving to Vegas will make you realize how out of your depth you now are. 100% of single(ish) people here probably have alcohol in their system ALL the time. The good news, though, is that no one here will judge you for getting carried home on a Tuesday night. Because, literally, EVERYONE here has done that.
You can't get too attached to anyone
No one is from here, and no one stays here. Like a nightclub no one goes to anymore, most people will fail out of Vegas after a year. If they make it a year, they might make it five. Once they hit the eight-year mark though, they're out – because anything longer than that means they're a lifer, and no one wants to be a lifer in Vegas.
This is the world capital of Peter Pan Syndrome
People don't come here because they are responsible, mature, upwardly mobile, professionally ambitious, future-oriented adults. They come here because they want to live in a place where they can make a six-figure salary bartending and blow most of that on poker and strippers. They come here because they want to party until dawn every weekend and not be judged for it just because they're in their mid-30s. This is not a "marriage material" kind of place, but just in case, we do have drive-through wedding chapels. That's one way to avoid dating.
Sign up here for our daily Vegas email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun in town.