Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Below the glitz & glamour of the Vegas Strip lies a massive network of underground tunnels. In addition to serving the practical purpose of directing flash flood water away from the big casinos & resorts, the tunnels have become a living space for hundreds, if not thousands, of homeless people in the city of Las Vegas.

My guest for this episode of the podcast is intimately familiar with these tunnels, having spent time interviewing dozens of their residents for his books "Beneath the Neon" and "Dark Days, Bright Nights".

Matthew O'Brien is a writer, editor and teacher who lived in Las Vegas for twenty years. He's considered an authority on homelessness in the Las Vegas tunnels and is the founder of Shine A Light, a program that helps people living in the tunnels and provides them with the resources to get out of the tunnels.

We discussed Matthew's first experiences with the tunnels of Las Vegas, the work that went into writing "Beneath the Neon", what inspired him to found Shine A Light, and much more.

If you'd like to purchase "Beneath the Neon", "My Week At The Blue Angel" or "Dark Days, Bright Nights" you can visit Matthew's website at beneaththeneon.com.

If you want to know more about Shine A Light and see the amazing work they do, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

(NOTE: I shouldn't have to say this, but I will. DO NOT go exploring the storm drains under Las Vegas. It's a very hostile environment for anyone who's not familiar with the miles and miles of tunnels. By going into the tunnels, you're risking severe injury or even death.)

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

In spite of its short history, the city of Las Vegas has some incredibly colourful characters in its past...and for this episode, I want to talk about one of those characters.

Howard Hughes was a billionaire, an inventor, an aviator, movie producer and philanthropist. He was also known to be a little "eccentric."

The stories about Howard Hughes are legendary - from the rumours of him urinating in mason jars & having foot-long fingernails to locking himself in a movie screening room for months on end & buying a Las Vegas hotel because he didn't want to leave. The stories have been around so long and spun in so many different directions, that it's sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. And that's what my guest is here to do...

Geoff Schumacher is the Vice President of Exhibits and Programs at The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas. Last time Geoff was here, we talked about Las Vegas's mob history...but another one of his favourite topics is Howard Hughes' time in spent in Vegas.

We talked about Hughes' aviation & filmmaking history, what prompted him to move to Nevada in the first place, the rumour that he bought the Silver Slipper Hotel & Casino because "the sign annoyed him", the bizarre reason behind his purchase of a Las Vegas TV station and much more.

Visit Amazon to purchase a copy of Geoff Schumacher's book "Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia and Palace Intrigue". Also be sure to visit The Mob Museum's website for Virtual Tours and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

I think we've all had that experience where a bunch of time passes and we have no idea where it's gone. Whether it's while driving down the highway, surfing social media or - sitting at a slot machine in a casino in Las Vegas.

But what causes that effect? Why do our brains drift away like that and take us out of reality?

My guest for this episode of the podcast is here to help us understand.

Spencer Murch has a PhD in Psychology & Cognitive Science from the University of British Columbia and, over the last several years, has been involved in several different research projects surrounding the cognitive science of gambling. Recently, Spencer completed a study surrounding "immersion" and being "zoned in" or "zoned out" during slot play.

Spencer took the time to jump on the show with me to explain the methodology behind the study and share the results of his research. We also talked about the part slot designers play in creating that "immersion", what the future of gaming may hold and how to avoid "zoning in" or "zoning out" while playing slots.

If you'd like to learn more about the psychology of slot machines, check out:

• Research Snapshot: Exploring zoned-in or zoned-out immersion during slot machine gambling
• Research Snapshot: The relationship between dark flow, depression, and multiline slot machines

Or pick up a copy of the book, "Addiction By Design" by Natasha Dow Schull.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Did you know that approximately 2% of the world's population uses a wheelchair AND that nearly 20% of people have a disability that limits one or more activities of daily living?

If you applied that math to Las Vegas, that means that roughly 840,000 wheelchair users and almost 8.5 million people with different levels of accessibility requirements travel to Vegas every single year.

In the various Vegas-related Facebook groups I'm a part of, I often see questions from people who are apprehensive about visiting the city due to the perception that Vegas isn't very wheelchair friendly.

I wanted to break that perception...so I've called in an expert on the subject of wheelchair travel.

John Morris is the founder & creator of WheelchairTravel.org, a website & blog where he shares his own experiences of travelling as a wheelchair user. And, like me, John is also a frequent Vegas visitor.

If you want to learn more about John & get all the info you need when it comes to travelling to Las Vegas with a disability, visit WheelchairTravel.org and be sure to follow John on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

My very special guest for this episode has been in the comedy business for over three decades and he’s made – literally – hundreds of TV appearances.

Carrot Top has been headlining his own show at the Luxor in Las Vegas since 2006 and he recently signed an extension that will keep him there through to 2030.

Carrot Top and I talked about his early days of prop comedy, how he comes up with his material, the current state of comedy, his apprehension when he first signed on at the Luxor and much more!

Carrot Top performs in the Atrium Showroom at the Luxor Las Vegas 6 nights a week.  Visit the Luxor's website for tickets and showtimes. 

To find out if Carrot Top is touring to a city near you, visit his official website and give him a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

There's an old adage that says "Sex Sells"...and I don't think there's anywhere in the world where that's more prevalent than in Las Vegas.

From the moment you step off the plane, you're bombarded with sex - from almost-naked showgirls on the strip asking for photos, to cab-top advertisements for topless shows, to giant roadside billboards for strip clubs, to a very public escort industry...which is where we're headed this time around.

My guest for this episode of the podcast was Kate Layne, a Vegas-based escort who'd been "officially" working in the industry for the 4 years and had been involved in the industry in some form for approximately 6 years.

Kate and I talked about how she ended up living in Las Vegas, how and why she decided to start working as an escort, how she kept her life as Kate separate from her "real life" and some of the common misconceptions surrounding people working in the escort industry.

And because this is a judgement-free podcast where I know people are grown-ass adults capable of making their own decisions on whether or not to partake in the industry, Kate also shared some etiquette tips for men who might wish to enjoy the company of an escort as well as some safety tips so you can avoid getting robbed, ending up in jail...or worse.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Fun fact: The average lifespan of a podcast is roughly 174 days - or just shy of 6 months.  Most podcasters quit before they reach their eighth episode, and it's believed that of all the podcasts currently available, roughly half of those podcasts have 3 or fewer episodes.

By contrast, this podcast has lasted over 5 years and 180 official episodes, not including bonus & special episodes (if you count those, it's over 220 episodes).

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately and I've reached the conclusion that it's time for me to put a lid on Jeff Does Vegas.

But before I go, I felt I owed all of you - the listeners who've kept this thing running for the last 5+ years - an explanation on why now is the time to wrap it all up.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

5 years into my Vegas podcasting journey, I've completed over 200 episodes - including bonus & special episodes. Way back in the early days of the podcast, I had some pretty cool conversations & covered some great topics that are now buried deep in the archives where anyone new to the show is unlikely to find them.

So, to save people the effort of going on the hunt for them, I'm doing the digging for you with a feature I'm calling, "From The Vault", where I re-share some of the best episodes from the early days of the podcast.

This time around, we're hitting the road...solo.

I do A LOT of solo traveling, particularly to Las Vegas - but I've also done solo trips to other cities including Seattle, Toronto and Los Angeles.

People often ask me what the appeal is of traveling solo. 

Don't I get bored? Do I worry about my safety? What does my wife think about me traveling solo? (The answers to those questions are, in order: no, no and she's fine with it since I'm usually doing stuff she doesn't like)

A lot of folks won't take the jump and book a solo vacation, but I'm hoping my guest for this episode of the podcast might help change a few minds.

Janice Waugh is the founder of Solo Traveler World, a website & online community devoted to people who love to travel solo.

Janice & I talked about the inspiration behind her creating Solo Traveler, the best ways to plan a solo trip, the mistakes to avoid while traveling solo and how to stay safe & out of trouble when you're on your own in a strange city.

If you'd like to connect with Janice & the Solo Traveler community, visit their website at SoloTravelerWorld.com, follow them on Twitter & Instagram, or join the Solo Travel Society on Facebook.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I'm now 5+ years into this podcast journey now with over 200 episodes available - including bonus & special episodes. There's a ton of great topics I've covered on the show over the years and a lot of those episodes are now buried deep in the archives.

So, I thought that to save you searching all over the place for those episodes, I'd go ahead and do the digging for you with a feature I like to call, "From The Vault", where I re-share some of the best conversations from the run of the podcast.

This time around, I'd like to share one of my all-time favorite quotes:

"I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious." - Michael Scott, The Office

Whether we like to admit it or not, i think everyone is a little bit superstitious to some degree. And i don’t think there’s anywhere in the world where that superstitious nature is on display more than in Las Vegas.

Whether it’s a lucky shirt that you always wear when playing blackjack, tapping the buttons in a certain order when playing video poker, or not using $50 bills in slot machines.

And these are just a few examples of things i’ve seen on my many trips to Vegas.

But is there any science behind superstition? To answer that question, i decided to bring in a professional.

Stuart Vyse is a behavioral scientist, a teacher and a writer. He’s also an expert on superstition & irrational behaviour. 

I wanted to get his take on the world of superstitions.

We discussed some of the most common superstitions & their origins, we chatted about whether or not certain cultures are more superstitious than others and we talked about some famous superstitions in the world of sports, music and theater.

If you'd like to learn more about Stuart and the world of superstitions & irrational behaviour, be sure to visit his website.

Stuart's books, "Believing In Magic: The Science of Superstition" and "Superstition: A Very Short Introduction" are both available via his website or from your favourite book seller. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I’m now a little over 5 years into my vegas podcasting adventure, and in that time, i’ve completed well over 200 episodes – including bonus & special episodes.  Back in the early days of the show, i covered some pretty interesting topics and had conversations with some pretty incredible guests.  Unfortunately, a lot of those episodes are now buried deep in the podcast archives and the chances of new listeners discovering them are pretty low.

So, in order to save you from having to go digging for them, i’ve put together a feature i’m calling “From The Vault”, where I re-share what I consider to be some of the best content from the early days of the podcast.

And this time around, we’re going to talk about the science of smell…

If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, you’re well aware of the unique scents of the various casinos & hotels up and down the strip.  In fact, if you ask people what one of their favorite parts of going to Vegas is, they’ll often tell you, “it’s the smell inside the casinos” – and it seems everyone has their preferred casino scent.  So much so that there are literally thousands of posts online from people asking how to either purchase or replicate their favorite casino scent.

But what’s the big deal about smell?  Why is the “scent” of a casino so important that the companies that own them spend - literally - millions of dollars on the development and distribution of these so-called “signature scents”.

To get the answer, i turned to an expert…

Dr. Rachel Herz is a cognitive neuroscientist, a Ted-X speaker, published author, and a world-renowned expert on the psychological science of smell.

In addition, Dr. Herz has worked as a consultant for multiple international corporations on the development of fragrances & flavors – including the company first responsible for installing scent vaporizer systems in The Mirage back in 1991.

Dr. Herz and I discussed how the sense of smell works, the connection between scents and emotions & memory, how businesses use scent to affect customer behavior, and much more.

To learn more about the science and psychology of scent, visit Dr. Herz's website or follow her on Twitter.  You can also pick up one of her books:

• "The Scent Of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense Of Smell"

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!