Photoblog : The Stratosphere Hotel & Casino

View From the Top of the Stratosphere [Photo Use Policy]

The Stratosphere is located on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. Compared to the resorts found further south, the Stratosphere is reasonably priced. The highlight of the Stratosphere is the "Tower." The Tower rises 1149 feet above Las Vegas, and serves triple duty as a revolving restaurant/bar, observation deck and amusement park. At 1149 feet above Las Vegas, you get absolutely spectacular views of the whole metropolitan Las Vegas area. And needless to say, the views of the Las Vegas Strip are also superb, too.

Now, while the views from the Tower of the Stratosphere are superb, simply getting up to the observation deck of the Stratosphere is a royal pain in the neck. First, you have to wind through a maze of cattle gates, then pay for your ticket ($15 the last time I was there), then pass through a metal detector and have a guard look at all your stuff. Why the strange security measures they have in place here I have no idea. But it is a pain.

And if you are a photographer - BEWARE. They do NOT allow tripods to be taken up to the top of the Observation Deck. But of course, they don’t tell you this until you reach the security area. And by then - well - what are you supposed to do? Nothing, except get booted out of line. Which is what happened to me.

I was staying at the Stratosphere Hotel at the time, so I went back to my room, dropped off the tripod, came back down, waited for 30 minutes through the line again, bought yet another ticket since they wouldn’t honor my first ticket, and then finally got onboard the elevator.

View From the Top of the Stratosphere [Photo Use Policy]

The elevator ride to the top of the Stratosphere is a remarkably fast one as it takes less than a minute to go 1100 vertical feet! Also interestingly, the elevator of the Stratosphere is a “double-decker” elevator, the only of it’s kind in Las Vegas to the best of my knowledge.

Since I didn’t have a tripod, I took over 200 photographs while at the top of the Observation Deck of the Stratosphere, secure in the knowledge that few if any would turn out. Happily, I did get a couple of good ones, which are posted on this page and in the Stratosphere Photo Gallery.

All in all, if in Las Vegas, make a point of making the painful trip up to the top of the Stratosphere Observation Deck. It is worth the cost and the hassle to get up to the top.

Just leave the tripod back in your hotel room.

More Information about the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino

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