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December 19, 2005
Stratosphere Hotel and the Rest of the Strip
First of all, I apologize because I have no idea how to organize blogging my experiences in Las Vegas. Basically, I'm just going to write as much as I can, posting photos and video to help clarify. Maybe this will help some of you plan a trip to Las Vegas, or maybe this will just stand as a scrapbook of sorts for myself. If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask.
My boyfriend and I are both of age, so I decided a trip would be a good idea. It is very cheap to fly in December, avoiding peak Christmas and New Years Eve times. Casinos really want your money, so they make it as easy as possible for you to get and stay there; plane tickets and hotel rooms can be found at very cheap prices.
Las Vegas has some of the most mind-boggling, jaw-dropping hotels in the world; you can seriously get lost in them. The first thing you have to learn is that there is one stretch of road that has virtually every main hotel/casino in Vegas. This stretch is appropriately called The Strip. Whenever people speak of the strip, they are referring to Las Vegas Boulevard. All of the action is there, so stay there.
We stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel, which is on one extreme end of the strip. It is cheap, and you get the bonus of being able to go up to the tower for free. (The tower has four extreme rides, but I'll talk about more that later.) Even if you drive to Vegas, I wouldn't recommend driving around the Strip, because the traffic is crazy (but the parking garages are huge). Taxis are plentiful, but remember that they can only pick you up at the entrances of hotels. The strip is easy to walk, but remember that each Casino is about a block long --and the Stratosphere is much too far away from the rest of the other casinos to walk entirely. Here is a map (below) to help describe.
Here's some info about transportation: Taxi from the airport to Stratosphere was $30. Taxi from Bally's to Stratosphere was $10. Las Vegas Strip Trolley was $2 per person each way (I know the website says $1.75, but believe me, it's $2). Grayline Airport Shuttle is $7 a person. The Deuce is a Double Decker bus service on the Las Vegas Strip (route info here) that is $2 a ride; I never used it but it was a nice sight to see. NEVER FORGET TO TIP! Be warned that our taxi drivers consistently went 80-100 mph. The Trolley is only $2 one way, but you may find yourself waiting up to 50 minutes (comes every 15 minutes, yeah right) for it to arrive, and remember that it stops at every other casino, so you may be in for a long ride.
The Stratosphere was a good location by taxi to get to the rest of the strip, Freemont Street, and Chinatown. It isn't the classiest place to stay, figuring you have to walk a good 10-15 minutes through a smoke filled casino to get to your room, but that's the price you pay for a "cheaper" room. Nothing in Vegas is free! The "free" drink you get while gambling will cost you $20 because that's how much money you will lose while waiting for the waitress to come back.
Alright, readers, look forward to a post each day about Vegas. Or just check back in a week or two when I'm back to writing about poop and farts.
Posted by Stacy on December 19, 2005 01:30 PM | Filed In: Las Vegas
Comments
wow. i'm so dazed and confused that i forgot whose blog i was reading. at first i swore up and down i was reading my friend kathy's blog and thinking all the while, "WHAT? kathy has a boyfriend" and "WHAT? why did they fly to vegas when it's only three hours away" --- THEN i scan down down down and see a link to the cell phone and think "oh that stacy from oregon has that same phone.. must be the new trend these days".. but the amazon link says iamafish and it all started to make sense. thought id share. and sorry if this comment makes your head hurt. it doesn't make much sense if you don't know kathy. ha.
Posted by Rowena at December 19, 2005 06:40 PM
That hotel is breathtaking. And it has rides? I'm so completely and totally jealous. I'd love to go to Vegas. Sounds like you're having an exciting time.
Posted by Rachel at December 19, 2005 10:48 PM
I went to Vegas about 3 years ago when I turned 21 and stayed at the Luxor. It was one of the best times of my life. How much money did you burn while gambling? I lost about $200 on blackjack :(
Posted by Pete at December 20, 2005 12:17 AM
Last time I went to Vegas I spent $600 in the arcades of every hotel that had them. The Luxor by far has the best arcade of any hotel. Who cares about drinking and gambling when you have so many video games at your finger tips?!
Posted by pangwinking at December 20, 2005 04:27 AM
Great entry on Vegas. There really is nothing quite like it. Mama Mia and Lance Burton are must see shows but let there be no doubt what Sin City is all about - separating you from whatever liquid assets you possess.
Check out the DVD "Casino" for a great story about the early days. It's particularly fun after (or just before) visiting Vegas.
Posted by doug at December 20, 2005 12:33 PM
I hope that I get there on day =( Sounds like you're having a blast though. Tell us about the rides!
Posted by Baron at December 20, 2005 02:27 PM
Ouch, hit by super-spam o_O
Posted by Baron at December 21, 2005 10:13 PM
