ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

I was scrolling through some old photos the other day, and I came across pictures I took from the Eiffel Tower nearly three years ago. While looking at them, I realized that much has changed on the south end of The Strip since that time.

Signature has been completed, the Planet Hollywood Tower has topped out, City Center has been nearly finished, Aladdin is now Planet Hollywood, and the M has been built on the far South end.

Obviously, it was time to go back up and refresh my photo cache of this ever-changing city from one of its most famous observation points.

Before enjoying the view, by all means, ride along with me to the top.

When I got to the top of the tower this afternoon, the first thing I did was pull a forty ounce bottle of malt liquor out of my back pocket, unscrew the cap, pour some over the side, and shout “This is for the niggaz who ain’t here”.

Fine, I didn’t actually do that, but I did think it, and it’s the thought that counts.

While I spend more time in The Stratosphere Tower due to comfort (benches, bathrooms, beverages, air conditioning, etc) … at this point I will have to concede that the Eiffel Tower has the far superior view of the Las Vegas Strip. As a matter of fact, due to the construction of the Fblue, I would go so far as to say that The Strat no longer has a Strip view at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love our Seattle knock-off. The Strat still has a choice Downtown view, you can watch choppers fly beneath you, and you have a much clearer view of the Las Vegas Valley in general. However, everything from the T.I. to the Mandalay is more or less in a blind-spot now.

The number of Vegas aficionados I have spoken to who have not been in the tower continues to amaze me. It’s a shame that it is not utilized more often.

I’ve been to the Eiffel deck only about 5 times in total myself, but it’s still an important centerpiece of The Strip. I even visited this observation deck on my very first trip to Vegas.

The mid-strip, 360 degree view is unparalleled, and aside from an aircraft, this is probably the most complete Strip view that you can obtain in Vegas. The Foundation Room offers an outstanding north-facing view, and Rio’s Voodoo Lounge has a great off-strip vantage point … but the Eiffel Tower is in the sweet spot.

If you have not yet been in the tower, go, but please, do as I say and not as I do …

Do not go up in the tower in the middle of the day when it is 110 degrees outdoors. When the sun is overhead, the metal tower acts as a conduit, and you can add at least ten or fifteen degrees to the ambient temperature of the observation deck. Three minutes after stepping out of the elevator, I was absolutely drenched.

There were about a dozen people at the top, but most did a quick once-around and queued up for the down elevator.

I think Paris should consider closing the tower between 10am and 5pm when it is triple digits outside. Days like today are borderline inhumane.

The only other thing that I am not thrilled about is the thick wire mesh around the observation deck.

While I understand that it is a safety feature to keep drunken idiots and people who blew their mortgage at the tables from jumping to a certain demise, it feels a little “cagey” to those of us not quite ready to end it all.

The deck does have strategically-placed 6” square holes through which you can stick your camera lens, but the rest of the observation deck is fenced from top to bottom.

As a customer, I would prefer the fence be eliminated so that the deck would feel more open, but I can understand the liability implications on the business side.

Even though the fence is not optimal, it’s certainly not a deal breaker.

The view is nice. It looks very much like … well … it looks very much like the photos on this page which were taken mere hours ago.

Some articles require verbose explanations, while others are better served by letting the pictures do most of the talking.

This is one of the latter.

I utilized each of the view holes in the fence (in more ways than one … I find the tower romantic too), and I made a couple of rounds before my camera melted in my hands.

I will try not to let another three years lapse until I go back for another round of updates, but one thing is damn certain … when I do go back, the first digit in the temperature will not be a “1”.

Lesson learned.

Enjoy the view of the current state of Las Vegas … and a bit of the old too.

• Keep updated through Newsletter or on Facebook

  E-mail:
  

  Subscribe
  Unsubscribe