Stratosphere2000 Las Vegas Boulevard SouthLas Vegas, Nevada 89103 Owner: Carl Icahn A Little About Stratosphere You can't really miss Stratosphere. Rising 1,149 feet above the Strip, Stratosphere would be one of Las Vegas's most recognizable landmarks if fewer people confused it with the Seattle Space Needle. The majority of Stratosphere's 2,500 rooms are located in the Regency Tower, a separate structure to the north of the main tower. You have to be betting considerably more than the average bear to swing a room in the main tower. The 100,000 square foot casino is pleasant and spacious and they treat you quite well in exchange for $5 action. Stratosphere is owned by infamous corporate raider Carl Icahn, who purchased it in a bankruptcy sale in 1998. The crowd at Stratosphere is very "middle," which is to say, lots of middle-aged, middle-income, Midwesterners. (Many with big round middles.) The biggest shortcoming of Stratosphere is its location. While this is not apparent from the so-called "maps" on tourism web sites, (why are those things never to scale???) Stratosphere is actually a pretty long walk from Sahara, its nearest neighbor. Not that you'd want to walk it after dark, because Stratosphere sits just across the boundary into the pawn-shops-and-liquor-stores neighborhood that separates the Strip from Downtown Vegas. You'll save money on your hotel room by staying here, but unless you're in great shape and exceptionally brave, you'll give back every dime of it on cab rides. Submit your own comment on Stratosphere. |