Monday, August 13th
After Tim Horton’s and Voodoo Doughnut Too, it seems that doughnuts have become a trend for our road trip, and this Monday morning was no exception. Finding free wireless internet is a bit of a challenge in Las Vegas, and our search led us to the Krispy Kreme at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. While the Excalibur was much was you would expect in Vegas and similar to what we had already experienced (people gambling at 9:00 in the morning, rotund tourists stuffing their faces and gobbling up kitschy souvenirs, etc.), going there made us see the Stratosphere in a new light and like it all the more, despite not having a doughnut shop with free wifi.
Doughnuts eaten, coffee enjoyed, and internet business taken care of, we returned to the Stratosphere to take advantage of the beautiful sunny weather at the Level 8 rooftop pool. In just a few hours at the pool, Charla managed to become more tan than she did over the three months she spent traveling in Southeast Asia before her arrival in Talkeetna. The desert sun on the rooftop was incredibly strong thanks to the elevation, and the heat was relentless—for most of the day, it was 105-110 degrees. Needless to say, the pool was perfectly refreshing. It was not only a great place to escape the craziness of the Strip below, but it was also a good spot to watch the jumpers from the Stratosphere tower, who braved the world’s tallest decelerating sky jump, some 850 feet. The pool area had everything we could need for the day, including a bar and grill with a friendly staff and outstanding Caesar salads. As the sun set over the mountains in the distance, we packed up for the day and got ready for the night ahead.
Our evening started with all you can eat sushi at Rock & Roll Sushi. Like the tattoo guy on the casino level of our hotel, the sushi was surprisingly pretty good as a result of the mass of guests that they see. We ordered quite a few of the specialty rolls, like the Hot Crunch with spicy tuna and tempura shrimp, and some old favorites, like the Philadelphia roll with salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. Even coming from salmon season in Alaska, the salmon at Rock & Roll was delicious!
We finished our sushi just in time to make it to back to the Stratosphere to see Bite, a revue featuring Vegas vampires dancing to classic rock. A bit cheesy at times and a bit reminiscent of True Blood at others, the show was nonetheless impressive, particularly the tapestry performers who tumbled and posed high above the crowd.
We finished our sushi just in time to make it to back to the Stratosphere to see Bite, a revue featuring Vegas vampires dancing to classic rock. A bit cheesy at times and a bit reminiscent of True Blood at others, the show was nonetheless impressive, particularly the tapestry performers who tumbled and posed high above the crowd.
Our night ended with hanging out at level 108 of the Stratosphere tower, taking in the bright lights of the city below from Fremont Street to the Strip as well as the suburban sprawl of North Vegas.
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