I have previously posted two Las Vegas panorama photographs in this forum. The first was taken in 2010 from the Rio and showed the strip as viewed from the west at night. The second was taken in 2012 from the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower replica and also showed the strip, again at night.
This time, the panorama presented below is again (mostly) of the strip but was taken in the daylight. It is the view from our balcony on the west tower of the Cosmopolitan, and the horizontal field of view is approximately 270°, permitted because we had a wraparound balcony. The left hand region of the photo is toward the north while the right hand area is toward the west.
Don't do this if you don't mean to and/or don't have a high-speed internet connection. If you want to see this image in high resolution, first just click on it. That should open a new window or tab in your browser with an image that looks pretty much like the one below. If you click on that image, you will get the whole bloomin', full-resolution (15MB or so) image, which you should be able to pan both horizontally and vertically. More image than you ever wanted to see from a hotel balcony.
Items that you might be able to pick out in this photo include (roughly left to right): my wife sitting on the balcony, Trump Tower, Treasure Island, Venetian/Palazzo, Harrah's, Quad, Flamingo, Bill's under conversion to Cromwell, the "High Roller", Bally's, at least the Eiffel tower portion of Paris, the east tower of the Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, the Harmon stump, the MGM Grand with McCarran airport in the background, a bit of the Tropicana, the Veer towers and the Mandarin Hotel of City Center, the Monte Carlo, the Aria, some condos I can't identify to the west of I-15, the Orleans, and the other end of our balcony. Also a few bits and pieces of other places.
Have fun with it.
Quote: 1BBNice! I can see the Ferris wheel.
We DON'T call it a 'ferris wheel', 1BB. That's little league. lol. But if you look past the 'wheel' you can see the LVH sign, sort of shaped like a seashell. The resolution is so good, it looks like that LVH sign is a block away, when in reality it must be at least 2-3 miles. Nice pics, Doc.
Quote: DocDang good guess, unless you checked first. I did check, and the Google Maps measurement tool figures it as 2.14 miles from that corner of the Cosmo west tower to the LVH sign.
No I didn't check. lol Actually I first wrote 'at least 2 miles' but then changed it to '2-3' after I remembered that the monorail is 4 miles long and LVH is almost at one end and Cosmo would be equivalent to being at near the other. Of course the monorail isn't a straight 'as the crow flys' shot.
I'd call it the Wheel of Fortune, stick at gigantic $500 slot machine at the bottom of it, and let people take it for a spin. When that fortune ends up on that third wheel with max bet, they get to give the wheel a spin (with the people on it!). Whereever it stops is the number of credits they win, just like in the real game. It not only would be a "ferris wheel", and would be a thrill ride, but it would be the world's largest slot too. Only in Vegas!!!
I see the Linq singnage is up. It is probably the nicest part of the development :), I see Britney has her face splashed all over the side of PH avertising a "piece of me" (don't mind if I do:) ), I see the worlds most expensive billboard (read Harmon Tower) is still standing and I think i can see the 4:40 from LA landing on 19L......Oh and apparently it was a nice, sunny Vegas day :)
How did you get an upgrade?Quote: DocLast week, I posted in another thread that my wife and I had the very good fortune to be upgraded to a suite at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and that we had an impressive panoramic view. I took quite a few photos of that casino-hotel, our suite, and the view from the balcony, and I have created a panorama image that admittedly has a few serious transition glitches.
I have previously posted two Las Vegas panorama photographs in this forum. The first was taken in 2010 from the Rio and showed the strip as viewed from the west at night. The second was taken in 2012 from the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower replica and also showed the strip, again at night.
This time, the panorama presented below is again (mostly) of the strip but was taken in the daylight. It is the view from our balcony on the west tower of the Cosmopolitan, and the horizontal field of view is approximately 270°, permitted because we had a wraparound balcony. The left hand region of the photo is toward the north while the right hand area is toward the west.
Don't do this if you don't mean to and/or don't have a high-speed internet connection. If you want to see this image in high resolution, first just click on it. That should open a new window or tab in your browser with an image that looks pretty much like the one below. If you click on that image, you will get the whole bloomin', full-resolution (15MB or so) image, which you should be able to pan both horizontally and vertically. More image than you ever wanted to see from a hotel balcony.
Items that you might be able to pick out in this photo include (roughly left to right): my wife sitting on the balcony, Trump Tower, Treasure Island, Venetian/Palazzo, Harrah's, Quad, Flamingo, Bill's under conversion to Cromwell, the "High Roller", Bally's, at least the Eiffel tower portion of Paris, the east tower of the Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, the Harmon stump, the MGM Grand with McCarran airport in the background, a bit of the Tropicana, the Veer towers and the Mandarin Hotel of City Center, the Monte Carlo, the Aria, some condos I can't identify to the west of I-15, the Orleans, and the other end of our balcony. Also a few bits and pieces of other places.
Have fun with it.
Edit: nevermind, a different browser/OS combo got it.
Quote: AxelWolfHow did you get an upgrade?
Pure, dumb luck is the only explanation I can offer. I certainly don't play at a level to justify such a comp. I received a mailer with an offer of two free nights lodging and jumped on it, since I had already planned a trip to Las Vegas. Then, at check-in, they offered me the upgrade at a price I just couldn't refuse (even though turning down an up-sell was my initial, instinctive reaction.)
I have offered to provide the Wizard with a review of the Cosmopolitan based on my stay, since this site currently only has what he describes as "informal comments" from just after the place opened. I have made progress on my draft, and if the Wizard accepts what I have to offer, you can read more about my experiences, the room, and the rest of the casino-hotel.
Quote: boymimboThe London Eye at 443 feet is a Ferris Wheel. The High Roller at 550 feet is a Ferris Wheel and is the largest in the world, which of course, will be surpassed by what they are building in Dubai.
Holy crap, the High Roller is taller than the London Eye? I had no idea it's that huge. I have been on the London Eye and it was sweet. I love high places that give you a big view. I can't wait to take the High Roller for a spin :).
Look at the high-res version of the image and pick out a balcony on the Cosmopolitan east tower that looks to be at about the same height, looking neither up nor down. Follow the line of that balcony rail to the left. The one I picked out aligns fairly well with the roof of the LVH that can be seen through the High Roller ring, and that aligns fairly well with the base of the mountains in the distance. I think that gives a pretty good idea of a level line from the camera to the (non-mountain) horizon. That line is just slightly higher than the axis of rotation of the High Roller.
My balcony was on the 36th floor of the Cosmopolitan, which probably means that it was somewhere around 400 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard South. Thus, I suspect that the High Roller hub is somewhere around 350 feet above street level. I don't know how close the wheel comes to the ground, but if we knew or could estimate that clearance, we could figure the approximate radius of the wheel and it's highest point, mostly from the photo and knowing the floor from which it was taken.
This technique (used in reverse) suggests that if 550 feet is really the highest point, then the ground clearance is likely in the range of 150 feet, which seems plausible, though I haven't seen the design of the boarding station.
Of course, these are just very rough estimates to get an idea of how big the wheel is.
According to Vegas Chatter it will have a soft opening on March 1st:
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2014/2/5/181021/1575/vegas-travel/The+High+Roller%3A+Expected+Opening%2C+How+Much%2C+And+Hours+Of+Operation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Roller_(Ferris_wheel)
so no sandwich $20 trick and you gor a free upgrade st the nicest casino in vegas?Quote: DocPure, dumb luck is the only explanation I can offer. I certainly don't play at a level to justify such a comp. I received a mailer with an offer of two free nights lodging and jumped on it, since I had already planned a trip to Las Vegas. Then, at check-in, they offered me the upgrade at a price I just couldn't refuse (even though turning down an up-sell was my initial, instinctive reaction.)
I have offered to provide the Wizard with a review of the Cosmopolitan based on my stay, since this site currently only has what he describes as "informal comments" from just after the place opened. I have made progress on my draft, and if the Wizard accepts what I have to offer, you can read more about my experiences, the room, and the rest of the casino-hotel.
Quote: PaigowdanYou can see my apartment and Balcony in it. (4575 Dean martin Drive.) Blue building on the far right.
Are those the ones just to the left of the 15 as you drive North?
If they are, I saw a funny show somewhere, can't remember where about women who come to Vegas once a week or so and meet their Johns. Their husbands know about the practice and because the money is so good, they don't mind at all. The lady had an apartment there. :)
Just a "tit" bit of information :)