Connie's Visit from his Brother Rick

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Week of 05/26/2018 Visit: This year Connie's brother surprised her with a four day visit from Florida. The night he arrived we had a lovely dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza and Grill, with an up-scale stylish setting and a relaxing decor and innovative menu. After some catching up, we took Rick back to the Hampton Inn in Henderson. The next day we decided to have lunch at the revolving Top of the World restaurant on the 106th floor of the Stratosphere Casino (Fig. 01). Besides the outstanding food, more than 800 feet above Las Vegas Blvd, it provides views of the Las Vegas valley that can’t be found in any other Las Vegas restaurant. As none of us had ever eaten here before, our excellent lunch was truly a memorable experience that none of us will soon forget. While you dine you get to watch people "drop" from the Sky Jump two floors above. It is the highest controlled free fall in the world, and sends you jumping off the 108th floor at a scream-inducing speed. Just after taking their last step, they plummet through the sky 855 feet, or the equivalent of 108 floors as they rush past your table (Fig. 04). (con't below)

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On Thursday we spent the day at our place. He met our friend Jim Herring (Fig. 06) and his dog Scooter (Fig. 05). Jim brought Scooter over because we were going to be 'house sitting' him while Jim traveled to Wichita Kansas to visit his daughter over 4th of July. After an afternoon of getting to know everyone, I prepared on of my favorite chicken dishes for dinner, Grand Marnier Lemon Chicken. On Friday, continuing our eating binge, we decided to take a trip to Pahrump to have lunch at Symphony's, their Zagot award wining restaurant. Prior to dinner we took a guided tour of the winery property and its production operation (Figs. 07 thru 10). Symphony's up-scale casual restaurant that serves both lunch and dinner on white linen clothed tables, in a very quiet, elegant atmosphere. The fine food is beautifully served and well worth the trip to the winery all by itself (Fig. 11) We ate in the closed-in outside patio that provides a lovely, relaxing view. The picture in (Fig. 12) shows a side view of the building and its glassed-in porch. To learn more about this winery visit here ... Pahrump Valley Winery.

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Boulder Dam Hotel - Boulder City

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This page last updated on 01/09/2018

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(Fig. 02) This Dutch Colonial-style hotel (Figs. 01 & 02) is located in the heart of the historic district of downtown Boulder City. Built in 1933 to accommodate the many visiting government and corporate project managers that were supervising the building of Hoover Dam, the Boulder Dam Hotel quickly gained a world wide reputation from a steady flow of dignitaries and celebrities. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1982. Today this charming hotel  provides a 24/hour front desk inside its beautiful main lobby and offers 20 quaint, comfortable, newly-remodeled rooms and suites with all of the modern amenities including free wi-fi internet service and a “cooked to order” continental breakfast. The beautifully decorated lobby with period furnishings going back to the 30’s and 40’s is ideal for capturing some “period” photos such as that found in (Fig. 03) below. I want to give special thanks to my two models, Jim Herrington and his daughter Christina for providing these two great poses.

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There is even a small “Boulder Dam Museum” located behind the lobby that highlights the experiences and suffering of the men and families who built Hoover Dam. It makes you appreciate both the determination and character of our ancestors and the harsh life and conditions that they endured in the building of this colossal dam, recognized as one of seven man-made wonders of the U. S. (Fig. 04) However, in addition to the charm of the hotel itself, I feel the real hidden “gem” here is “Matteo’s, a restaurant & lounge that is located inside the hotel just off the beautifully furnished and decorated lobby. Open to the public for breakfast and lunch, the newly remodeled dining room offers a casual and relaxing dining atmosphere that harkens back to the era of the 30’s & 40’s (Fig. 05). Its menu offers a unique split featuring authentic Northern Italian & Continental cuisine. The Italian side of the menu features recipes directly from Rome and a broad continental side, which will appeal to most everyone. All of its menu offerings are well prepared, with portions large enough to fill any hungry traveler. It even offers outdoor dining & entertainment in a beautiful little courtyard (Fig. 04). This restaurant makes the perfect before of after stop whenever visiting Hoover Dam and the new Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge or when just pursuing the dozens of quaint shops and antique establishments the permeate Boulder City’s downtown historic district. Over the years we have shared many enjoyable dining experiences here with several of our friends, neighbors and relatives (Figs. 06-08). Our most recent lunch visit with company is portrayed in the (Fig. 09) polyptych – Jim and his huge Club Sandwich, Connie with a Chili Bowl topped with chopped onions, cheese and a side of homemade Cornbread, Christina with Chicken Fingers and Sweet Potato Fries, and myself with homemade Split-pea Soup and homemade Cornbread, and oh yea, unlimited refills on ice teas and beverage drinks. Love it!

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The Stratosphere - Summary Page

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This page last updated on 12/27/2017

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Though it certainly doesn't hold any spiritual significance, the Level 107 Lounge at the top of the Stratosphere Casino Tower has now become a special meeting place and traditional stop whenever Jim and Patrick come to visit. Located just one floor up from the elegant, revolving Top of the World restaurant, the lounge serves up an array of excellent 1/2 price appetizers (Fig. 05) and martinis (Fig. 06) during a daily ‘happy hour’'; all with sunset views (Fig. 09) that can be just heavenly. Jim and I always make sure we order the Chocolate Masterpiece Martini (Godiva Chocolate Vodka, Godiva Chocolate, White Chocolate Liqueur) for dessert, though we may have to change this next time. On our last visit we also ordered the Carmel Swirl (Absolute Vanilla Vodka, Butterscotch & Carmel Mix) and thought it was outstanding. North (Fig. 01), South (Fig. 04), East (Fig. 03) or West (Fig. 02), it provides views of the Las Vegas valley that can’t be found in any other Las Vegas lounge. (Fig. 07 & 08) just enjoying the view. One of the great advantages of partaking of happy hour here is that you avoid the $18 per/person tower fee for elevator ride to the two observation decks and thrill rides located above the lounge. The night view of the tower at the bottom, (Fig. 18), was taken from the valet area while we were waiting for our car.

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Jutting 1,149 feet into the Vegas skyline, the iconic Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and offers the world’s highest and most exciting thrill rides. So, if you’re an adrenaline junky, a thrill seeker, or a daredevil – this is the place for you. So far none of us have gotten drunk enough (yet!) to try any of these.

Insanity the Ride: A massive mechanical arm (Fig. 10 & 11) extending out 64 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at a height of over 900 feet, this Vegas ride will spin you and several other passengers in the open air at speeds of up to three 'G's. You'll be propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees, which will tilt your body into one position — straight down! If you're brave enough to keep your eyes open you'll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of historic downtown Las Vegas. Experience Insanity and walk away to tell the tale!

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Big Shot: Strap into the Big Shot (Figs. 12 & 13) and be shot 160 feet in the air at 45 miles per hour as you overlook the majestic Las Vegas Valley. In a matter of seconds, the Big Shot thrill ride catapults 16 riders from the 921-foot high platform up the Tower's mast to a height of 1,081 feet and down again. Before you catch your breath, you'll be shot back up again at a gut-wrenching four 'G's of force on the way up, and feel negative 'G's on the way down as your legs dangle in the Las Vegas skyline.

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X-Scream: The X-Scream (Figs. 14 & 15) is a giant ‘space age’ teeter-totter, 866 feet above the ground. It propels you and several other riders headfirst, 27 feet over the edge of the tower. After being shot over the edge, you'll dangle weightlessly above the Las Vegas Strip before being pulled back and propelled over again for more.

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Sky Jump: Sky Jump (Figs. 16 & 17), the highest controlled free fall in the world, sends you jumping off the 108th floor at a scream-inducing speed. Before the jump, riders are prepped and suited up in Stratosphere’s custom jump suits and given a safety lesson. After a short elevator trip to the top of the Stratosphere Tower, the jumper is connected to a high-speed “descender” and led to the edge of the platform. Just take that last step and plummet through the sky 855 feet, or the equivalent of 108 floors. Click on (Fig. 14) and you will be able to see the wires that control the jump. Click on (Fig. 15) and you are able to see a jumper (in a blue suit) just to the right of the pool.

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Jim Herring’s Wichita State Shockers

What is a “Shocker” you may ask? The Shockers are the athletic teams at Wichita State University, who compete in the NCAA Division I as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State is well known for its fan support and its baseball program, which has the highest winning percentage of any college baseball team over the past 31 years. However, there basketball team not quite so much. They were in the Elite Eight in 1981, and the Sweet Sixteen in 2006, but haven’t been in the Final Four since 1965.

Being an alumni of Wichita State University, Jim was excited when he learned that his number 9 rated “Shockers” would be playing the second seed in the West Region in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA March Madness during his vacation stay in Las Vegas. Ohio State, with one of the country’s largest athletics’ budgets was the Big Ten bully with a roster stocked with prized recruits, and was destined to end the Shockers’ season. So on game day, we all headed over to one of the South Point Casino’s sports book bars to watch the game as it was telecast from the Staples Center in LA. We got there early enough to garner some front row seats and settled in for what turned out to be a very exciting game. Even though Patrick is also an alumni of Wichita State University, he bet Ohio State and, to no avail, spent the time rooting, "Come on Ohio State".

Even though his team had lost its top five scorers from last season, they jumped out to a commanding 20 point lead early in the game. Outstanding defense and great foul line shooting kept them in the lead right to the end, where after a grueling 2-12 hours, they dispatched Ohio State in a 70-66 thriller to advance to the Final Four, the first in 48 years. After the game we celebrated the victory with a huge Chinese meal before heading home and calling it a night. It’s now on to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta next Saturday to battle the number one seed, the Louisville Cardinals. Go Shockers!