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Climbing that many stairs sounds terrible, but you know, it's not the stupidest decision you could make in Las Vegas.

 

I am sure the stairs are there for people to escape the tower in the event of an emergency that knocks out the elevators. The fire dept may have to climb them but most people would be running down them if they were ever put to use.

 

Thank you SO MUCH! I never would have figured that out if you hadn't posted what you did. This is IMMENSELY valuable information, since I clearly didn't know it before and certainly couldn't have been referring to the Scale the Strat Marathon that was discussed in the post directly above.

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That is pretty interesting. I'd honestly be a bit nervous in that holding area still inside the building, but they've thought this through. Thanks for sharing!

 

I'm gonna have to agree. Given the option of waiting in the holding area of the burning building or taking the stairs...I'm probably taking the stairs, especially if there's any issues with the elevators in said building that are supposed to evacuate you from the holding area!

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Interestingly enough, in the event of a fire the evacuation plan does not involve climbing down the stairs and instead there is an “open air” holding area just under the main floors.

 

https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10544018/the-stratosphere-tower

 

The tower does have safety features including water tanks in the tower and evac areas under the observation floors that are bare concrete and steel construction with low chances of burning or producing smoke. The problem becomes that the elevators may not open immediately after the fire and you may need to run downstairs to pee and refill your alcohol and beers

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Does anyone know if Desperado has been operating recently? I'll be driving down to California next Friday (the 14th) and was hoping to ride Desperado since I haven't ridden it in probably 5 or 6 years. The website says it will be operating 12-8 that day, but if it hasn't operated in several months, I'm not sure if I trust the website.

 

I also plan on riding the New York New York coaster (never done it before), but I think that one is much less of a wild card than Desperado in terms of operations and reliability.

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^I think I remember someone posting that it ran at some point in the last few months? I remember this because I was about to post, wow, I think it's really dead based on photos, reports, locals, and lack of anything and then Bam! Out of nowhere it randomly ran one day!?!?

 

If no one can help you out, I hope that you go just so you can update us on the status of that whole complex.

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I'd appreciate the Desperado update as well. There's a lot of mixed reports, but signs seem to point to "don't get your hopes up."

 

With Speed gone, really, the best two coasters in Vegas are El Loco and Canyon Blaster at Adventuredome. For an Arrow, Canyon Blaster rides surprisingly well, and is much more forceful and more intense (in a good way) than a typical Arrow. And comparatively, pretty smooth (again, comparatively).

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Whether it's operating or not, I'll still plan on stopping and checking the place out. I care more about riding the Big Apple Coaster since it's new to me (I know, I know, it's a terrible coaster), but I figured Desperado would be a nice bonus too since I haven't ridden it in years. Heck, I've been to Cedar Point twice and ridden Magnum probably a half dozen times since I've last ridden Desperado.

 

I'll post any photos/findings here after I go. I'm just as interested as you guys. I actually like the coaster quite a bit.

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It just says that "The Desperado is ranked among the Top 10 in the country." It doesn't say the top 10 "coasters".

 

It could just mean that it's in the top 10 list of "Piece of sh*t amusement rides located in the desert that are yellow located at aging casinos that exist solely for compulsive gamblers that can't possibly wait another 30 minutes to make terrible financial and (in some cases) life decisions in Las Vegas proper like normal people".

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It just says that "The Desperado is ranked among the Top 10 in the country." It doesn't say the top 10 "coasters".

 

It could just mean that it's in the top 10 list of "Piece of sh*t amusement rides located in the desert that are yellow located at aging casinos that exist solely for compulsive gamblers that can't possibly wait another 30 minutes to make terrible financial and (in some cases) life decisions in Las Vegas proper like normal people".

 

Stateline was a major draw for Californians before Indian casinos became a thing. They've oddly done a very good job reinventing themselves catering to the latino market since then.

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i don't know about Whiskey Pete's and Terrible's/Primadonna or whatever it's called these days, but i've stopped by Buffalo Bills the last three times i've driven by just for the hell of it. that place was a complete ghost town each time. maybe need to go on a holiday weekend or something to see it's current potential.

 

i'm guessing my last Desperado ride was still in the 90's. i'd give it one more ride for the hell of it since i've never really ridden it since it's gotten bad. or, other coasters have gotten so much better, or i've just become sensitive to crappy coasters. at least to say with personal knowledge, yeah, it sucks now.

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Does anyone know if Desperado has been operating recently? I'll be driving down to California next Friday (the 14th) and was hoping to ride Desperado since I haven't ridden it in probably 5 or 6 years. The website says it will be operating 12-8 that day, but if it hasn't operated in several months, I'm not sure if I trust the website.

 

I also plan on riding the New York New York coaster (never done it before), but I think that one is much less of a wild card than Desperado in terms of operations and reliability.

 

Desperado will be closed, I was told it will be open for the two week holiday and then probably closed until spring break again.

Don't trust the site, and sometimes calling isn't good enough either, they will tell you it will be open and for whatever reason it doesn't.

 

Getting a ride on Desperado is really a gamble nowadays.

 

On another note, you have to admit, the rest of the rides in Vegas have an amazing up-time.

Rare is the day you see rides down for mechanical issues here, just their normal maintenance and refurbishments.

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The Buffalo Bill's website wasn't working today and no one answered the phone. My friend wanted to take a chance and see if Desperado was open today so we drove out there. It's closed at the girl at the counter said it's not certified to operate. She said it may reopen in January, but doesn't know for sure. I expect it to be closed for a while since there's talk about things closing permanently around there soon.

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^It's a quality place for sure when there's no website or phone contact! If it was open, I don't know if I'd even trust it at this point!

 

If it wasn't directly on the way from LA, I don't think anyone would bother stopping in.

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^It's a quality place for sure when there's no website or phone contact! If it was open, I don't know if I'd even trust it at this point!

 

When I got to the hotel I thought it looked a little sketchy. There were only five people inside aside from my friend and myself. Two security guards, hotel concierge and two gamblers. My friend and I were surprised how dead it was. He said it was the first time he's been to the hotel and it wasn't busy. Not a good sign. I have wanted to ride Desperado for a long time so hopefully it's not closed for good. At least the Big Apple was open. It was my first Togo coaster and it was strange. The dive loop was fun, but I have no desire to ride it again.

 

Edit: The Buffalo Bill's website is back up and says the rides will be closed until further notice.

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^Cool! I think I remember that, driving from Cali to Utah on a family vacation when I was younger... good times!

 

Also, I ended up riding the New York New York roller coaster on Friday with no issues... except that the ride sucked. I knew that going in, of course. But wow it was bad. I think this has been said before, but the twist and dive is actually one of the smoothest parts of the ride. The whole drop/transition into the loop (and the loop itself) is by far the worst. Probably won't ever do it again, especially considering the price, but I'm glad I finally rode it after making the drive on I-15 between Cali and Utah countless times over the years.

 

Also stopped at the state line, but of course Desperado was not operating as expected. It was a quick bathroom break, so no photos. The whole place seems pretty run down though.

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I'm glad the Big Apple Coaster lived up to its reputation.

 

After going to Japan, I have a much more favorable opinion of Togo. Their coasters were actually good overseas. Even the one at Hamanako Pal Pal that doesn't look like it should possibly be smooth didn't beat us up.

IMG_2758.thumb.JPG.48954cc3f7d4afdaea712233d5dffdef.JPG

I guess dive loops are Togo's specialty.

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