Las Vegas is full of spots to get those all-important selfies, and visitors can now do that safely at the relatively new Gateway Arches at The Strat.
The Gateway Arches were built in 2020 to offer a northern-Strip equivalent to the iconic Las Vegas sign outside Mandalay Bay that marks the southern-most point of the Strip.
The 80-foot arches also serve the dual purpose of marking the start of Downtown Las Vegas, which is experiencing a massive boom in popularity again in recent years.
The problem was that the Gateway Arches were not the best-planned of attractions. While the Fabulous Las Vegas sign is situated within its own island in the middle of the road, the Gateway Arches were not similarly photographer-friendly.
In fact, people were taking to wandering into the middle of the road to get their selfies beneath the Arches.
“We didn’t anticipate how popular the arches were going to become as a backdrop for these picture-perfect moments,” Councilwoman Olivia Diaz said.
Today @cityoflasvegas celebrated the grand reveal of the Gateway Arches Observation Deck across from @stratvegas! We welcome guests and locals alike to take a picture of the two iconic landmarks. pic.twitter.com/yu8dqBTujr
— The STRAT Las Vegas (@stratvegas) March 8, 2023
That has now been addressed, though, with the building of a dedicated concrete observation deck from which visitors can not safely take their selfies.
It is not in the middle of the road but on the opposite side to The Strat, so the view is not absolutely perfect. It is, though, a lot safer. At least it is in the sense that you are not going to get ploughed down by traffic anymore. The concerns over the location of the Gateway Arches and the general safety of the surrounding area remain.
The new platform has reportedly cost $200,000, taking the total construction cost of the Gateway Arches in Las Vegas to a whopping $6.5million.
You can follow Begas Vaby on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel too.