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Las Vegas, Nevada
One great big festering neon distraction
I would not consider Las Vegas an escape. Behind every fake Chrysler Building is another standard hotel room, in every casino there are too many depressing people giving away more than they can afford.
One of the great books of architectural theory is "Learning from Las Vegas" by Robert Venturi & Denise Scott Brown. Written in the "modern" mid 1960s, it is the root thesis supporting postmodernism. It defines two types of buildings. One is a "duck", a typical modern building, where the spaces inside the building define it- think the Guggenheim rotunda. The other is a "decorated shed", a functional building that is defined by its appearance- think any Michael Graves building or shopping mall for that matter. Venturi supported his theory by arguing that the casinos on the Las Vegas strip were designed exclusively to attract cars driving along the strip, and that they were virtual warehouses with faux Roman columns and big, big signs. Thirty years later things have changed. The new hotels still orient themselves toward the strip but they work on two levels- a pedestrian friendly entrance with human scaled details, along with a larger, massive object that looks cool from the airport. As the city got bigger, it became more urban despite its suburban roots.
This is the view from the strip, a 10 lane congested, exhaust filled boulevard of aggressive drivers, of Treasure island at the Mirage. Four times a day this area becomes infested with faux pirates who perform a show with water and flames and explosions and a soundtrack, at least that's what I've been told. They wouldn't run it when we were there because of high winds.
The rooms at the Luxor (where we stayed) are stacked against the outside black glass walls, with "inclinators" rising diagonally between the open space and interior open corridors. The inclinators move up and to the right (or left), a truly disturbing feeling, although it is entertaining at night watching drunk hotel guests trying to balance themselves in it on the way back up to their rooms.
On the lower floor of the pyramid is the casino, above it an "attractions" level open to the rest of the space. There is a giant sphinx outside where the taxis stop, I liked to say that it was exactly like the real Sphinx except for the "Valet Parking Full" neon sign on its belly. At night they turn on the "world's most powerful beam of light", shooting out from the top of the pyramid it is supposedly visible from Los Angeles.
Attached is the obligatory picture of Hoover Dam. We took the 90 minute hard hat tour (geared toward engineers) and were told more than any of us will ever remember.
This is the Stratosphere tower, the highest freestanding structure west of the Mississippi (and east of the Pacific). The view is interesting- although it would be a lot more interesting if it weren't as tall. It just towers over everything else and is too far away from anything interesting to make the view something spectacular. A good contrast is the CN tower in Toronto. There the whole building is about height. Glass elevators, glass floors. The whole experience of the stratosphere is somewhat pointless.
To get people up to the top, the stratosphere promises two thrill rides. One is a roller coaster that circles the top. In theory a scary experience, in practice it sucks. It goes slow and banks in. The other ride is called the big shot and it straddles the communication tower on the roof. Passengers are propelled (very, very quickly) up 16 stories at 4G and then are allowed to free fall at -1 G and they are allowed to bounce for a while. There was nothing bad about that one, we rode it twice. Fun.
It costs $89.90 for one seat at the always sold out Siegfried and Roy Theatre. I did not attend one of their shows. Off hours, when the rare white tigers and other assorted animals aren't performing, they become the residents and chief attraction (along with an unnecessary and nondescript dolphin exhibit) at the secret garden of Siegfried and Roy. Upon entering, guests are given telephone-like headsets so they can hear the soothing voices of Mirage CEO Steve Wynn along with the two tiger boys sharing facts and anecdotes at each exhibit. I found this much more entertaining than the actual animals. At one point Roy asks us the share some of his and Siegfied's magic by touching his "Magic Tree," which in fact is illegal in nearby Utah.
Roy emerges from the audio tour clearly as the dominant one in the relationship. They live together in a big white (tastefully decorated) house near a golf course east of the strip behind two large gates, one with an "S", the other with an "R". Little is made of this relationship, it's just kind of understood. At one point in the Mirage I found myself overhearing a conversation by three midwestern women- their accents betrayed them as Wisconsin or Minnesota residents. Upon learning that their show was dark on Wednesday and Thursday, one woman innocently asked aloud what Siegfried and Roy did those two days. The women then looked at each other and then began to giggle.
It may not seem like it, but I did enjoy my first visit to Las Vegas. I saw a very good Cirque du Soliel show (Mystere), visited Hoover Dam and Red Rocks, ate some pretty good food, laughed until I hurt myself listening to the Magic Garden of Siegfried and Roy audio tour, and on top of all of that, it was just nice to be in the desert instead of back east for Palm Sunday weekend. I could care less about gambling and still do not drink (I know), but imagine I’ll be back here again for some reason or another.
