(that's: Very Personal Opinion.) just back from las vegas. took
an afternoon to check out aria and city center. my reactions:
ok. we all knew that the vp at aria sucks. unfortunately, so does
aria's sombre interior, with a dark brown palette and absolutely
no wow factor. i couldn't wait to get out of there--depressing. i
was also extremely underwhelmed by city center's pedestrian flow
(there isn't any), signage (there isn't any)--put those two
characteristics together and you can walk around for quite a
while without getting anywhere--architecture (boring glass and
concrete high-rises, which could have been built at the nadir of
architecture in the '60s, except the building are curved), facing
material (basically concrete and cheap metal sheeting), huge
blank open spaces with no character whatsoever
(industrial-institutional?). yes, as they claim, they have really
changed las vegas: they have changed it from fun to vulgar; they
have effectively bisected lv boulevard north and south, cutting
off one from the other; they have created a monstrosity skyline
(couldn't they at least have looked at what's going on
architecturally in dubai?); they have cut off the winter sun for
hours of the day at pool areas like paris and bellagio. it is
nothing but a testament to men's greed and megalomania.
my reaction may be somewhat premature in that the interiors and
spaces may eventually be planted or decorated; but nothing will
soften aria's interior or city center's architectural profile.
the only thing i saw worth celebrating was the henry moore
sculpture, a note of wonder plunked down inexplicably in a
completely sterile environment.
and perhaps someone can time how long it would take to walk from
an end-of-hall room in aria to the bellagio conservatory. i
shudder to think.
sorry for this long-winded report, but after bellagio and wynn, i
was sooooooo disappointed--and dispirited.
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