"QUANTUM SHOT" #592 Link - article by Avi Abrams and Crystal W.
Most Amazing Themed Interiors of Las Vegas
This part is written by our guest writer Crystal, with photography by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend
Forget about fear and loathing. There are some truly wondrous environments and architectural spectacles that only Las Vegas could conjure - of course, we can not cover all of them within the limits of the short article, but we are going to mention some memorable ones.
One need not travel far to satisfy a desire for fantastic architecture. Some of the world’s most impressive designs can be found among the bright lights of famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) Las Vegas. Along this one length of boulevard, people can get a taste of New York, Paris or Venice. They can walk amongst circus performers and magicians. They can view modern spectacles of engineering at Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas and MGM.
There is no other place on Earth that can take you from a ride in a gondola to a photo opportunity beside the Statue of Liberty without jumping on a plane. In fact, you may not need to leave one traffic intersection to see four entirely different environments:
Check out these modern marvels and bask in their gorgeous interior design. Here are some beautiful sculptures near Monte Carlo Resort:
Very tastefully done interior design in Paris, Las Vegas (although folks who have actually traveled to France might say that the original has much more joie de vivre, but this sentiment applies to the whole Las Vegas - and Disney, for that matter - design policy):
A Star Trek-styled portal at Las Vegas Hilton leads, regrettably, to a simple Earth-bound hotel:
Inside the pyramid of Luxor Las Vegas. This scene reminds me of Blade Runner, but only if I squint very hard:
"Red Square" in Mandalay Bay, featuring the decapitated likeness of... Lenin?:
Some other interesting design elements, found at Mandalay Bay, Paris and the Venetian:
Entirely Unexpected: Huge Wine Tower Inside Aureole Restaurant at Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay Resort provides a slice of Southeast Asia in Las Vegas: you are greeted with the call of exotic birds while lush foliage embellishes the interior and tiny pagodas and temples dot the surroundings. However, something entirely different can be found inside the Aureole Restaurant, something you do not expect to see as a part of Asia-themed interior design. Entering the staircase that envelopes the Wine Tower you see a 42-foot tall glass case - a sort of interior skyscraper, with thousands of the delicate glass bottles inside. Inside the towering case, two “wine angels” clothed in black catsuits retrieve the precious elixir:
The glass case offers a mesmerizing selection of over 2,000 wines from all over the world. There is room for 10,000 bottles and amazingly enough, the tower is refrigerated to ensure each drink is chilled to perfection.
The Murals of The Venetian: Michelangelo Would Approve?
The Venetian is breathtaking and one of the most unique hotels on the strip. As soon as you step foot inside you will be taken back by all the intricate details. Designed to look like a romantic vacation in Venice, the hotel is adorned with fabulous artwork, Italian flavor, and an indoor sky surrounding marketplace-like shops.
Feeling romantic? The Grand Canal circles the hotel and features gondoliers signing melodies while you glide through the canal in your gondola:
Probably most mesmerizing are the ceiling murals meant to resemble the work of Michelangelo. Vibrant imagery mimic the style of the Italian Renaissance and provide guests with heavenly inspiration throughout the hotel.
Authentic Art Deco Elements Inside New York New York
Cross the Atlantic and take a bite out of the Big Apple. New York New York Hotel is the epitome of the legendary city, minus the traffic. Visitors can ride the Manhattan Express that circles the hotel before heading to the ESPN Zone for some All-American food.
Have a seat on the Brooklyn Bridge for great views of the strip. Inside, the hotel is built to resemble Central Park with a stream and authentic-looking New York neighborhoods.
The World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain, Bellagio, Italy.... er, Las Vegas, of course
Let your tastebuds tingle and your eyes widen with lust at the sight of the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain, both in size and volume. Nestled in the Spa Tower at The Bellagio, this modern creamy sculpture was the design feat of award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury and Norwood and Antonia Oliver Design Associates. This cocoa cascade creates a tantalizing masterpiece that is both compelling and scrumptious.
Standing a heartmelting 27 feet, melted chocolate flows from ceiling to floor along a series of cascades at a rate of 120 quarts per minute. Three tanks melt 2,100 pounds of milk, dark, and white chocolate to 120F before dispensing it through 6 spouts at the top. The rich blend of cocoa then twists and twirls around one another throughout their journey down a series of 25 glass vessels.
Aqua glass was molded into half-inch thick chocolate vessels by artist Michel Mailhot and then suspended by cables to offer the illusion of floating chocolate.
The entire spectacle is encased by a series of 300-pound glass plates that rise to form a funnel as the tiers expand upward. At the end of the downward journey, the chocolate collects in hidden melting pools before being pumped back to the beginning.
Six pumps work to transport the molten chocolate up stainless-steel pipes two inches in diameter hidden within the walls of Maury’s Patisserie. Each pipe is surrounded by another three-inch pipe that circulates hot oils to keep the chocolate melted as it defies gravity to start over again. More than 500 feet of piping keeps this molten wonder running 24 hours a day. Even though the fountain is an impressive 27 feet, only 14 feet is actually visible to guests. The other 13 feet make up the piping and mechanical features.
(Bellagio's beautiful Art Nouveau glass flower ceiling, and still more flowers - photos by Avi Abrams)
While at the Bellagio, don’t pass up a chance to see the dancing fountains. Water and color pulse to the beat of Broadway and classical tunes. The most serene and complex water feature ever built is lovingly designed to inspire romance as colors and blue aqua serenade one another long into the night.
The fountains are located within the eight-acre lake in front of The Bellagio. The scene spans 1,000 feet in length and comprises over 1,000 water expressions and over 4,000 individually programmed lights. With certain jets providing smooth continuous flows and others chiming in with quick, short bursts to different melodies, each show is a unique piece of expression and design.
Since it seems that Las Vegas can get a little expensive, take note that seeing each of these treasures is free – however, it may be difficult to visit the chocolate fountain without indulging in some of the delicacies at Jean-Philippe Maury’s Patisserie.
About the author: Crystal has a passion for all things weird and travel-related. She doesn't frequent the eccentricity of "sin city" too often but when she does, her favorite place to relax is the Wynn Las Vegas - Photography by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend.
Re Art Deco, I heartily recommend The Netherlands Plaza, at 3rd and Race St in downtown Cincinatti, OH. Furnishings purchased at the original Art Deco exposition in Paris, 192x. The 1st floor bar is probably the most surreal place to get drunk east of the mississippi.
There's a reason why all of Vegas is photographed at night. The build "quality" of these structures is mediocre. Walk around during the day and look. Vegas is a visual dump by day.
The chocolate fountain smells fantastic in person. I have tried many times to photograph the ceiling in the Venetian and the pictures always come out too dark. Loved the vintage nighttime shots though, well done!
There's a reason why all of Vegas is photographed at night. The build "quality" of these structures is mediocre. Walk around during the day and look. Vegas is a visual dump by day.
Your first black and white photo from 1952 is the Flamingo. You can see Bugsy Siegel's suite to the far left of the circle. I stayed there when I was a kid, in 1955, and that is just what is was like, surrounded by desert. You can see the Flamingo today in the next photo - it is right behind the Eiffel Tower.
Another time we stayed at an old hotel downtown called the Sal Sagev (Las Vegas spelled backwards). It is still there, but called the Golden Gate Hotel, to match the name of the attached casino.
Fantastic photos! Too bad a great invention like the watch more often than not spells the demise of these old clocks - that today will carry a hefty price tag! I was reading about an ancient water clock the other day, that apparently kept time more accurately than anything else until the 17th century, or something like that anyway...
One very famous clock is missing from this collection and that's the Eise Eisinga planetarium in the modest Frisian city of Franeker. He build his clock inside his home and at present is the oldest working still acurate clock of it's kind. W
I believe the link to Recently Found 1941 Pearl Harbor Photos isn't accurate. While Snopes isn't perfect, this one seems to make sense from the points that it would be impossible to take all those photos from a single camera. http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/pearlharbor.asp A comment on the linked site also disputes the description based on the variation of images.
Glad you're back from the summer schedule. I find something interesting in all your posts.
Well.. the russian might use that term also but the history of the name comes from the days of Julius Caesar himself who adopted the Gallic term of that are that consist most of the present Germany...
@ Jyri: You're absolutely correct, and I think the fact adds even more meaning to the Russians' current use of the term, and more to the Nazis' intended use. Perhaps Herr Absolutely Ridiculous Moustache intended his World Capital to trump all - even, symbolically, Julius' plans for the region. Mitteleuropa, after all, is far from a new concept..
well, it is the same in Italian too... and Germany and Italy were allied countries during the war. I think this is less fascinating but definitely more probable: at the end of the day Hitler called this plan Germania and not Германия (not sure about the spelling, sorry)
Wow, this is awesome. I had an uncle who went to North Korea and told me about the traffic light women, but still, I now realise that there is still so much I have to find out about that country...
I have read that mothers in Korea whistle as a cue to their very young infants to urinate — early toilet training was essential before disposable nappies or automatic washing machines. The story goes that this conditioning lasts into adulthood, causing a feeling of urgency whenever foreigners whistle.
I am living in Korea and have also had comments about whistling. As I understand it is thought to attract either evil spirits or snakes. That said however I do know many Koreans who can whistle including several who do it exceptionally well, to the point that I imagine the could do it in concert etc.
Several months ago while walking in a shopping center in the evening a man angrily told me to stop. It was not about sound pollution it was about the issues of the activity itself. Interesting none the less.
@ K: Yes, showing that life in a country can have some normal aspects which are caught on film definitely is propaganda and completely wrong. People see that there is not a gallow on EVERY street corner and forget about the dictatorship immediately. In fact they might just start moving there, causing a massive exodus from the Western world and they might take all relevant secrets (military and industrial) with them for Mr. Kim Jong Il to use. All because of these pictures.
BTW, I guess it's the common North Korean who use the BMWs. In shape of those who represent (?) them, of course.
The board game, "Paduk", is more often spelled "Baduk" in english when we're talking about the game in Korea. However, it's a lot more commonly known as "Go" or "Igo" in the west, after the Japanese word for the game. The game is originally Chinese however, where it's called Wei-qui.
The writing of a name in red is found in Asia. Take a look at Kill Bill movie and watch the lady write the names in red. It means death. Commercial breaks happen between the shows to kill the dead air time. There is Valentine's day and there is White day where men give to women. No foreign cars? Porche, mercedes, toyotas, bmw, masseratis, ferraris, puegeot, and others are plentiful in the South.
I lived in Korea for more than a year and several of these are gross generalizations or not accurate at all. No foreign cars?? The Valentines Day info is not entirely correct - there is one holiday for girls gifting to guys, another one for the other day around, and yet another one for the single people.
erm, it's not a whistling sound at all. They say shhh which means pee in Korean. Plz gt ur facts straights b4 they leave the hollow cavity that iz ur headz
The video game channel is probably showing professional Starcraft competitions, which far from being 'not very good,' is one of the most popular and award-winning games of all time.
I am realy suprised at the speed at which yo turn around these bog post, this is a great post, I normally do not sit down and read the thing slowly but I need to come back and read this one slowly
Gutenberg was first with the movable type printing press in the Western world. Movable type didn't catch on to well in Asia because of the number of characters in Korean, Chinese, etc. It makes a lot more sense with European languages as only a few characters are needed instead of hundreds or thousands.
Hey, you mixed up the stories about South Korea and North Korea. Most of your comments are about North. Many Koreans can whistle and they just don't. And there are so many foreign cars in Korea, including Japanese cars. And I heard that I can see skinned dogs at some of the local market. I have lived in South Korea for 36 years and I have never seen skinned dog. It is regarded as orgish and no shop will want to scare customer...
Nice post, but I was in Daejeon like 3 or 4 months ago and drank at the Wa bar, but didn't see the "Fuck Club" there. Must have closed quickly. Also, I've never seen a skinned dog, but there are plenty of Gaegogi shops around. I guess they would show you a skinned dog if you like. A lot of myths and stories about Korea are probably from the 50's to 70's. Their culture has changed a lot since then and their cities are pretty modern now.
The bus is electric, I could, I think, see the railing. Not many of those still cruise around, maybe it would be interesting looking out for more of them?
As someone else has mentioned, the computer game is Starcraft...probably one of the most globally played RTS games ever made. Age of Empires pales in comparison and even comparing the two makes me cringe. Whistling is taboo because it was traditionally believed to call dead spirits...its not belived anymore but the taboo still exists. "In fact," i also know some Americans who can't whistle, including me.
I live in Daegu, South Korea and of the 40-50 parking spots just outside my apartment, only about 1/4 of them are taken up by Korean cars. There are many BMWs, Audis, Pontiacs, Harleys and even a Mustang and Corvette to boot. Sad thing is, most of them are completely beaten up due to traffic accidents and lack of respect in parking lots.
I'd have to agree with those who feel that this post is not a fair representation of the reality of life in North Korea. Although its important to meditate on the good, we have to ask ourselves the hard questions. How did those buildings get funded? How did their cities get built? At what cost to the people?
Although I haven't looked into it much myself (my apologies, I'm working on opening my eyes), I've heard reports that the NK government won't allow its people to move into the apartments, and most don't have functioning utilities, on top of other injustices.
The aim isn't to make foreigners out to be barbaric or less than human, or get stuck on fights over ideologies (for that is indeed propaganda), the point is to focus on the people who have suffered injustice, learn their stories and tell them, in the hope that there can be change in their lives for the better.
On so amny North Korean posters, there is only one message: USA is the 'great evil' and must be crushed?? We really need to deal with these people somehow! There are some real anger issues there..........
1. I'm Korean and can whistle very well, as can my brother and father. I've found that many people in general can't whistle. 2. Writing in red is used to record a dead person's name. This isn't, however, all over Asia. Chinese people consider red to be good luck. 8. We use scissors a lot because it's easier to cut some things, but we do use knives all the time. 10. The reason there aren't many foreign cars is because there are large taxes. Only wealthy people can afford them.
I understand that you're visiting many countries and you think these "quick facts" are funny, but they're really not. Even with no harm intended, generalizations like these are insulting. Generalizations are insulting to everyone. Please learn something from your trip around the world. It's one thing to think something interesting. It's another to portray other people as strange and weird.
I can't make any sense which korean you most likely saying about between north and south. I am now leaving in seoul S. korea. lots of info you posted seem strange to me eventhough i am S.korean. but interesting posts if you were talking only about North. We do not know well of north either.
Wow, this was fascinating. Especially the facts about addresses (I'm so glad they don't do that here in America. I have a hard enough time finding addresses); writing in red pen (wonder how many people I've killed off lol); and cutting food with scissors (that makes total sense). Thanks for a great post.
North Korea and South Korea are COMPLETELY different countries.
North Korea has been shut off from the world for over 60 years and has faced nothing but misery and isolation, while South Korea has thrived to become a developed country.
Putting North Korea and South Korea would be putting apples with grapes... not even oranges. USA and Saudi Arabia. They're THAT different, and I find it ignorant and offensive how North and South Korea are described as the same thing in this article.
...and Koreans can't wistle? I can thanks. They choose not to? I've never heard this. Also, we use knives - also don't know where you got that from... and a lot of other things.
Korean doesn't have "hundreds or thousands of characters" in the alphabet as someone commented above, there are about 14 consanants and 10 basic vowel sounds. It seems perfectly possible that koreans could have come up with a printing press first.
I worked at the Battersea power station site a few years ago, the site was the venue for two weeks of concerts. I spent a day exploring the interior of the power station its amazing and strangely beautiful,especially the amazing control room with the brass knobs and old gauges is a steam punk dream. will try and find the pics i took.
Battersea Power Station is an iconic piece of Art Deco architecture, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and as such should be restored and preserved. There is a group dedicated to doing just this, and it can't come quick enough for me.
Some fantastic photos and info there - especially the images of Battersea Power Station. Can't believe that tank, how random is that?! I guess it must be left over from Full Metal Jacket... I've been past BPS so many times on the train and am always impressed. Great to see sime pics of the inside though. Looking forward to the redevelopment but hopefully it won't lose too much of its mystery in the process.
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8 Comments:
Great Photographs
Re Art Deco, I heartily recommend The Netherlands Plaza, at 3rd and Race St in downtown Cincinatti, OH. Furnishings purchased at the original Art Deco exposition in Paris, 192x. The 1st floor bar is probably the most surreal place to get drunk east of the mississippi.
Chris
There's a reason why all of Vegas is photographed at night. The build "quality" of these structures is mediocre. Walk around during the day and look. Vegas is a visual dump by day.
Jack is 100% right. Vegas is a paper mache city. Th build quality and energy efficiency of most of those buildings is shameful.
The chocolate fountain smells fantastic in person. I have tried many times to photograph the ceiling in the Venetian and the pictures always come out too dark. Loved the vintage nighttime shots though, well done!
Hard to believe that Vegas started out as a Mormon outpost.
Paper Mache by day or not - when night comes there's no place quite like it! Great photos!
Las Vegas = power waste = climate warming = capitalistic fail
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