So, I’m asked, What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? The easy, tempting answer is to itemize all the attitudes, bad habits, and ideas that I could greatly benefit from jettisoning. Believe me, there are a lot of those. (There are always plenty of those, right?) But I think taking this literally…
Tag Archive: Las Vegas
Architectural Score
The attribution of the phrase “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture” is apparently much debated. (It sounds to me like something Gertrude Stein would say, but it was probably originally an aggravated musician.) Be that as it may, some buildings can appear like musical scores to me, and this is one of them….
Transit
Don’t forget to look up. A lot of beauty goes unseen because people are looking where they’re going. Now, generally speaking, this is a sound and eminently practical way to behave. You will avoid stepping into potholes and driving off cliffs, which is desirable. You will probably arrive safely at your destination: good work! But…
The Gilded Cage
We are tame birds, fluttering between the varied, lovely, shiny, traps of consumerism. They look different, but underneath they’re all the same.
A Dream of Paris
It’s been nearly two decades since I visited Paris. I can hardly believe it. How have I managed to stay away from one of my favorite places on earth for so long? This is not Paris, although for half a second, through squinted eyes, I can almost pretend.
In the Tank
“Beijing Noodle No.9 is the kind of casual noodle shop you’d expect to find on the bustling streets of Shanghai, Hong Kong or Beijing… With an inviting and warm atmosphere.” NOT. Stunning, yes. Warm, nuh-uh. I wish I’d been hungry at the time. The place was deserted, and it would have been a trip to…
98% Payback
This is where dreams go to die. The parking garage behind the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas houses a little graveyard of slot machines. The shiny, flashing, chiming machines are silent, dismembered, and gathering dust in the oppressive summer heat. This one, Chthulu’s second cousin by way of R2D2 and C3PO, presides over ranks…
Too Busy
This image is Exhibit A for “too busy.” I’ve written before about my love for complex images that don’t read in an instant, simple manner. This one has every “fault” in the book. There’s no point of focus or rest. All the lines overlap or intersect. It’s contrasty out the wazoo. By any reasonable aesthetic…
Fake
Sometimes you just have to embrace the aesthetic of the false, the vulgar, the bogus, and the silly. The plastic lushness of this bouquet, complete with dust and cobwebs, is irresistible. In the background, you can see one of the many towers of Las Vegas. These two things go together like ham and eggs: Las…
All You Need Is Love
I’m back from my sojourn in Las Vegas. While the gambling side of the trip was pretty much an epic FAIL, everything else about it was pretty swell. I ate good food, spent lots of time in good company, and was mightily entertained throughout. I don’t think it’s true that all you need is love….