I’m continuing with the observations of the Las Vegas Strip and realize that it looks even more outlandish in the daytime. Take the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. The mock Eiffel Tower is its signature, but the hot air balloon-shaped marquee carries as much visual weight from this angle.

Now add several palm trees into the faux-French design, and you have a real clash of reality. Mostly obscured behind the balloon is a small Arc de Triomphe. Partially under the Eiffel Tower is the Paris Opera House, among other notable French Architecture. In reality, these French structures are much larger and many miles apart in Paris.

I make these observations in amusement and not disdain. I prefer these fun amusement park-like designs to the bland Planet Hollywood building I featured a few days ago. Las Vegas is about entertainment, fantasy, and escape. Outlandish architecture takes people away from the reality of homogeneous suburbs broken up by generic strip malls.

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