Architectures around Las Vegas

While the city of Las Vegas is for the most part known for its casino gambling as well as its other forms of entertainment, there are other interesting aspects to the city. One of these is the architecture that is featured in many of the city’s buildings.

The New York, New York Hotel

Image Wikipedia
One of the most noticeable features is the transformation of the skyline over the hotel into a miniature New York City. Visitors to Vegas can see replicas of the iconic monuments including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and even the Statue of Liberty. The hotel was first opened twenty years ago and is a popular point of interest for travellers wishing to view the unique aspects of the hotel.

The Stratosphere Tower

Image iambents on Flickr
Built as part of the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, the tower has more to offer than a breathtaking view. The upper floors of the tower include a special chapel where weddings can be held. Another popular part of the tower is the amusement ride which takes riders up 160 feet and then dropping them at a speed of 45 miles per hour. The tower holds the distinction of being the tallest concrete structure in all of North America.

Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts

Image Marletz on Flickr
This art deco building was first the site of the Las Vegas High School and has since become a magnet school drawing in students from all over the county. The building has some unique characteristics include stucco friezes. The detailing in the design is intricate as evident in the medallions and animals.

The next time you find yourself visiting the City of Las Vegas, you may wish to take a break from your casino gambling sessions. Taking a stroll around the city and taking in the magnificent architecture provides another manner in which to appreciate this exciting city.

First image credit tripbucket on Flickr

Adolfo Farsari – The Man Who Shot Japan

In the 1880s at a time when most Europeans were denied access to the Japanese interior an Italian photographer managed to capture many images of Old Japan. These were then beautifully and realistically hand painted and serve as a remarkable record of a world long since disappeared.

If You Have Never Wanted to Visit Florence, You Will After You Watch This

Florence is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and once you have watched this you will understand why (that is, of course, if you are not already of that opinion).  Kirill Neiezhmakov, whose work we regularly feature on Kuriositas, has pulled off another genius timelapse/hyperlapse which takes in all the sites of Florence, a city simply brimming with churches, museums and palaces.

Skywalker vs Starkiller: A Star Wars Mashup

What might have happened if Luke Skywalker and R2D2 had been whisked through a wormhole, arriving 30 years in to the future.  Before them lies the Starkiller – already under attack from the resistance – and a huge battle lies ahead.  You may well ask what on Tatoine is going on but fear not.  This is another of Fabrice Mathieu’s amazing Star Wars mashups.  Let’s just hope the studio executives don’t see this and start getting ideas..!

The Amazing Longsheng Rice Terraces

Village elders have a saying in Longsheng: where there is soil there is a terrace. Two hours ride from the city of Guilin in Guanxi province the problem of growing rice on steep hills was long ago solved. From the Yuan Dynasty at the end of the thirteenth century the colossal task of terracing the Longsheng hills to provide a rice harvest began.

Image Credit Flickr User Mark Z

If You Have Never Wanted to Visit Budapest, You Will After Watching This

Budapest is the largest city in Hungary and its capital.  It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with a history that goes back to well before the Christian era.  This timelapse (with hyperlapse sections in there for good measure) was created by Sergey Tatarinov, a photographer from Moscow, Russia.  You can see why Forbes ranked Budapest as Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live.

Hybris

Take a trip around a nature reserve with something of a difference: all the animals within its walls are hybrids.  Above you can see the killer whale penguin hybrid, just one of menagerie caught on camera by a pair of intrepid French journalists (in truth students at ArtFX). However, things do start to get a little worrying when their guide leaves them and they stray where they shouldn’t…

The Spotted Lake of Osoyoos

A short ride northwest of the small Canadian town of Osoyoos there is a body of water which has come to be known in English as Spotted Lake.  It is believed to be the most mineralized lake on the planet with 365 ‘circles’ – one for each day of the year – in a myriad of shapes, sizes and depths. It is an extraordinary natural phenomenon.

Image Credit Flickr User Bryanh

It is called by the Ki lil xw (pronounced Kliluk) by the Okanagan, one of the aboriginal peoples in Canada collectively called the First Nations.  For them, it is a sacred medicine lake and their people have been coming to the lake in search of cures for various ailments for centuries.  There are hundreds of ceremonial cairns surrounding the lake, many of which are so old that they have been buried by time.