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(And am I wrong, or does Mandalay Bay utilize South Asian/island culture as its "theme"?)
Oh, that's what you call the exotic statuary and flaming cauldrons at the main entrance! Well, that may have been lost on the average young visitor, in fact, I don't think anyone gives it that much thought when they arrive. And, believe me, I wouldn't wish gaming at this scale on any other city, because they couldn't pull it off without completely losing themselves in it. It works here, because it was here almost from the beginning. I think most people who read my posts assign a smarmy, cynical voice to my text as they read them. When I read yours, I hear an intelligent sounding voice on the other end, but it all goes downhill when you mention Las Vegas. Are there any other locations that turn you off this much, or did something happen here. I know it's supposed to stay here, but you can tell us!
Suffering from your urban problems (crime, drugs, etc.), yes. Absolutely. Maybe even moreso than most cities.
But lame? Not at all.
You're talking crabcakes, crab feasts, Inner Harbor, Camden Yards (featuring two of the nicest stadiums for both baseball and football), rowhouses with marble steps, "The Greatest Game Ever Played", the National Aquarium, the "Colts Quiz" from "Diner", the Maryland Science Center, Harbor Place, Cal Ripken, Fells Point, Canton, Patterson Park, Federal Hill, "Welcome to Balmer, Hon!", Wild Bill Hagy, Johns Hopkins University, "The Star Spangled Banner" at Fort McHenry, shouting "O!" during the "The Star Spangled Banner", the Harbor Tunnel, Fort McHenry Tunnel, the original Washington Monument, Barry Levinson, H.L. Mencken, and much, much more.
Yes, you have two TV shows--"Homicide" and "The Wire"--that focus on the ongoing battle with crime. But I challenge you to find two better TV crime/police dramas out there. Quite possibly the two greatest police shows ever to grace the air. Filmed not on a Hollywood soundstage, but right there on site in Baltimore.
I think there has to be a more set criteria as to what constitutes "lame".
For example, just because a city is located in the South, or in the Midwest, or in whatever region of the country that someone may not particularly like, that does not in and of itself make that city lame.
And just because a city may be plagued with crime or urban decay does not make it lame, either. The first example that comes to mind would be Detroit, and although that city has to deal with such issues, one would be hardpressed to call the home of Motown, Joe Lewis and the automobile industry "lame".
To me, a city being "lame" means that it has no intrinsic identity and has nothing of value to offer the rest of the country and the world. A lame city is one that purports itself to be great, but to the outsider, such evidence of greatness and cultural value is lacking. Whatever sense of worth the lame city has to offer comes off as laughable to the rest of the country. A lame city is one that is ashamed of its own identity and history and attempts to mask that shame by shielding it with gimmickry which has little to do with the city itself and its history and culture.
With this criteria in mind, I would say that most cities which purport themselves to be first and foremost tourist destinations can fall into the "lame" catagory.
As I have stated in numerous posts in this topic, I feel as though Las Vegas epitomizes the "lame city" label. It serves only as a guilty pleasure to feed our hunger for gambling, but its identity has become so engrained with one thing and one thing only--casinos, most of which attempt to emulate some place other than Las Vegas--that it leaves little else to offer but gaming, which much like alcohol is enjoyable in moderation but often disasterous and/or depressing in excess.
Orlando could be argued to be a lame city these days, with so much emphasis being placed on Disney World and other theme park attractions that it eclipses the city itself. However, I would also argue that 40 years ago, Orlando was most definetly not lame, but rather a quiet yet charming and beautiful Central Florida town. Once the deal with the devil was signed with the Reddy Creek Improvement District, sadly the city has sadly not been the same.
Same could be said for Anaheim, Disney's other home in this great country.
Branson, Missouri can certainly be classified as being lame, albeit admirable in a somewhat pathetic sense.
While not really a city, South of the Border, South Carolina is certainly lame, although to its credit it makes no attempt to hide its lameness, and in fact celebrates its lameness.
Any city or town that decides to put up "The World's Largest Ball of Twine" or whatever inane attraction just to have it put on the record books suffers from severe lameness.
In other words, cities which refuse to be themselves but instead must make a "show of it" to attempt to validate themselves as a community (utilizing means which have nothing to do with the city itself) are those which are to be called lame.
Oh, that's what you call the exotic statuary and flaming cauldrons at the main entrance! Well, that may have been lost on the average young visitor, in fact, I don't think anyone gives it that much thought when they arrive. And, believe me, I wouldn't wish gaming at this scale on any other city, because they couldn't pull it off without completely losing themselves in it. It works here, because it was here almost from the beginning. I think most people who read my posts assign a smarmy, cynical voice to my text as they read them. When I read yours, I hear an intelligent sounding voice on the other end, but it all goes downhill when you mention Las Vegas. Are there any other locations that turn you off this much, or did something happen here. I know it's supposed to stay here, but you can tell us!
My intelligence quotient goes out the window when I classify Las Vegas as lame? I would think it to be the other way around.
I have a great distaste for International Drive/Lake Buena Vista area south of Orlando, much like I do for Las Vegas, although I have no qualms with the city of Orlando proper itself. I actually had a great aunt who lived in Orlando, and whose neighborhood was stunning with shady oaks and scenic lakes. It struck me as a great place to live. Problem is, once you go south of the city, things...well...go south.
Nothing bad ever happened to me at Las Vegas to give me the poor opinion of it that I hold. In fact, prior to having ever gone to Las Vegas, I bought into the vision of the place sold on TV and the movies, that it was some glamourous place of wonder and sophistication. Then, after having first driven through the decrepit parts of Las Vegas proper, and then first setting my eyes on The Strip at Tropicana Avenue, I was filled with an acute sense of being highly underwhelmed. All I saw were gaudy themed casinos, bad traffic and sprawl. Good if you like gambling, but no real purpose beyond that. My second, more substantial trip to the city simply confirmed this impression.
I think there has to be a more set criteria as to what constitutes "lame".
Corner of Trop, huh? I guess you took a gander at our ediface of excellence, New York, New York! What constitutes lame? We may need a set of criteria for you. At least we have an idea of your mindset and how it relates to other cities and locations. You're a naturalist! Cities that sit around for centuries developing their intrinsic patina. Heaven forbid you should add to the mix an ingredient that would change things for the better, or in a big way. Gaming is intrinsic in it's current form, to cities in the state of Nevada. It didn't give birth to gaming, just perfected it. You have no respect for it, that's your opinion. Your arguments hold Seattle, New Orleans, San Diego, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Des Moines- anywhere with a Convention and Visitor's Bureau, to be lame because they want and need tourists. That's kind of important to all cities and all great cities, big and small, depend on tourism. Anaheim does alright for an Orange County suburb, holding 2 major league teams and the facilities they play in, and the flagship park for the wonderful world of Disney. Not everywhere can be as authentic as the pre-Disneyfied central Florida town of Orlando. It's so unfair when you bring that up for comparison.
Corner of Trop, huh? I guess you took a gander at our ediface of excellence, New York, New York!
Yeah, well...being that I had already seen the--I don't know--actual skyline of New York, count me among the unimpressed.
Quote:
Your arguments hold Seattle, New Orleans, San Diego, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Des Moines- anywhere with a Convention and Visitor's Bureau, to be lame because they want and need tourists. That's kind of important to all cities and all great cities, big and small, depend on tourism.
There's a far difference between being a tourist destination and being a tourist town. The former--of which I would classify the cities you name--attempt to bring visitors in to experience the city itself and all the different aspects and various places of the city. The latter, a tourist town, typically focuses on one specific thing--I don't know, say...gambling--of which the entire town seems to be singularly focused on, to the detriment of everything else in the city, and that one thing is what is advertised for the sake of the tourists.
So the general consensus is that Las Vegas is in fact the biggest lame city in the US? I would have to agree.
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