An experience from the "city of sin"

This year's architectural excursion that we organized with the ArchiTravel he was in America, in the cities of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. The truth is that Las Vegas for me was more of a "necessary evil" for two reasons.

The first is purely commercial. When a group of people travel so many thousands of kilometers and get there, they want to see the "city of sin". This of course usually hides many negative "vehicles" to satisfy certain unsatisfied needs from the six basic, universal needs that drive all human behavior. But in an article of architectural content I don't want to stray in this direction.

The second reason is that it was the only way we could visit the Grand Canyon, which was really worth it. The first feeling entering the city by bus was revulsion. Large scales, bad imitations of buildings, monuments or even cities, materials incompatible with the wider urban environment, huge screens everywhere and in general an image that I didn't even want to photograph.

We just started the tour of the city experience was shocking. To find the metro station we had to cross an entire hotel from the inside and more specifically a sea of roulettes, poker and blackjack tables, slot machines of all colors and shapes and many games of chance that I was unaware of their existence.. Endless rooms with machines and tables lined up, a sea of gambling people as far as the eye could see. It was one of the few times in my life that I really felt suffocating and wanted to get out of this fake dark and timeless world.. On the streets of the city there was a corresponding situation. To cross an intersection you had to cross 1-2 hotels and their endless casinos. In our hotel, which was one of the "small", the capacity was close to 10,000 rooms with 8-9,000 employees. Next to each hotel there were high-rise buildings - parking only for the official staff. And all this in a city in the middle of the desert with the only "product" is gambling and sin.

Overweight people, they consume junk food, at exorbitant prices, gambling all day either to cover their uncertainty or in the hope that they will win the casino and find their "luck". People who satisfy the need for connection by hanging out with their "teammates" in roulette or against the groupier.

I think eventually two feelings prevailed.

The sadness for our fellow human beings but also for the human species.

The fear of the future. Because the picture as a whole reminded me of the Matrix scene with the pods and the battery people that sustain the Leviathan.

In the group we were traveling with, there were all kinds of opinions. Some were excited and wanted to sit another week there. Others were impressed and simply kept it a good experience. I would be very interested to share his perspective on this city whoever has visited it!

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The article was published on Epixeiro.gr > www.epixeiro.gr/article/62883