New York Las Vegas

I've always enjoyed looking at this group of buildings on Union Square.

It contains a range of styles and it's compact, like books on a shelf, but with enough unfilled space in the middle to give a sense of depth.  And with both ornate and functional buildings, it has a commercially organic look, even though some of the ground floor tenants are shoots of the fast food weed choking the world; I like the way the McDonald's looks like a greasy little afterthought.

Compare that to the group on the other side of the park that's been given the mall treatment by BABIES-R-US, so it's even less authentic than the facade of the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas below.

I like the way the casino mimics Times Square's bombastic corporate emptiness (with the sponsored Pepsi and ESPN signs), which in turn mirrors Las Vegas', now that each casino's tacky personality has been smothered in a bland hollandaise of "family friendly" formula, with more space for malls than slot machines -- so families can stop at the BABIES-R-US on the way to the parking lot, and feel at home on vacation.

I do like the gigantic palm trees sticking up around the Brooklyn Bridge at the bottom, suggesting what NYC will look like after global warming expands the tropics to Newfoundland.

That vision of jungle, sand and dinosaurs covering the city might disturb some people, but as I remember from The Flintstones on TV, dinosaurs make great (and ecologically sound) appliances, tools and vehicles.

(Casino photo credit: stolen from the internet.)