Red, blue, green, yellow… That's Las Vegas for you
There is so much to Vegas then casinos and bars. You just need the right eye for it!
By Syrrina Ahsan Ali Haque
Red, fiery red, blue, electric blue, green, luminous green, yellow or is it so bright that it is almost white, is all that I see looking out of my bedroom window. I use the remote to fully open the curtain, and walk up to the large window. I can see myriads of neon lights, a show of fireworks. Pictures come then disappear, advertisements appear and then slip down That's it -- nothing remains stationary in Las Vegas.

There are few cities in the world that offer up their streets for a history lesson to satiate the most intrepid historian or the casual tourist, as the city of Rome. It is the visual encyclopedia in areas of art, architecture, politics and religion. Yet the elements that captivate the first-time traveller to Rome, are perhaps the ones that make the city so flawed. The traffic is snarled, the people like to solve their disputes on the streets much to the chagrin of the lines of honking cars and buses, the gypsies precede their reputation as thieves and pickpockets, creating suspicion and paranoia in the hearts of tourists and the weather is sweltering in summer. None of these however keep away the droves of tourists every year and in fact combine to make the Roman holiday one of the most spectacular in the world.

Travelling to Italy was a marvellous experience, but accompanying a group of spirited, well informed, slightly hysterical architecture students made the experience truly rewarding and unforgettable. I learned through them that it is not enough to say that the architecture of Rome is intriguing or aesthetically awe-inspiring. What is tantalising is the fact that each structure narrates a story and many achieved firsts: the Romans began the use of concrete as a building material and in conjunction with the arch and vault design (though not invented by the Romans but the Egyptians) architecture underwent a revolution of sorts. Take the Pantheon, which dates back to 125 AD, first built as a temple and later converted into a church was, until the 20th century the largest concrete structure in the world and its huge dome, a perfect hemisphere of cast concrete, resting on a solid ring wall was the largest dome in the world until Brunelleschi's dome in Florence of 1420-36. It is a marvel of architecture and inspires awe as it was meant with its oculus, or opening at the centre of the dome that draws in a shaft of sunlight and creates an aura of reverence. It is the resting place of the famous Italian artist Raphael.

The tour guides in Rome play down the role of gladiatorial combat at the Colosseum and are sometimes irked by the references to Ridley Scott's movie Gladiator and instead focus on the structure as a marvel of architecture and its use for other spectator sports and cattle fairs and chariot races. In its time, the Colosseum had a seating capacity of 45-55,000 spectators and the repetition of the arches provides an aesthetic equilibrium with a sequence of columns that was ingenious -- the Doric column being the heaviest and strongest is used for the lower storeys; the Ionic which is lighter used for the middle and Corinthian being the lightest in effect is used for the top storeys. The Colosseum was designed ingeniously keeping in mind the inflow and outflow of masses of people at the same time.

The presence of Michelangelo reverberates throughout the city of Rome. To think that he finished the Sistine Chapel fresco by the time he was 37 and before that had already sculpted the 'Pieta' and 'Moses' in Rome and 'David' in Florence amongst many other masterpieces seem inconceivable. It was later at the age of 75 or so, which he designed and constructed the basilica of St Peter's, the most significant building of Christiandom, where the Pope holds audience and conducts prayers. The basilica was not originally designed by Michelangelo but he was made its chief architect and his design of the cupola is evidence of sound (though radical for its time) architectural values. Although a Renaissance artist, Michelangelo engendered sculptural detailing that marked the beginning of the Baroque era and the end of purely classical architecture.

Evidence of Michelangelo's genius is everywhere. The Piazza Compidoglio is created on the lines of an ellipse, a shape rarely found until then in a piazza. Michelangelo emphasised visual effect over the structural logic of a design. He always subordinated invention to the needs of overall composition, which to Michelangelo was analogous with the symmetry and articulation of the human body.

The river Tiber that runs through the city is not exactly the Thames or the Seine but rather a dirty canal of water that does nothing to improve the ambience of the city. But there is so much to see one hardly notices it. The usual tourist spots like the Trevi fountain is the meeting point of the three aqueducts that supplied water to the city of Rome ('tre vie' means three roads). The Forum, which to many would be only a collection of ruins, is the heart of the political configuration, as we know it. This is where the senate, as well as Republican government began. The forum served as the city hub where the people of Rome gathered to seek justice from their leaders and judges, and this was where government as we know it today began. It was also the centre for economic activity and the controls of the Roman Empire lay within its walls.

Apart from information on the regular tourist landmarks there are many that usually skip the list because there is always too little time in Rome. The smallest inhabited island in the world is connected to Rome via one of many bridges. The obelisks that dot the Roman skyline are imports from Egypt and were dedicated to pagan Gods, later brought within the folds of Christian iconography by the use of crosses on top. Of course the enchanting movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck is never far from your thoughts as you climb the Spanish steps or venture your hand into the Bocca della Verità or Mouth of Truth. If there was a city where romance, war, intrigue, murder and beauty all have their own faces, Rome is it.

Red, fiery red, blue, electric blue, green, luminous green, yellow or is it so bright that it is almost white, is all that I see looking out of my bedroom window. I use the remote to fully open the curtain, and walk up to the large window. I can see myriads of neon lights, a show of fireworks. Pictures come then disappear, advertisements appear and then slip down That's it -- nothing remains stationary in Las Vegas.

I close my eyes; I see spots of red, blue, green and yellow piercing through my optic nerve. "Have I seen so many lights before?" Coming from Pakistan, where seeing lights is attributed to the insane only, who live in a world of fancy. I shake myself out of the reverie and feel joy at being amidst electricity.

There is a constant beat of music as a backdrop coming from the swimming pools of the Venetian Hotel, where I am staying. I try to count the number of swimming pools, wading pools, tanning pools and conclude there must be 15 in all.

The beat is annoyingly interrupted by a deafening sound, then a low-pitched sound. I know that this is the waterfall at The Mirage Hotel mutating into a volcano. Every half an hour the hotels have shows of water, lights and theatricals that capture the audience around each hotel.

The Venetian is placed in the middle of the strip, which is the Main Boulevard of Las Vegas. Beyond this is the Nevada desert. One wonders how there is so much water for shows, lakes and waterworks at the hotels when residents are not allowed to grow grass on their grounds. They can have desert landscaping with cactus and rocks whilst the hotel Wynn displays a life size waterfall; the Bellagio Hotel seems to rise out of water with its large water reserves for the dancing water show. The Venetian itself, keeping in sync with the Italian theme, has two types of canals for Gondola rides; one runs outside the hotel and around it, and the other, more amazing runs through the shopping arcade of the hotel; not that one feels one is indoors as the roof is sky coloured with clouds painted and lights completing the effect of outdoors. As I start my gondola ride, all around me there is a flutter of camera flashes. This is what celebrities must feel like, I think, so I wave at the enamoured crowd.

After the gondola ride I rush out to see the volcano erupting out of the waterfall at The Mirage Hotel. As I look at the waterfall the water vanishes, instead the stones turn red and ooze out red light, with balls of fire erupting in sync with the music. Spurts of fire in front of me become big and small till a huge explosion happens, brightens the night sky further, and subsides into the serene waterfall.

I recall the Atlantis Show at The Caesar's Palace that I saw in the morning while shopping at the Forum. The statues remain statues no more; these become robotic representations of the mythical figures King Atlas, Gadrius and Alia. With interplay of fire, light, smoke and water the battle between good and evil is shown.

Since, it is almost time to run for the Cirque du Soleil show featuring the famous illusionist Chris Angel, I stand in queue for a taxi at The Mirage if anything ever exceeds the lights in Vegas it is the taxis. Hence, the polluted air. Around the porches of all hotels, it is a task in itself to breathe. That is why most of the taxi drivers and tourists rely on inhalers for gasping of breath. As if the car fumes are not enough the cigarette smoke of teenagers on vacation make pulling air into the lungs even more difficult.

But enough about the charcoaled lungs, I have to rush for the show. The Chris Angel show is at Luxor, a hotel that has an Egyptian theme with a Sphinx at the front and a pyramid behind it.

It is only 9:30 pm. I can certainly make it to the Excalibur Hotel for the Tournament of The Kings show. There is an arena; I am assigned a seat at the section boosting Ireland. In front of me, rather, in front of all the seats, are tables for food. Hosts and hostesses serve food, which has to be eaten with hands in keeping with the Medieval Theme. With flashes of thunder and fire trod in Princes of Ireland, Russia, Norway, France and King Arthur. They battle amongst themselves and against evil. The artists enrapture the audience by teaming us and we cheer for the country that the section we sit in represents. The pace and rhythm of the show along with its theatricals keeps one on the edge of one's seats till the finale of fireworks and the medieval chant of "hazaa."

It's almost 11:35pm. I still have time to catch the Bellagio Water Show, where I am awestruck by its magnanimity. The water fountain spurts high reaching up to the height of the hotel then tilts left and right. Swaying back and forth sometimes indigo, at others neon green and at the next minute turning red with aggression as water spurts faster, then slower as it turns blue. Retaining a montage of images in my head I decide to walk to my hotel, which means I have to go through a maze of people and paths.

Arriving at the hotel lobby I see casinos filling up with the crowd of youngsters. In the mornings it is only 60-70 year olds that sit on the slot machines. It is at night that the adventurous youngsters can be seen at poker tables and slot machines.

I walk past the congested, smoke filled, noisy casinos, to rest my swollen legs and my aching back. My Pakistani bones are not used to the drudgery I put them through today. On my pillow I am reminded of the couple in the tanning pool in the morning and other event of the day. I realise that there is just so much to Vegas than casinos and bars. You just need the right eye for it.

Email:syrrinaa@yahoo.com