Day Three- Thursday 17th April

       

European style park in Town Center

                        

Outlet malls in America are a great example of American’s need to be able to shop conveniently. Americans are able to go to any store without leaving the building; food courts and a variety of stores are all close to each other, reinforcing the idea that everything they could want or need can all be found in one area. Town Center on the other hand mimicked European style when it comes to consumerism. The architecture within this area represented European countries, some were representative of Spanish villas and Italian bakeries, but it was still obvious that it was a version of a manufactured reality. Its intention of appearing to be a luxurious shopping area was easily diminished when seeing fake grass and hollow walls. These areas are “filled with as much culture and community as commerce… where customers could be seduced into leaving their problems at the door and focusing on shopping”.³

The differences in these suburban-like shopping areas to the casinos on The Strip are incredible. The Mandalay Bay resort for example is the opposite to the convenient malls as even the gaming floor is very spaced out and is not built for people to walk around in a short amount of time. Mandalay Bay held many luxurious amenities, including a man-made beach, as well as displaying luxurious style décor; however it continued to have hollow walls. The resorts’ clientele is very large, as it enables all tourists something to do; families are welcome and children are able to take part in the resorts amenities. The city uses different themes to interest people’s imaginations, “Las Vegas presents not a singular whole, but a fragmented one”.⁴ It is clear that all casinos; no matter the style or theme are all the same.

³ Jason Best, Reviews- One Nation Under Goods Malls and the Seductions of American Shopping, onearth, https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/04spr/reviews3.asp

⁴ A. Fuat Firat, The Meanings and Messages of Las Vegas: The Present of Our Future, http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/wtwo/FuatIABD.html