Never mind all my cynicism and the miserable ramblings on this blog--this is a picture of Architecture. (specifically, the auditorium of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center designed by Zaha Hadid--who manages to outdo Saarinen at the drop of a hat)
We now return to our original program, featuring Las Vegas bashing (with content from special guest correspondent E. Jones) and thoughtful commentary on the Boston Redevelopment Authority by Edward Glaeser.
Las Vegas figures large in cultural and architectural imagination, but in the final assessment, it is a sad place. Its romance is derived from its tendency towards extremes--desperation and optimism, garish beauty and horrific ugliness, the falsehood of its promises and the brutal honesty of the motives of the casino business.
I embrace these seeming contradictions. If was invited to Las Vegas, I would jump at the chance to go there, but I would not plan a holiday there for any reason. Like other people who have been there, I would return with some stories, but none of them would be memorable or original.
Ed Glaeser had a good piece in the Globe this morning. He urged the incoming mayor to be cautious with tampering with the role of the BRA. Efforts to curb development by restructuring the organization would have the unfortunate impact of.........wait for it.......curbs on development, and a subsequent deterioration of Boston.
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