Biology Examiner does Vegas by Anne Pacitti December 8, 2009
No one ever complains that there's nothing to do in Las Vegas, and that should be true for the biologist, too. The gaming floor is not an attraction to the Biology Examiner as she only believes in gambling on love. The cyanotic blue trio and many other popular stage shows usually have Biology Examiner scratching for the exit door in about twenty minutes. However, walking down the strip, one may discover novel and innovative gardens, landscape design, zoological collections and biological architectural features that amuse, amaze and are admirable in their creativity.
The casinos are now decorated for the Christmas season, all festooned with greenery and florals. A visit to the Bellagio revealed a beautiful conservatory decorated with Christmas-theme scenes composed of flowers. Particularly impresssive were three polar bears made entirely of white carnations. ( Designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in collaboration with Andy Garcia, Director of Conservatory)
Between the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace was landscape design that could lead the traveler to think that he or she had gone to Italy by some mistake, instead. Inside, Caesar's palace decorated their Roman statues as if they were in a sea of white snowballs of white hydrangeas. Wandering around back, Roman gardens surrounding the pool area beckon one to timelessly sit and chill with the Roman gods and goddesses. One can easily forget that only a few hundred yards away are the the bustling city streets.
Perhaps the greatest delight and surprise came when visiting the Mirage Casino and Hotel. Here you may visit Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Siegfried and Roy were, of course, staples of Las Vegas entertaiment for almost thirty years. They were novel and wildly popular magicians who used lions and tigers in their act. What is conveyed here in the garden is their genuine love for these felines and the other animals under their care. The animals, some of them retired from the stage since the end of the act, live in a beautifully landscaped habitat that features a special memorial to their beloved royal white tiger, Sitara. Dolphins delight the visitors with their friendliness and skills in the dolphin habitat. A visitor may also become "Dolphin Trainer for a Day" in a special tutorial program at the Mirage. Even the reception area had a biological theme. Behind the reception desk was a long wall of bright tropical aquarium fish.
Mandalay Bay Casino features a shark reef. At the Wynn, Christmas decorations include an arbor of trees, trunks wrapped in lights, ornamented with hanging floral spheres.
Even leaving the city reminds one of a sense of time and beauty. When viewing the mountains surrounding the city, and certainly when viewing the Grand Canyon from the air, one can see marks of sediment and erosion, literally looking into the passage of time. As it says in the Secret Garden website, "The key to finding beauty is knowing where to look."
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