Better than the Original by Edoardo Bellando
CTHEORY THEORY, TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE VOL 23, NO 1-2
"Stroll through Central Park. Ride the kind of rollercoaster
that made Coney Island famous. Shop along Park Avenue. And visit
the Statue of Liberty. All without leaving Las Vegas."
This announcement [1] exemplifies a fast-growing trend -- the Great
Places Replica. This recent contribution to a hassle-free life -- a
basic human need the business world, luckily, is meeting -- cancels
at one stroke vacation annoyances such as long airplane trips, jet
lag, passport and customs headaches, unfamiliar languages and
currencies. Now you can travel without traveling thanks to the two
world Replica capitals, Orlando and Las Vegas.
In Las Vegas, New York is ready for you at its namesake -- a recently
inaugurated hotel-cum-city featuring, says its Internet ad, "twelve
New York-style hotel towers extending 48 stories and 525 feet,
featuring replicas of the Empire State, Chrysler, ATT and Century
Buildings". The copies -- a common characteristic of the Great Places
Replicas -- look much better than the original.
Once you have done New York, you can hail a cab to Venice without
leaving downtown Las Vegas. At the Venetian Hotel, [2] "the world's
most romantic city is now at the heart of the world's best
destination location". The hotel is a faithful replica of the Doge's
Palace, featuring imposing halls, grand corridors, mosaics and
decorations, majestic furniture and thick carpets. Again, it is an
improvement on the original, since its builders could take advantage
of construction techniques unknown in 1309.
You can then go to Paris [3] -- the Paris Hotel -- and "stroll down
the cobblestone sidewalks of the Rue de la Paix shopping district",
with the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance. Luxor, Egypt, [4] is
right around the corner, with a 30-story pyramid and "King Tut's Tomb
and museum."
But Orlando, Florida, has even more to offer. No need, for instance,
to go to Portofino, the romantic fishing village on one of the
Italian Riviera's most beautiful bays, long the playground of the
likes of Aristotle Onassis, the Dukes of Windsor, Liz Taylor and
Richard Burton. Now an improved version is available at Portofino Bay
Hotel, [5] courtesy of the Loews Hotels corporation. "Escape to a
romantic Mediterranean seaside village nestled around a small bay
recreated at the Orlando Vacation Destination for the 21st Century"
says the Internet ad. Just a five-minute ride from the Universal
Studios theme parks, Portofino 2 offers 750 guest rooms -- possibly
more than those available at Portofino 1 -- not to mention "two Bocce
Ball Courts". Again, the immaculate replica looks much better than
the worn-out, weather-battered original.
But the densest, most mind-boggling group of Replicas is the one at
Disneyworld's World Showcase. [6] There, Canada, China, France,
Germany, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, the United Kingdom, and
"Adventure America" are all gathered in one place. In the last
Replica -- as it happens for Las Vegas's New York -- America is made
available in America. No need to travel there.
In Japan, "the torii gate welcomes you to a beautiful land of finely
manicured landscapes and ancient pagodas". In Mexico, "lush
vegetation grows all about an imposing pyramid that houses a charming
village inside". In China, "the Disney version of Beijing's Temple of
Heaven welcomes you to a land of exotic mysteries". In Morocco,
"magnificent mosaic art and stonework are the hallmarks of this
winding world of courtyards, shops and street markets".
In Norway, the stand-out is a replica of the monumental Stave Church,
built entirely of wood. "This curiously intimate structure," says the
Internet ad, "is styled after the Gol Church of Hallingdal, which was
built around 1250 AD". Not even the sacred escapes Replica-mania.
Paris and Venice seem to be the world's most duplicated cities. In
Disney's Italy, "the Doge's Palace in Venice is the centerpiece of
this incredible reproduction of the sights and sounds of Italy"
(mercifully, not the smells). Next door, "the charming streets of
France are recreated right down to the sidewalk cafes, quaint
boutiques and the Eiffel Tower off in the distance". This makes for
three Doge's Palaces and three Eiffel Towers in the world -- two of
each replicas.
Each Disney country features a specific tour. One leads to the
discovery of "Mexico's architecture and art as you take a guided
walking tour of the Mexican showcase". Another offers "the
inspirational music and stunning panoramic views of France, in
relaxing comfort" (the theme of painlessness is reiterated).
Other Replicas are certainly in the offing, taking advantage of their
Great Places in the collective imagination. But what is the point of
giving a resort the patent of nobility conferred by a world-famous
place thousands of miles away? Why couldn't a hotel be just a hotel?
Why is this collective fiction going on, with both the corporation
and the visitor knowing that this is not the real thing?
What can this tell us about a culture where everything is easy,
painless and transparently smooth? Where even travel comes
only with its rewards, without effort and sweat, sanitized, hygienic,
made familiar and comfortable, and reduced to entertainment?
If travelling is the best way of learning, what can be learned from a
stay at the replica? Isn't this the equivalent of other shortcuts --
like the resumes of Great Books in cassette, for easy listening
during the work commute?
And isn't social class playing a role here, since the well off indeed
are at the real Marrakesh, Portofino and Paris, while the middle
class has to be content with the copy? Perhaps the Replicas have this
to tell us -- that the authentic is for the few, while the many must
make the most of the fictional, and pretend there isn't anything more
to life.
Notes
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[1] <http://www.1stoplasvegas.com/nrb_newyork.htm>
[2] <http://www.1stoplasvegas.com/venetian-open.htm>
[3] <http://www.1stoplasvegas.com/nrb_paris.htm>
[4] <http://www.1stoplasvegas.com/nrb_luxor.htm>
[5] <http://www.loewshotels.com/portofinobayhome.html>
[6] <http://asp.disney.go.com/disneyworld/db/seetheworld/themeparks/
facilities_epcot/index.asp?id=47>
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Edoardo Bellando works as a freelance writer for Italian dailies and
magazines, and since 1985 has worked as an editor for the United
Nations, first in Nairobi, now in New York.
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* CTHEORY is an international journal of theory, technology
* and culture.