This is your brain--No, this is your brain on drugs!

Maybe it's because this building is in Vegas, or maybe it is because I've read too many post apocalyptic and dystopian society books lately, but does this look like a building or the aftermath of some catastrophe.

Maybe this angle is better,

or this one,

maybe here,

Nope--still disturbing. It makes my heart palpitate a bit just to look at the pictures!

Are you wondering what this building houses--something like a casino, a trendy restaurant, or maybe art, well, you would be wrong because this is a brain institute--a brain institute.  It is the Cleveland Clinic and The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas.


The clinic has incredible goals:

". . . the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, have collaborated to create a highly specialized clinical center to advance the research, early detection and treatment of neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The goal of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is to prevent the disabling symptoms of chronic brain diseases and to prolong healthy, vital aging in people at risk for dementia or cognitive disorders." 

Hopefully the quirky nature of the building helps raise awareness. Go brain team!


I am actually a fan of Frank Gehry--I think his architecture is interesting, fun and thought provoking. With the brain institute he definitely succeeded on the thought provoking!

Here are some Gehry buildings I love:

Disney Concert Hall in California

Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain

and look at the amazing Star Wood Hotel in Spain

But a brain institute--that looks like a very, very disturbed brain--is well, disturbing!


Hopefully those goals are achieved--and people can actually think in there.

There's No Place Like Vegas!

As you already know two of my daughters and I went to Vegas last weekend for the Vegas Valley Book Festival. It was an eye opener for me, because the Festival was downtown--which is so much different from the Strip. I can sum up what we saw in one word --kitsch! Kitsch, kitsch everywhere--there is nothing more beautiful than kitsch against a bright blue sky.

Where else in the world can you see a red pumps floating in the sky that have the added benefit of glowing at night.

Or,  star spangled bikini women against a backdrop of a patriotic parking garage.

Or, bare bones casinos that advertise everything they've got.  Coffee Shop--CHECK, Bar--CHECK, Gambling--CHECK, and what else, Free Parking of course.

We ate at The Beat coffee house. The food was okay, but the atmosphere was very hip. My husband would have loved their record collection.

We also ventured out of downtown and off the Strip to the Komex restaurant for dinner. Yes, you know Komex food, it's everywhere. Everyone loves their Korean Mexican fusion restaurants. We all had the Bulgogi Burrito which is a type of Korean Barbecue style meat (in our case beef) in a classic Mexican style burrito.  It was super yum--on my scale of yum, super yum is the yummiest. I wish I had been brave enough to order the kim chee with it.

Every restaurant has to have Chinese placemats with their chips, salsa and guacamole.

Vegas makes multicultural work baby!!!