{"id":249591,"date":"2024-07-31T09:52:54","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T09:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/31\/awkward-many-americans-mistake-las-vegas-landmarks-for-the-real-thing\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:13:32","slug":"awkward-many-americans-mistake-las-vegas-landmarks-for-the-real-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/31\/awkward-many-americans-mistake-las-vegas-landmarks-for-the-real-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Awkward: Many Americans Mistake Las Vegas Landmarks for the Real Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n By Scott Roeben<\/a>, on July 31 2024 <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Our friends here at Casino.org asked 5,000 people to try and distinguish between famous landmarks and their replicas in Las Vegas. Emphasis on \u201ctry.\u201d<\/p>\n

A stunning number of people apparently can\u2019t tell our Las Vegas homages (like the Statue of Liberty at New York-New York or Arc de Triomphe at Paris Las Vegas) from the real thing.<\/p>\n

Example: A whopping 95.5% of those surveyed thought the Vegas replica of the Statue of Liberty was the real thing. If \u201cYikes!\u201d leaps to mind, you\u2019re not alone. Let\u2019s delve face-first into the WTF, shan\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

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How could people mix up the Las Vegas Trevi fountain with the original? Our vagrants dive for pennies, nickels and quarters, theirs dive for euros.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To set the stage, Casino.org asked 5,000 Americans to identify real monuments and their Vegas replicas using photos. Participants were asked about the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Erawan Shrine, Sphynx of Giza, St. Mark Campanile, Trevi Fountain, Statue of David, Venice Grand Canal and Arc de Triomphe.<\/p>\n

\u201cErawan shrine\u201d? It looks like the Brahma shrine<\/a> at Caesars Palace, we\u2019ve just never heard it called \u201cErawan.\u201d Despite our best efforts, we learn something new every day.<\/p>\n

\"Caesars
We clicked on our own link and realize we\u2019ve written about this before. The original shrine is located in Bangkok\u2019s Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. Erawan is the place, Brahma is the Hindu deity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, while it\u2019s hard to say how scientific this survey is (it\u2019s unclear what photos were used and photo selection could definitely skew the results, see details here<\/a>), but it\u2019s a fun look into the heads of random people who may need to travel more.<\/p>\n

The results!<\/p>\n

Survey participants had widely varying levels of success, depending upon the replica in question.<\/p>\n

As stated earlier, nearly 96% of respondents said the Vegas replica of the Statue of Liberty was the real thing. Which seems wild, unless you recall the U.S. Postal Service was similarly confused.<\/p>\n

In 2010, a Statue of Liberty Forever stamp was issued using not the real Statue of Liberty, but a close-up of the statue in Las Vegas. The mistake was caught three billion stamps later and the sculptor of the Las Vegas replica got $3.5 million for the gaffe.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re bored, here are all the architectural inspirations for New York-New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are all the survey results in one handy infographic.<\/p>\n

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In Las Vegas, you can visit the entire world in a day, sorta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A list highlighting what people got right would be fun, but a list of what people got wrong is funnier, so we\u2019re going with that.<\/p>\n

Statue of Liberty, 96% got it wrong, mistaking the replica for the real thing; Arc de Triomphe, 93% wrong; Trevi Fountain, 64% wrong; St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower, 58% wrong; Erawan Shrine, 57% wrong; Eiffel Tower, 54% wrong; Giza Sphynx, 45% wrong; David Statue, 17% wrong; Venice Grand Canal, 11% wrong; and Empire State Building, 6% wrong.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of Americans \u201cfooled\u201d by our fake landmarks!<\/p>\n

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Nobody can hold a torch to Lady Liberty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actually, it\u2019s a testament to the designers, artists and builders who created this impressive array of eye candy on the Las Vegas Strip.<\/p>\n

All of these landmarks have aged pretty well. Among the sites in the survey, nothing stands out as being particularly cheesy or outdated. They\u2019re timeless, just like the originals.<\/p>\n

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The canals in the Venetian are an architectural marvel, much like Kourtney Kardashian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Las Vegas architecture has taken hits over the years for being garish and tacky and incongruous.<\/p>\n

But these landmarks are also part of what makes Las Vegas so awesome. It\u2019s the mish-mash of styles and inspirations that keeps the world wide-eyed.<\/p>\n

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Postulated: Our Paris is better than the one in France because fewer people have their hands out for tips. Discuss.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our landmarks don\u2019t just rival the originals, they are arguably more impressive because there are so many all in one place. They\u2019re also more accessible and useful than their counterparts.<\/p>\n

The actual Venice smells to high heaven. The Eiffel Tower is surrounded by French people.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t touch the real David statue\u2019s toe for good luck!<\/p>\n

Oh, look, it\u2019s a \u201cSeinfeld\u201d reference from 1994!<\/p>\n

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We’re just trying to help you find the David statue at Caesars Palace by enlarging the sign nearby. Please grow up. pic.twitter.com\/v9xtFqF9HE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) June 25, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This was a fun survey, and because our blog is on Casino.org, we plan to take credit for the idea at the next staff meeting. Kidding. One of our favorite things about Casino.org is they don\u2019t have staff meetings.<\/p>\n

Casino.org also kept track of which states did the best and worst at distinguishing real landmarks from their Las Vegas copies. Nevada wasn\u2019t among the top five states or the bottom, interestingly.<\/p>\n

New Jersey had the smartest cookies with a 62.5% accuracy rate. Wyoming had the fewest right answers, with a wobbly 30% accuracy rate. Again, not super scientific, so don\u2019t feel bad, Wyoming. It\u2019s not like anyone can find your state on a map, anyway. All due respect. They call your geyser \u201cOld Faithful.\u201d Invest in a new one, already. That\u2019s what we\u2019d do in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

If we had to pick a favorite Las Vegas landmark, we\u2019d go with the Eiffel Tower.\u00a0Because Spearmint Rhino wasn\u2019t included in the survey. Do you know this blog at all?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n