  It is argued that the consistent description of the transverse-momentum
spectra, elliptic flow, and the HBT radii in the relativistic heavy-ion
collisions studied at RHIC may be obtained within the hydrodynamic model if one
uses the Gaussian profile for the initial energy density in the transverse
plane. Moreover, we show that the results obtained in the scenario with an
early start of hydrodynamics (at the proper time tau0 = 0.25 fm) are
practically equivalent to the results obtained in the model where the
hydrodynamics is preceded by the free-streaming stage of partons (in the proper
time interval 0.25 fm < tau < 1 fm) which suddenly equilibrate and with the
help of the Landau matching conditions are transformed into the hydrodynamic
regime (at the proper time tau0 = 1 fm).
