Post some pictures of your city! II

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by jc_yyc_ca

The beach life! The rest of Canada is getting rid of the last bit of winter and Victoria, they've been hanging at the beach for a while.

Only thing is the beach in Victoria is almost never warm

I remember visiting my sister a couple of years ago in late July. It was 26 degrees and calm inland, but when we got to Gonzalez Beach, it was 18 degrees and breezy (both readings based on the thermometer in the car). The Salish Sea is cold.

[SignalHillHiker]

Realtor drone latest. Only $650K for this beast. Love the view.













https://www.realtor.ca/map#ZoomLevel=13&...Id=2&PropertySearchTypeId=0&Currency=CAD

And one more, just a regular working class one like mine but in a nicer area, so $390K.

[zoomer]

Is that $650,000 for just one half of the duplex? Above the St. John’s average? Great location though.

As for Gonzales beach, I wouldn’t say it’s cold, but if you’re from Montreal humidity for damn sure it is, lol. It’s a fairly protected bay so you don’t get the cold winds for the most part that more exposed beaches get. That’s the thing about Victoria - it’s a choose your own adventure type of climate depending on location. Temperature differences in the summer can range up to 15 C and usually 5 to 8 C on most days. If there’s a cool off shore breeze (maybe about 20% of the days) it can be as cold at 16 C right by the water for a few hours in Esquimalt or James Bay (although usually high teens) but as high 20’s or low 30s about 3 km inland and especially in the western communities. Heck get two blocks away from the ocean and it’s suddenly much warmer. It’s why the weather readings for Victoria (taken 27 km away from downtown near Sidney BC) are totally irrelevant to what anyone is experiencing. If it’s too hot go to the beach, too cold, go inland in the summer.

In this picture you can see the historic Gonzales weather station up on the hill (white observatory). Taking last August as an example (and it wasn’t a hot summer at all on the west coast) the average high there was 21.8 C and the low 12.9 C with 4 days above 28 C. Most days are high teens to low 20s, which with no breeze is plenty warm for laying around or playing around on the beach for hours. We’ll be hearing plenty of places across Canada posting soon about the fantastic warm weather as the temps hit the low 20’s.

Gonzales weather August 2026 report.



Gonzales Beach - March 31, 2026 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

[zoomer]

bumping this last post on the previous page so it doesn’t get missed - a very colourful pic of Halifax - beautiful!

Originally Posted by someone123

Halifax


Source

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by zoomer

Is that $650,000 for just one half of the duplex? Above the St. John’s average? Great location though.

...

That half duplex has been divided into four apartments.

[1ajs]

anyone aware of this in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade quebec? between QC and montreal noticed it when i was driving #40 but could not find a turn off to check out in feb just finaly found this for what i had seen on the river from the bridge looked pritty sweet
https://www.centredepechecaron.com
definatly wana come back and explore though language barrier will be a pain
• Video Link

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by zoomer

bumping this last post on the previous page so it doesn’t get missed - a very colourful pic of Halifax - beautiful!

That's such an interesting reaction. We usually think of Halifax as having beautiful historic buildings and monuments while contemporary stuff is at best bland. Yet that image contains almost exclusively contemporary buildings. The only historic things I can see are the two churches nestled in the top left corner and Mason's Hall, the brick one near the top center with the beige strip along the top.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

That's such an interesting reaction. We usually think of Halifax as having beautiful historic buildings and monuments while contemporary stuff is at best bland. Yet that image contains almost exclusively contemporary buildings. The only historic things I can see are the two churches nestled in the top left corner and Mason's Hall, the brick one near the top center with the beige strip along the top.

jeddy1989 and I have had long debates about our preferences in this regard. He's very much, "— the architecture. Just fill it up. Street-level density is the most important thing" and I'm more a lover of old stones and buildings. If we had a rundown medieval neighbourhood, that's where I'd be.

BUT... I came over to jeddy1989's point of view a little in Lisbon. The city is large enough that each of its various neighbourhoods have a unique atmosphere - genuine and obvious, even for a tourist. And, on paper, Saldanha is not one I would typically like - mostly "modern" buildings (70s'-style to my North American eyes, but I believe in Europe that type of building is 1930s-40s), physically separated from the old town, wide streets, etc. But in person, they've done it well. The streets, for the most part, devote far more space to pedestrians and bikes than vehicles. There's a great mix of people - office workers in suits, for example, which you'd have to try really hard to find in the old town. And the vibe is just... urban, busy.

Saldanha:







But, still, I'd be living in the Moroccan neighbourhood if I was in Lisbon. I even know exactly which house, ha!







And, even in Porto, the newer areas felt more urban...



Than the types of neighbourhoods I would normally be drawn to...



It's like their equivalents of Water Street and George Street are typically at the edge of the core, and supported by not relying as much on suburban office parks but having those bodies nearby the commercial streets for locals.

Anyhow, point being, a few years ago that pic of Halifax would've evoked a negative but heartfelt rejection within me, but now I think... with enough feet on the ground, I could live in that type of neighbourhood and be happy.

[zoomer]

Yes, I agree with a lot of what SHH has said above regarding that picture/area of Halifax. I do like the glimpses of the old churches and I like my cities Jumbly ™ That is varied in age, height, colour, shape, design and a bit chaotic, not perfect or overly planned. There are a couple planning mistakes in that shot with the significant above ground parkade beside the waterfront but that rest of the building is pretty nice and bright plus a colourful pool on top. The five storey modern low-rise is another oops but you can see the thinking behind it, but I don’t think that would fly if proposed today. The area has a good feel and not like the typical masterplanned waterfront/docklands redevelopment areas you see in Northern Europe which tend to be a bit sterile although high in quality and pedestrian friendly. Ideally a more organic over time approach with more variety is the way to go while being pedestrian friendly with green space, etc.

[Kilgore Trout]

I think in North America, we tend to associate old with urban and new with suburban, but it's not the case in many other parts of the world. When you go to Europe and especially Asia and see how effortlessly lively and urban even newly built areas can be, you begin to rethink your notions of how a city should be.

In fact, as you noted SignalHillHiker, in many Asian and some European cities, it's even more common for the oldest areas to be kind of sleepy (if they aren't overrun by tourists) while the real vitality is located in somewhat newer areas.

There are some parallels in North American cities to be sure. But it's not as common as elsewhere.

[Nouvellecosse]

I wouldn't say that area is my favourite or would be my first choice to live in downtown, but I'd certainly live there. It's a very convenient location in close walking distance to a lot of things and is generally quite busy. And it's also much more "filled in" now than it was even a decade ago let alone when I first visited the area.

I've also have had a similar shift in my preferences over the years. Not so much a change in tastes, but a change in priorities in terms of how much importance I place on different aspects of an area. The more real world life experience one has, the more one sees the value in balancing the aesthetic with the practical. And also the realization that the aesthetic and the practical are interconnected things. Like with the Lisbon example, density might seem like a practical matter, but when it results in greater vibrancy it also affects the area's charisma.

[zoomer]

True, and on a whole ‘nother level - Toronto. While some neighbourhoods are on the gritty side the vibrancy due to density makes them much more appealing and interesting, again it’s a Jumble ™ and a bit chaotic. In my Montreal visit last September I found Old Montreal and the port area very quiet and almost deserted until mid-day.

[someone123]

One thing going on in the photo is that there's a view plane on the right side, beginning next to the highrises, and it very heavily limits building heights and hence development potential. Highrises begin again around the right edge of the frame.

It's kind of a mixed area and I would say it's so-so overall but it's more historic than it looks with some of the historic buildings being really exceptional. You can see the grey brewery market building there which is a stone structure from about 1820. Keith Hall is nearby and not visible but impressive. Some of the infill there goes back to the 90s and is pretty mediocre by modern standards. The new buildings are a little better but are still pretty generic. The rooftop pool looks nice.

Toronto is a much larger city but I think there are a lot of parallels between Toronto and Halifax urbanism-wise and as far as the norms of heritage preservation (not much and very little sentimentality) and development (do more or less whatever you want, but only in certain places). This can create a lot more vibrancy than you'd otherwise get, but often with some collateral damage.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

Only thing is the beach in Victoria is almost never warm

I remember visiting my sister a couple of years ago in late July. It was 26 degrees and calm inland, but when we got to Gonzalez Beach, it was 18 degrees and breezy (both readings based on the thermometer in the car). The Salish Sea is cold.

The Salish Sea includes both the Straight of Juan de Fuca (cold) and Straight of Georgia (not so cold). On Vancouver Island, basically anywhere on the south, or especially west coasts - areas open to the cold Pacific - the water will mostly be too cold to comfortably swim in even in the summer; but the east coast (plus the Gulf Islands, Lower Mainland, and Sunshine Coast) is great for nice beaches & pleasant, swimmable sea water.

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

I think in North America, we tend to associate old with urban and new with suburban, but it's not the case in many other parts of the world. When you go to Europe and especially Asia and see how effortlessly lively and urban even newly built areas can be, you begin to rethink your notions of how a city should be.

Just look no further than City Discussions, where "city population in 1940" seems to be the only barometer of urbanity that matters!

[Architype]

Here are a few of my recent and random photos of Vancouver, mostly Mount Pleasant and area.

4th & Main



























Winona Park, South Vancouver


Oakridge development, Cambie Street



(all photos by me)

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

The Salish Sea includes both the Straight of Juan de Fuca (cold) and Straight of Georgia (not so cold). On Vancouver Island, basically anywhere on the south, or especially west coasts - areas open to the cold Pacific - the water will mostly be too cold to comfortably swim in even in the summer; but the east coast (plus the Gulf Islands, Lower Mainland, and Sunshine Coast) is great for nice beaches & pleasant, swimmable sea water.

True! I actually forgot the sea includes the Strait of Georgia, in which I've swam many times, both in Vancouver and around Parksville.

[zoomer]

What an amazing photo set Architype! For some reason I've barely explored the Mount Pleasant area - it's always in between places I'm going, but for sure I'll check it out next visit as I was just in Van this weekend.

This photo has total Greg Girard vibes - for those who don't know he's a famous Vancouver photographer who I think of as a later day Fred Herzog - both brilliant colour photographers, but Greg focused more on the gritty underbelly of Vancouver and several decades in Asia as well.



Not common in Vancouver but definitely in Toronto - the harsh integration of old and new:



My goodness - I pray this building doesn't deteriorate any further. It should be saved as a piece of Vancouver history - now this photo is the playground of Fred Herzog:



And this photo is a mix of Herzog and SSP's own giallo - what a mood! Although some of the residential architecture in Vancouver and Victoria is similar it's also noticeably different and the climate and impact of the city makes them feel different. Like giallo you've captured the coolness, mildew, the mossy green subdued colours, the weathered but beautiful buildings.



Thanks for sharing Architype!

[Architype]

Originally Posted by zoomer

What an amazing photo set Architype! For some reason I've barely explored the Mount Pleasant area - it's always in between places I'm going, but for sure I'll check it out next visit as I was just in Van this weekend.

This photo has total Greg Girard vibes - for those who don't know he's a famous Vancouver photographer who I think of as a later day Fred Herzog - both brilliant colour photographers, but Greg focused more on the gritty underbelly of Vancouver and several decades in Asia as well.

....

Thanks, it's nice to get some feedback, or even critique. I wasn't familiar with the name, but I have seen photos of Girard, and of course Herzog. I think part of it is just living in the same environment, it offers the same opportunities, even decades apart, but some of those great photos stick in our subconscious. I love American realist art like Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, Charles Sheeler, etc. as well, art can be a great influence. Others here, like giallo and yourself, have personal styles and produce some fascinating photos! I just try to capture what I think is interesting, it's often luck, or really looking carefully for things that, without a camera lens, no one notices, sometimes trying to make everyday or mundane scenes into something special.

[Surrealplaces]

A few pics of Calgary that aren't typical. Calgary's not a place normally associated with sailboats.





Source: Surrealplaces

[zoomer]

Originally Posted by Architype

or really looking carefully for things that, without a camera lens, no one notices, sometimes trying to make everyday or mundane scenes into something special.

Yah, exactly this!

Or like Surrealplaces just posted - something out of the ordinary or really unexpected, like a grain silo combined with sailboats, mountains and fall colours. Very cool!