The Great Canadian Skyline Thread!

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by MeIsThomas

Twitter | Hamilton - October 23, 2014

Hey, that's not a bad shot of Hamilton.

[TorontoDrew]

I think the Hammer is the most under rated city in the country. I highly suggest any forumer here that comes to Toronto take the GO to the Hammer for at least one night and see a city with some great bones and some of the best art deco collection west of Montreal in this country. It's gritty and awesome. Kind of like Pittsburgh meets Portland.

[rousseau]

I like hearing nice things about Hamilton. I grew up there, and am really subjective and conflicted about it. Overall I find that it lets you down more than it gives you in terms of urban vibe and architecture, but that's probably just me.

Don't get me started on Hamilton. I could take up valuable space on this forum for days shooting my mouth off about the place.

[TorontoDrew]

Well I like most Torontonian s grew up looking down on it. All we ever saw was the Hammer from the Skyway where all you see is Stelco with its smoke stacks and huge flames shooting into the sky. Now I'm dating a Calgary girl that moved there and loves it I'm getting to see the true Hammer. As a Torontonian I'm always blown away by how much heritage it still has. Yes it's run down neglected and under appreciated but it has so much potential. The fact it's only 45 mins from Toronto makes it even more fascinating and a diamond in the rough. Housing and rent is almost half of what you pay in Hogtown. It has a great Hipster and arts scene and I truly believe we are about to see it boom. Why live in (I hate to say it but I will any way) soulless places like Oshawa or Barrie when you can choose the Hammer? It's a true city that is about to rediscover itself.

Just my two cents.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

It has a great Hipster and arts scene and I truly believe we are about to see it boom.

Hamilton is a whole lot of "about to." It's been that way for years. Always the potential, never the fruition. It can get frustrating after a while.

Though that's probably more the cynical ex-Hammerite in me talking that anything else. Things like the Art Crawl on James North are cool by any urban standard:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Why live in (I hate to say it but I will any way) soulless places like Oshawa or Barrie when you can choose the Hammer? It's a true city that is about to rediscover itself.

Just my two cents.

I've heard the "about to's" all my life. But yeah, Hamilton's a great place if you want to do something funky and off-beat without paying crazy rent like in Toronto. But if you're buying, you've missed the boat. It's already gotten quite expensive (though not if you're selling something substantial in Toronto).

Sorry, this is all off-topic vis-a-vis skylines.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Hamilton is a whole lot of "about to." It's been that way for years. Always the potential, never the fruition. It can get frustrating after a while.

It's true, but Hamilton also had a huge whole to fill. The implosion of steel and other manufacturing would have destroyed most cities, but Hamilton's managed to replace those jobs with others in things like health care/sciences. This was never going to be a quick transition.

Originally Posted by rousseau

I like hearing nice things about Hamilton. I grew up there, and am really subjective and conflicted about it. Overall I find that it lets you down more than it gives you in terms of urban vibe and architecture, but that's probably just me.

I also agree that Hamilton is the most under rated city in the country. When I moved to Toronto all I heard were bad things about Hamilton. A few years later I decided to go look for myself expecting an ugly boring place full of strip malls and terrible architecture. It's the exact opposite. Bits of it almost felt like Brooklyn.

I remember loving Hamilton the second I got there and realized the negativity was mostly due to snotty white collar Torontonians looking down upon a blue collar city. Sure Hamilton needs some investment, but the rest was a refreshing surprise. Great buildings, love the escarpment, love the industrial feel of the city, love the Ti-Cats, love the down to earth people who actually talk to you, and love how Hamiltonians seem to know who they are. Torontonians don't seem to. Being in Hamilton was very grounding.

Toronto may be more sophisticated than Hamilton, but I'll always love the charming realness of Hamilton over the eager to impress pretension of Toronto. It's Toronto's biggest flaw.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

I wish I could look upon Hamilton with fresh eyes but, alas, I grew up there and understand well the feelings of disappointment and frustration that are so pervasive among its denizens. Had I just discovered it, like so many others today, I'd probably move in an instant.

For many Torontonians it must be both jarring and thrilling to explore Hamilton for the first time, especially give its close proximity.

A shame, really.

[whiteford]

never been there but it looks awesome. and it is definitely on my must list of canadian cities. when i was growing up in calgary, i had a friend that his family moved from hamilton. and he always bragged about it to me. haha

[niwell]

As I've said before, many of my Toronto friends have nothing but good things to say about the Hammer. It helps that a lot of them lived there. And I got to experience behind the scenes art crawls back in 2010ish. When I drove through that area (James/Canon) a few months ago was shocked at the gentrification.

Highlights of Hamilton (in my mind) include:
-The central area and growing number of cool bars and restaurants
-Locke St
-Westdale
-Dundas, especially the main street

Lowlights are basically the large number of vacant and/or gravel parking lots downtown. I was shocked at the amount of construction last time I was there though. The east end was what I expected but it has good enough bones that a bright future may happen.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

I wish I could look upon Hamilton with fresh eyes but, alas, I grew up there and understand well the feelings of disappointment and frustration that are so pervasive among its denizens. Had I just discovered it, like so many others today, I'd probably move in an instant.

For many Torontonians it must be both jarring and thrilling to explore Hamilton for the first time, especially give its close proximity.

A shame, really.

It was thrilling for me. I understand the frustration; I feel that way about Halifax. That said, if things start picking up in Hamilton I'd seriously consider moving from my downtown Toronto condo to somewhere in Hamilton.

There's something very special about that place. How else can I explain that I've been trying to become an Argos fan for 14 years with little luck, but have secretly been cheering for the Ti-Cats the whole time? I felt drawn to them immediately as was a Toronto friend of mine. Oskie Wee Wee.

It saddens me when I hear Hamiltonians shit on Hamilton or embarrassed that they come from there.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by niwell

Highlights of Hamilton (in my mind) include:
-The central area and growing number of cool bars and restaurants
-Locke St
-Westdale
-Dundas, especially the main street

Ottawa street is sort of up and coming. As Locke gentrified the eccentric antique shops moved to Ottawa. It has a farmer's market now in the summer. It's nifty.

Thinking of Dundas as part of Hamilton is an immediate giveaway that you aren't a native of either place. Regardless of who you pay your taxes to, people in Dundas and Ancaster never say they live in Hamilton. They'll say they live near Toronto, and if asked more specifically they'll say they live next to Hamilton. But never "in" Hamilton.

Though maybe that stigma will fade over time.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Hamiltonians are the fiercest critics of the city.

Hamilton desperately needs a change of identity but altering the way its own residents feel about the city is a far more complicated prospect than people might suspect. There are some in this city who haven't been downtown in years. Literally, years.

Changing the culture of this city seems an almost insurmountable task.

[isaidso]

^^ I love the identity of Hamilton, it's Hamilton's greatest asset. It's something people should embrace as part of their heritage rather than something they pretend doesn't exist. It's precisely Hamilton's blue collar steel origins that make the people there so down to earth. I hope that characteristic of Hamilton never ever changes. Pittsburgh is proud of its steel town imagery, Hamilton should as well. Likewise, Calgary embraces its Western heritage.

What ever you do, don't try to be Toronto. It's precisely Hamilton and its culture that makes it and its people so endearing. It's not the culture of Hamilton that needs changing. It's people's civic pride.

Why is it that Hamiltonians are so blind to what they have? By the time people there wake up to what a great culture they have, they will have destroyed it.

Originally Posted by rousseau

Regardless of who you pay your taxes to, people in Dundas and Ancaster never say they live in Hamilton. They'll say they live near Toronto, and if asked more specifically they'll say they live next to Hamilton. But never "in" Hamilton.

Is Burlington in Ancaster-Dundas? There's this guy on my football team from Burlington. When I introduced him as a Hamiltonian, he flipped out.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Thinking of Dundas as part of Hamilton is an immediate giveaway that you aren't a native of either place. Regardless of who you pay your taxes to, people in Dundas and Ancaster never say they live in Hamilton. They'll say they live near Toronto, and if asked more specifically they'll say they live next to Hamilton. But never "in" Hamilton.

Haha oh I am well aware of that! My best friend ever is from Dundas and I love to remind them it's Hamilton. It's still an awesome town, and it does feel like that. A town.

I didn't think anyone would catch this...

[niwell]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Is Burlington in Ancaster-Dundas? There's this guy on my football team from Burlington. When I introduced him as a Hamiltonian, he flipped out.

Nope! Burlington is the City of Burlington. No wonder they freaked out - it's a legit city. I'd say the best suburban downtown in the GTHA. Less historic and pretty than (the Town of) Oakville, but way more functional.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Is Burlington in Ancaster-Dundas? There's this guy on my football team from Burlington. When I introduced him as a Hamiltonian, he flipped out.

It's a separate city. And yeah, you committed the greatest faux pas possible for someone from Burlington. They prefer to pretend that Hamilton doesn't exist.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Burlington's filled with former Hamiltonians. It's a great place to find someone with a healthy hate-on for the city.

[isaidso]

^^ Burlington is 'drive through' area as one makes their way to Hamilton.

Originally Posted by rousseau

It's a separate city. And yeah, you committed the greatest faux pas possible for someone from Burlington. They prefer to pretend that Hamilton doesn't exist.

That's what I thought so I've always introduced him as a Hamiltonian since that incident. Burlington is part of the Hamilton CMA so I'm right any way.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by isaidso

^^ I love the identity of Hamilton, it's Hamilton's greatest asset. It's something people should embrace as part of their heritage rather than something they pretend doesn't exist. It's precisely Hamilton's blue collar steel origins that make the people there so down to earth. I hope that characteristic of Hamilton never ever changes. Pittsburgh is proud of its steel town imagery, Hamilton should as well. Likewise, Calgary embraces its Western heritage.

Sorry, I meant the self-loathing, eat-your-own, part of the culture. But, yes, you are correct about the need to maintain its blue-collar image.

[isaidso]

Phew! I was starting to get depressed.