The Great Canadian Skyline Thread!

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Also the largest population of any island on fresh water, anywhere in the world.

Woot!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Woot!

It's a huge source of everyday pride for Montrealers.

[MolsonExport]

^yep. We talk about it everyday, and post endlessly about the subject.

[Cyro]

http://winnipeglovehate.com/page/232/

[Delirium]

Photo by Vick Sahota https://www.flickr.com/photos/spaied/15589072375/sizes/k/

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Beedok

I can understand cities have slight quirks in directions (I think Toronto and Ottawa's "east" would almost line up with Hamilton's "north"), but that's almost due north of the city.

FYI the St. Lawrence river is assumed to be east-west for roads, streets and neighborhoods so I think you will find that "quirk" pretty much everywhere between Detroit and Labrador. (i.e. driving from Cornwall to Windsor is strictly westbound on the 401.)

Roads and freeways are often perpendicular to the river (like the 15 north of Mtl, the 31 to Joliette, the 55 between Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Trois-Rivières, and so on) with again north/south aligned along the axis perpendicular to the river. I am pretty sure it's the same thing in Ontario too. At least in the east.

[GreaterMontréal]

Montréal is the only city where the sun sets in the north.

au nord , dans le nord... damn you google translate

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by lio45

FYI the St. Lawrence river is assumed to be east-west for roads, streets and neighborhoods so I think you will find that "quirk" pretty much everywhere between Detroit and Labrador. (i.e. driving from Cornwall to Windsor is strictly westbound on the 401.)

Roads and freeways are often perpendicular to the river (like the 15 north of Mtl, the 31 to Joliette, the 55 between Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Trois-Rivières, and so on) with again north/south aligned along the axis perpendicular to the river. I am pretty sure it's the same thing in Ontario too. At least in the east.

Thunder Bay gets a bit awkward at times, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto are all crooked (then St. Catherines is doing whatever it is that it does), but they all seem to get roughly the right direction. North in Hamilton is more North than East, and Toronto's is a bit more North than West. Calling that East for Montreal is quite a bit more bizarre. It's pretty well 90 degrees off of how I thought it would be (I figured they'd label the river as North-South like Thunder Bay mostly does with lake Superior).

[GreaterMontréal]

Originally Posted by Beedok

Thunder Bay gets a bit awkward at times, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto are all crooked (then St. Catherines is doing whatever it is that it does), but they all seem to get roughly the right direction. North in Hamilton is more North than East, and Toronto's is a bit more North than West. Calling that East for Montreal is quite a bit more bizarre. It's pretty well 90 degrees off of how I thought it would be (I figured they'd label the river as North-South like Thunder Bay mostly does with lake Superior).

Google Maps Montréal and you'll see.

[1overcosc]

Montreal is the only city in the world where the sun sets in the north

[giallo]

You always find the best pictures of Vancouver, Delirium.

[lio45]

Not true, in areas of old Lévis the sun will set over Quebec City. ("north")

The river might be almost north-south in places (here in the eastern part of Bécancour, the next village east, St-Pierre-les-Becquets, is more north than east, because the river turns there too) but generally speaking the river is always considered east-west, the direction which if you follow the shore will eventually have you leave the province to enter Ontario is labeled "west" while the other direction which will eventually have you leave the province to enter Labrador (or, on the other shore, have you start to border New Brunswick) is labeled "east".

It does make some sense to adopt the same standard regardless of exact river orientation at given points. QC Road 132 for example follows the river from its western terminus, the point NY/ON/QC all meet on the St. Lawrence, east to a terminus that's about equally east as the easternmost parts of New Brunswick.

QC Road 132 on its way from its westernmost point (Fort Covington, NY) to its easternmost point (Gulf of St. Lawrence) is pretty much going purely north for a while on the Montreal south shore as you guys have all pointed out already but overall that river, and everything that follows it, like the provincial road network, and Montreal's streets, is a crooked grid.

Considering how important that river was historically in the development of the colony of Canada (i.e. Quebec now) it's no wonder that nearly everywhere here has it as the point of reference for the grid.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

Google Maps Montréal and you'll see.

I believe it, I just didn't expect it.

Also in parts of Thunder Bay the Sun pretty well sets in the South.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Beedok

Calling that East for Montreal is quite a bit more bizarre.

Downriver.

In this province, along the St. Lawrence,
Downriver == East.
Upriver == West.

In Montreal the East End is downriver from downtown, so, there you have it.

For example, Trois-Rivières Ouest, a formerly completely separate city, is, as you could have guessed, upriver from Trois-Rivières.

[GreaterMontréal]

Originally Posted by Beedok

I believe it, I just didn't expect it.

it's part of the Couronne Nord, easier to see it that way

[craner]

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

Yes, I know Boston has the John Hancock, but here in Canada we don't necessarily measure it by who has the most skyscrapers over 150m but by density. I counted a few months ago the total number of meters for skyscrapers over 100m (which included U/C towers) and Montreal beat Boston by a small margin. This might be due to the fact that there is a constructiom boom in Canada that's a lot bigger than in the U.S...

Anyway, you're entitled to your opinion. I went to Boston a year and a half ago. Nice skyline seen from the harbor, but you can't see John Hancock as it's not part of the "cluster" of the Financial District.

I wouldn't say there is a standard "Canadian" or "American" way to rate skylines. It's a totally subjective measure unique to each individual.
I'm Canadian but I don't necessarily measure a good skyline by density as you suggest. Just sayin'

Great Boston skyline shots BTW.

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by giallo

You always find the best pictures of Vancouver, Delirium.

thanks!

here;s an aerial view of yaletown. 20 years ago this was nothing more than brownfields-

Photo by Dave Roberts https://www.flickr.com/photos/46069415@N00/15825282472/sizes/h/

[Prometheus]

All photos by Perry Clayton Photoworks: https://www.flickr.com/photos/claytonperry/

[kool maudit]

montreal's ostensibly east-west sainte-catherine street is identical in its alignment to new york's north-south (according to their more accurate grid) 5th avenue.

[Jeff]

took this one in the weee little morning hours a couple months back of Winnipeg: