The Great Canadian Skyline Thread!

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I'm most impressed by those that were prewarned of what was transpiring and, instead of just ignoring the thread, felt compelled to open it and rant about people expressing they passion for their cities.

On another note, yeah, urbantoronto isn't overrun by grandstanding.

Sanctimonious indignation can be very therapeutic! That combined with vigorous finger wagging can relieve stress and provide a wonderful mental and physical workout that a person would completely miss out on if they just avoided anything they disapproved of!

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Those Ward's Island cottages might just be the greatest "have your cake and eat it too" neighbourhood arrangement in the entire country.

You get to live on a bucolic island as if you were in cottage country, while being a 15 minute, traffic-free ferry ride away from the Financial District. You also get to stare at this magnificent skyline while you BBQ from your porch.

An old co-worker of mine is an Island resident. While it is great, you have to be a certain kind of person to liven the islands, as it is not always as pleasant as it may seem (especially in the winter).
You have to remember, that almost anything you want requires taking the ferry to the city. There are no supermarkets on the island.
In the winter when the harbor frees up, your 10 minute ferry ride turns into an ordeal of having to be bused to the airport, to take the ferry from there.
You are bound by the ferry schedule, which can be as infrequent as every 45 minutes. And if you miss the last ferry, it can be a $30.00 water taxi ride.
And if you have an emergency situation in the winter, it can take forever to get you over to the city.
So it is a great lifestyle. But you also have to be aware of the potential pitfalls as well.

[Brizzy82]

Toronto/Mississauga


A Tale of Two Cities by Jack Landau, on Flickr

Winnipeg


downtown by S.L.M., on Flickr



Manitoba Public Insurance by Patrick on Flickr


Notre Dame by Bryan Scott on Flickr


Downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba (471533) by Bob Linsdell, on Flickr

Content removed

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by dleung

lol same here. No one knows I use this site. I don't mind people knowing I'm on Urbantoronto though, but it requires a different screenname.

Really? It's not like this site has some bad rap that Joe Schmo knows about. My wife just calls it my skyscraper nerd site.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Amazing Calgary shots guys.

Here is a recent Toronto shot from a passenger plane.


Posted by: http://justinpluslauren.com

Even with all those new towers, Toronto still looks so empty. The construction needs to maintain this current pace for at least another 20 years to plug all those gaps in the skyline. Yonge, Bay and University and the Entertainment District are the best place to start.


Yonge Street needs to be Dark!

[O-tacular]

Another pic from Calgary's snow day from Calgary forumer ggopher1.

[IMG] Snow Day 2 by ggopher1, on Flickr[/IMG]

[travis3000]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

I'm curious, you're always mentioning how you love to go there so often. What are the things you like to do there you may not be able to do in Toronto? Or is it that you do the same things you do here but just for a change of scenery and a slightly different vibe? Sincere question as I know why a lot of straight people go there , but since you've mentioned before that you're gay, I'm assuming you wouldn't find the same attractions there that a straight anglophone person might have. What in particular do you like to do there that you can't do in Toronto? I really felt it was super-similar to downtown Toronto except for the language difference.

I prefer the feel of Montreal. I feel as if I'm not in Canada. It's exotic, an old-world feel. The architecture is more interesting, the language barrier makes it exciting for me, the way they light their buildings, the fun festivals, layout the city overall. I just have a better connection on foot. Everything is accessible on foot or bike. Not saying Toronto does't have a lot to offer (it does) but Montreal speaks to my soul.

It's not about the bars/clubs, or the restaurants (Toronto has lots of those), I feel like I can get lost and forget about the world for a few days every time I visit. So to be honest, there's nothing I can really tell you in terms of statistics or events why I love going to Montreal. It's a feeling. I've heard many people talk about the city in the same way I have, so they will obviously understand.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by Boris2k7

Calgary looked really pretty on Friday, with some fresh snow.


Calgary Skyline by Tim M. Shephard, on Flickr

Wow! The Guardians have really beefed up the look of the Beltline section of the skyline. Looking awesome!

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Another pic from Calgary's snow day from Calgary forumer ggopher1.


Snow Day 2 by ggopher1, on Flickr

Gorgeous. I really prefer the city with snow on the ground rather than the "Chinook-Grey" (basically a mix of dead grass and asphalt) we deal with most of the winter.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by The_Architect

Just FYI, Toronto has gotten a lot of "real poutine" places in the recent years, so this isn't really a unique thing.

Unless you just define "real" as having it in Montreal, which is kind of a cop-out.

when i lived in montreal, i didn't like going to toronto because there were things i could get or do that were not available at home. i liked it because it was toronto, and thus different, and so every experience had this little overlay of "toronto-ness" that was fun and out-of-the-ordinary.

this is the same with traveling in general. i was just in paris and did the same things i would have done here in copenhagen or in montreal. but they were colored by paris-ness; the accents, the slightly different norms, the buildings... only people from very small or isolated places travel to actually, practically do city things they cannot at home.

i mean, copenhagen is a small city and certainly a lot smaller than paris, but aside from the crowds and the grandeur the city's population didn't play into things that much. it was more the language and the ways of life and the little differences.

[bulliver]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I always enjoyed your photo updates!

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Me too - and I hope to God I said so. His pictures are gorgeous.

Cheers guys. Come visit us in the Edmonton section...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

when i lived in montreal, i didn't like going to toronto because there were things i could get or do that were not available at home. i liked it because it was toronto, and thus different, and so every experience had this little overlay of "toronto-ness" that was fun and out-of-the-ordinary.

this is the same with traveling in general. i was just in paris and did the same things i would have done here in copenhagen or in montreal. but they were colored by paris-ness; the accents, the slightly different norms, the buildings... only people from very small or isolated places travel to actually, practically do city things they cannot at home.

i mean, copenhagen is a small city and certainly a lot smaller than paris, but aside from the crowds and the grandeur the city's population didn't play into things that much. it was more the language and the ways of life and the little differences.

Yeah, that was such a weird comment you responded to.

So anything that defines a place no longer defines it once that same thing becomes available with some degree of quality elsewhere?

Pasta no longer defines Italy?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

Over the years I have never let my girlfriends know that I frequent this site. They all know, or have known, me as a smart person and I wouldn't want them to think I'm retarded.

Also wouldn't want them to be like "wow, if you have THIS much free time to waste, then you can do XYZ more for me/us".

That's also true for me, although my wife sort of has an idea I go on here.

[harls]

Those Winnipeg shots are absolutely awesome.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

That's also true for me, although my wife sort of has an idea I go on here.

I told my wife I come here, just so that if I happen to drop dead one day she'll post an announcement to that effect. So if you see a new Great Canadian Obituary Thread with my handle on it, you'll know what happened!

[WhipperSnapper]

Death always comes to mind when someone abruptly stops posting.

[Trans Canada]

Not the nicest photo but this shows off the density of Calgary's Beltline


OUEST CANADA : CALGARY UNE VUE D'AVION by Maix, on Panoramio

Photo taken Nov 2008 so lots has changed since then, notably Eighth Avenue Place twins downtown and a node of condo towers joining the blue and beige twins closest to the camera.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Death always comes to mind when someone abruptly stops posting.

Well I'm sure I'd miss them but I don't think I'd be so distraught that I'd actually kill myself.

[SignalHillHiker]

[kool maudit]

my girlfriend knows about ssp and sometimes we look at city photo threads together.

i don't get into what goes on in the canada section though because it's too stupid.