Post some pictures of your city! II

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by zoomer

How about Hamilton - can you access great nature and residential neighbourhoods in less than a 30-45 minute walk from downtown?

Definitely. The Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail are a little more than 1 km from what's traditionally been the "centre" of downtown (King & James streets). The waterfront parks are a little farther, but not by much. And if one is a fast walker capable of the distance, the trails and wetlands of the Royal Botanical Gardens begin 3-4 km away depending on which part of those lands one wants to access.

There are many old residential neighbourhoods adjacent to (and within) the defined downtown area... gentrified old homes interspersed with newer and tall buildings generally west and south, former working-class neighbourhoods generally to the east and north (with some of the most "income challenged" in the city for several kms eastward through the central lower city)

There was a Hamilton poster (Flar) who captured so many photos of these and other areas of the city. I haven't seen that person much here in the past couple of years though. The photo-essays and neighbourhood tours were fantastic. Quite a few are in this folder off the Hamilton sub-forum.

[zoomer]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Definitely. The Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail are a little more than 1 km from what's traditionally been the "centre" of downtown (King & James streets). The waterfront parks are a little farther, but not by much. And if one is a fast walker capable of the distance, the trails and wetlands of the Royal Botanical Gardens begin 3-4 km away depending on which part of those lands one wants to access.

There are many old residential neighbourhoods adjacent to (and within) the defined downtown area... gentrified old homes interspersed with newer and tall buildings generally west and south, former working-class neighbourhoods generally to the east and north (with some of the most "income challenged" in the city for several kms eastward through the central lower city)

There was a Hamilton poster (Flar) who captured so many photos of these and other areas of the city. I haven't seen that person much here in the past couple of years though. The photo-essays and neighbourhood tours were fantastic. Quite a few are in this folder off the Hamilton sub-forum.

Thanks for the link - I know I’ve seen some great photos from Flar in the past.

Was just checking Flickr and there is this fantastic shot, has it been seen here before?

hamilton habitats by Jim Smith, on Flickr

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Definitely. The Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail are a little more than 1 km from what's traditionally been the "centre" of downtown (King & James streets). The waterfront parks are a little farther, but not by much. And if one is a fast walker capable of the distance, the trails and wetlands of the Royal Botanical Gardens begin 3-4 km away depending on which part of those lands one wants to access.

There are many old residential neighbourhoods adjacent to (and within) the defined downtown area... gentrified old homes interspersed with newer and tall buildings generally west and south, former working-class neighbourhoods generally to the east and north (with some of the most "income challenged" in the city for several kms eastward through the central lower city)

There was a Hamilton poster (Flar) who captured so many photos of these and other areas of the city. I haven't seen that person much here in the past couple of years though. The photo-essays and neighbourhood tours were fantastic. Quite a few are in this folder off the Hamilton sub-forum.

This explains it. Hamilton is amazing for how accessible so much of the great outdoors is. Dundas Valley is an absolute gem.

And flar's pics are legendary on this forum. Search out his Hamilton shots, they really show every facet of the place. I would check out the threads he has started, which generally involve lots of great photography.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sea...archid=2694323

[SignalHillHiker]

Realtor drone shots are getting nicer

[someone123]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Realtor drone shots are getting nicer

These real estate drone shots have to be one of the biggest improvements to the availability of city photos in a long time. You used to have to scour the internet for the odd decent new aerial photo and now there are new ones every few days.

On the other hand I find that while Instagram and other social media have a lot of nice photos there isn't as much variety in style or subject. It's the same filtered shots of the same downtown landmarks over and over.

[someone123]

Halifax

Source

[Nouvellecosse]

^ That looks really beautiful. Well, other than the surface parking around the port area. I hope someday that Loblaws gets converted into an urban format. Maybe it could be on the ground floor of a new highrise. It's weird because this is a denser area on the edge of downtown yet Quinpool has a much more urban layout with the parking hidden behind it.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

It's weird because this is a denser area on the edge of downtown yet Quinpool has a much more urban layout with the parking hidden behind it.

To me it shows how the 90's were a low point for the city. The Quinpool Rd grocery store is built up to the street and is part of a multi-use complex from the 70's, but in the 90's Loblaws was allowed to build a cookie cutter big box store with parking in the urban core. The Queen St Sobeys and Cogswell Staples are two other mistakes like that.

It was years ago but I seem to recall reading a comment somewhere that the seaport area is hard to develop due to complicated land ownership (4 or 5 owners of different slices of that surface parking?).

I'm not sure why there are so many aerial photos with the train there when there are only a few trains a week. Do they time it? Do the trains sit there for a day when not running?

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by someone123

I'm not sure why there are so many aerial photos with the train there when there are only a few trains a week. Do they time it? Do the trains sit there for a day when not running?

I didn't even notice that but yeah that is kind of strange. I don't think I seen it in the last dozen or so times I've been by there and I usually go by at least once or twice a month in the summer.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by someone123

To me it shows how the 90's were a low point for the city. The Quinpool Rd grocery store is built up to the street and is part of a multi-use complex from the 70's, but in the 90's Loblaws was allowed to build a cookie cutter big box store with parking in the urban core.

That area was kind of isolated and seedy in the 1990s. Inglis up to around South Bland St. and around that square was marginal. It's very strange given that the areas it borders weren't like that.

There was a pretty low-rent strip club called the Lighthouse kitty corner to that Superstore, long gone now.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

That area was kind of isolated and seedy in the 1990s. Inglis up to around South Bland St. and around that square was marginal. It's very strange given that the areas it borders weren't like that.

I guess it is because of the industry around there. South Hollis and Barrington were also run down. It's too bad because this area had a lot of nice buildings that were torn down and in some cases not replaced at all or replaced by marginally larger and uglier new buildings. These days it's mostly gentrified.

Noticed in Nova Scotia mentioned one of the rows along Inglis and how in the 80's it was rooming houses and the residents would often sit on the stoops. These days it's higher end condos. The building on the corner of Inglis and Victoria is a masonry rowhouse or apartment development covered in white vinyl siding. If that siding came off the area might instantly look better.


Source

[Luisito]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

That area was kind of isolated and seedy in the 1990s. Inglis up to around South Bland St. and around that square was marginal. It's very strange given that the areas it borders weren't like that.

There was a pretty low-rent strip club called the Lighthouse kitty corner to that Superstore, long gone now.

I remember that strip club. That area was also known for a lot of prostitution. It was more down towards Hollis street but you would see it on Barrington too. Specially in that park infront of the old train station. That area has changed a lot. I knew alot of kids that lived in that area between queen street and barrington and on inglis too. Those were my stomping grounds for a long time.

[zoomer]

Good points about Winnipeg - another city I’ve visited although during a cool autumn week.

My criteria are a bit tougher when it comes to distance - interesting and vibrant downtown, significant historic neighbourhoods and plenty of nature (doesn't have to be wilderness - urban parks, beaches etc are cool) all within a maximum 45 minute WALK of downtown. This makes a great holiday visit for me. I think a lot of cities big and small probably qualify, it’s just to what degree.

[Echoes]

[zoomer]

Echoes.. Echoe… Ech…!! Ok, hopefully you get the sound effects intention.

Great photos and nice variety as well. My favourite little house, or houses are these two to the right:

IMG_2798 by E Choes, on Flickr

And coming in second:

IMG_2805 by E Choes, on Flickr

[Echoes]

Thanks zoomer. Those 2 little houses struck me as something out of a storybook. I think they're perfect.

[zoomer]

/\ 100% agree. I’d love to see more of these incorporated into suburbs as not every new development needs to be the 2 car garage large cookie cutter design or cramped townhouses with no yard. If there is good transit these still make pretty efficient use of land and I’d like to think would be fairly affordable to build and make good starter or retirement houses.

And I know these are inner city homes (and please DO NOT TELL ME THE PRICE please, lol as I’m not moving, lol) and are unlikely to be built again in the future in the same neighbourhood, assuming Saskatoon is like most Canadian cities at this point.

[Saskabusher]

That riverbank in Saskatoon is looking great, Echoes. Dog days of summer. Do they allow a bottle of wine down there now?

[zoomer]

Love the port infrastructure pics ScreamingViking, unusual and cool bridge there.

As for Toronto having the most European streetscape - I think that’s fair to challenge it. I’ve almost universally heard people say that about Quebec or Montreal.

This picture is very North American except for a streetcar, which exists in other cities on this continent. I think Toronto’s appeal is that it is it’s own beast, not European and it’s still evolving and if done right maybe several decades from now people in other countries will be saying how their city is the most Toronto-like.



Amazing Marcadian set, love how this bland building becomes a landmark and cool looking with all those cell dishes on it. An artistic digital crown of thorns - contrasted with the Croatian Electrical sign!

Dovercourt and Dupont by Marcanadian, on Flickr

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by zoomer

As for Toronto having the most European streetscape - I think that’s fair to challenge it. I’ve almost universally heard people say that about Quebec or Montreal.

This picture is very North American except for a streetcar, which exists in other cities on this continent. I think Toronto’s appeal is that it is it’s own beast, not European and it’s still evolving and if done right maybe several decades from now people in other countries will be saying how their city is the most Toronto-like.

I should have specified "modern streetscapes." I was thinking of European scenes like this, which you don't see anywhere else in North America.


https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.61206...5409&entry=ttu