Thank God. Now, time for more building owners to start renovating their facades/storefronts. Invest in your damn property. Make Portage fun again.

hopefully the CRUs are removed and the small businesses will locate into actual buildings :hmmm:

The whole purpose of The Forks developing Railside and Parcel 4 is so that they can turn into a money-generating operation. They fully intend to let go of the parkade once that happens, but until then, it's the only thing keeping The Forks operational.

Off topic from 300/360 Main. Does the Forks developments have any legs? IIRC they were courting developers to make things happen.

They are taking their sweet-ass time.

politics.

I think people who will live at the forks will be different from those who will live at portage and main or at sky city. The small scale of the buildings also means the developers will likely be different.

I'm actually hoping the Forks will take its sweet time. For someone interested in living downtown, the Forks or Exchange just seems far and away like the most attractive place. So I'd like to see D Condo, Sky City and TNS past the point of no return before Forks condos hit the market.

That's not Red. If you know anything about railways, it's referred to Traction Orange (a bit lighter than popular favourite Burnt Orange).

And that's railway lantern lighting. Nothing Asian about it.

What's with the constant hate on for the 1980s?

If it is such a faint historical reference exists that only maybe 18 people in the entire city seem to recall, than I think the lights can be changed without anyone but railway addicts (aka: foamers) caring.

So Jeff, what would you have for lighting at The Forks?

Oh, and by the way, you share a name with another Jeff that was a transit friend of mine in the 90s and 2000s.

He's the one who told me about the colour ref.

I agree that there's nothing Asian about it, but it's also not traction orange. Traction orange is a pumpkin colour, as used on Winnipeg's streetcars. The poles at the Forks are much farther towards red (example). If it's meant to be traction orange, they did a very poor job matching it.

Those light poles do nothing to remind me of railways. The Forks in general looks like a typical 80's blend of teal and pink. See 201 Portage as well. Ugly green and pink TD 80's style.

I like 201 Portage. It holds its own vis-a-vis design, and it still sparkles in an otherwise drab downtown.

I agree, 201 Portage has aged reasonably well. That late 80s po-mo stuff seems to have held up better than the brown/earth toned 70s buildings which looked dated by the time they were a decade old.

Even Portage Place still doesn't look too bad for a place that's trapped in time circa 30 years ago. By contrast, CityPlace looked horrendous, just a gravy-coloured disaster before the 1994 renovations. And that look wasn't even 20 years old then before they replaced it.

Exterior of 201 Portage I like very much. Interior is what I was referring to.

Ah yes, fair enough.

Whenever I see this awesome novel on a shelf, it reminds me of the interior of 201 Portage

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rm_Grisham.jpg

Oh, ok. I agree, the interior needs a design intervention.

And even with the recent renovations, it still looks horrendous! Poorly lit and everything is beige. I find Portage Place a far more pleasant space to be in.

Flower vase treatment for the smokestack!?!?! I think I like it, but I also kinda don't know...:shrug:

http://http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/forks-art-sculpture-smokestack-cameron-cross-flowers-crocus-1.3525377