Nothing to do with lemurs: WINNIPEG
Old and new, bleak and beautiful. I thirst for the brick in this city like a dog lusts for the dripping bone.
Winnipeg is a city of extremes.... It is near the center of North America, and is both Canada's hottest (summer) and coldest (other 9 months of the year) city. There is a lot of historical wealth ("old money") here, and this continues to help spur local development. Contradicting this are massive pockets of blight and poverty; some areas of Winnipeg are arguably the roughest in the nation, and correcting this problem with limited funding - and at the same time avoiding mass gentrification - is proving to be the city's largest challenge. Poverty, prostitution, the hard drug trade, and resulting gang violence continue to present hurdles for inner city growth, yet there is hope for the city. Both the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg are growing in campus size and student body. Immigration is increasing due in part to a stable economy and affordable housing. Large ethnic groups within the city include French Canadians, aboriginals, Ukrainians, Mennonites, Jews, Filipinos, and a growing populace of English speaking and francophone people from across Northern Africa. Our metro area is host to roughly 760,000 inhabitants, I believe. New developments include rapid transit proposals, a tentative football stadium, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and an ultra modern international airport terminal. Construction will also soon begin on a 'world class' arctic - themed zoo exhibit. The city is frustrating to live in at times, as the municipal government seems to lack clarity and vision. Projects are continually delayed and downsized, and in many ways development can appear backwards, aloof, and unsustainable. Recently, however, there has been renewed interest to revitalize the core. Some derelict buildings are under conversion and renovation, and hopefully better mass transit may reduce our abundance of downtown surface area parking lots. Recent construction includes a pedestrian bridge linking the French Quarter to downtown, a new hockey arena, the LEED certified Manitoba Hydro Building - the city's 4th tallest - and large a scale expansion of the downtown campus of the Red River College. Without further ranting, here's a brief tour; generally the following will be inner city shots, with a few exceptions. I've only lived here a few years and I'm not a great photographer, but I do really dig this city. As promised, you won't find one bloody lemur in the whole tour: Central downtown: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/...a9425fa0_b.jpg A view from a few stories up: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...ba98b761_b.jpg Looking North: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/...6634e12a_b.jpg The Royal Winnipeg Ballet building, with the Manitoba Legislature in the background: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/...63cbd774_b.jpg The Manitoba Hydro Building: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/...8268afef_b.jpg The foreground shows the printing house for the Winnipeg Free Press, the city's only real newspaper. [There is also a tabloid posing as a newspaper; it's called the Sun, and mostly features bikini clad gals and drug busts as seen through the eyes of overworked, undereducated beat cops]: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/...ea586b78_b.jpg To the immediate northwest of downtown's financial core we find the Central Park / Centennial neighbourhood: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...0e713785_b.jpg Part of this building collapsed and fell to the street below during a horrific storm; luckily nobody was hurt: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/...16d906d21e.jpg It simply amazed me that this building exterior looked the same even after the mescaline wore off: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/...eed80955_z.jpg This remarkable structure includes an authentic southeastern Asia - inspired corrugated metal green roof: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/...8b702c77_z.jpg Urban myth holds that this statue was carved by an ancient master craftsman named Maldvander after he founded the Concrete Guild of Minneapolis: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/...d7a6c422_z.jpg This city has the topography of a chessboard, so you have to clime a rare, distant hill - or be in a highrise - to really capture any nifty views. Here's the western bit o'downtown: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/...1988aafa_z.jpg These are the tallest buildings in the city's Osborne Village area; supposedly the third densest population wise in the country. The Village is a trendy area filled with shops and restaurants located south of downtown across the Assiniboine River: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/...30d565ab_z.jpg In the foreground we see the University of Winnipeg, the city's second largest post secondary institution. The downtown campus includes a wonderful "castle like" administration building. The rest of the buildings look like Stars Wars styled bunkers on the outside, and on the inside it's like the 1970s overindulged in gin and blow and threw up all over the hallways: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/...e0070aa1_z.jpg Looking east from the Health Sciences Centre: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...42cf192b_z.jpg I wanted to capture this rare image before the structure inevitably gets torn down or falls victim to arson: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/...831c24a0_z.jpg Yep: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/...46c15c4d1c.jpg The taller four buildings to the left hover over the famous intersection of Portage and Main, in the worlds of Pope Pius IX "gang-banging the fuck out of this cold, inaccessible, counter-intuitive navigation nightmare." End quote: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/...67fba24f_z.jpg Looking southeast: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/...8f5c44ae_z.jpg I like being redundant: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/...0589a03d_z.jpg A more all - encompassing view of Osborne Village: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/...cb7b2a4c_z.jpg I actually think we have a decent skyline for a metro area of under one million people: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/...5f044947_b.jpg I like to call this shot "Jar of Transgendered Marmalade:" http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/...4c73947c_b.jpg Our currant football stadium: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/...21cd2489_z.jpg Meanwhile, in Canada.... http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/...d4bb8267_z.jpg Yep again: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/...7b8f5244_b.jpg The southern portion of downtown: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/...487581f1_z.jpg Racist cars: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/...9d7fe689_z.jpg South - central neighbourhood; Polo Park / St. James area, I believe: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/...ea3a3d17_z.jpg Towards the North End, the city's beautiful and historic eastern European / Jewish neighbourhood. Today parts of this vast area suffer from social ills such as poverty and decay. I will explore this area further as I add to this thread: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/...51c6814f_z.jpg Peg City, Y'all: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/...2fc73328_z.jpg Canada has a great variety of excellent brews. This beer, however, is complete shit. The label should read "May contain traces of stale raccoon semen, aged newsprint, and expired apple juice." Their secret ingredient is hopelessness: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...b02af244_z.jpg Lookin' east down Portage Avenue: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/...0e208c44_z.jpg A rare 'density' shot amidst a sea of surface area parking lots: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/...cbf61986_z.jpg My house is in the foreground. I'm a pirate. And I hold stakes in the Tim Hortons / cocaine market: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/...6aac380e_z.jpg Thar she be: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/...66718380_z.jpg Sometimes things like this are needed: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/...e54ecf80_z.jpg This is good: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/...42227732_z.jpg When I renovate this into my jam space the cross will have to go in lieu of a bitchin' Lou Reed flag: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...4b70446f_z.jpg For an estimated 364 days a year this becomes part of the world's longest skating rink: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...6bdf9339_z.jpg To sum up the complexities and multi-faceted layers of French Canadian thought, history, and social-political culture in one sentence: half of them want to separate; the other half like making strange creatures out of wood. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/...f505b929_z.jpg Imagine my confusion when I showed up to 467 7/16 by mistake: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/...ef1f8890_z.jpg We need more buildings like this: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...abb35560_z.jpg The Red River. Word: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/...7dd1f870_z.jpg A bridge not so much over troubled water, but more like a bridge over the idea of getting a fuckin' train: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...6a31fa04_z.jpg St. Boniface, the city's French Quarter across the Red River from downtown. To the left is what's left of a Catholic Cathedral, which was allegedly burned to the ground by leprechauns. To the right is the silver dome of St. Boniface University: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/...0a810812_z.jpg Towards tha Village, yo. Word: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/...51f5d0f0_z.jpg I think we can all agree that we need more faux Roman architecture in North American cities. Why let Las Vegas have all the tasteless, tacky fun when YOUR city could be the next to get a golden tipi? http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/...2168ccd9_z.jpg This is, in the words of Jimmy Hoffa, "Not a pancake:" http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/...867be804_z.jpg A nice lil' gem tucked away in Little Detroit on the Prairies: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/...c9d6ac31_z.jpg Colour. Contrast. Drink Coke: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/...ba65f81713.jpg This is my dog house. You can look it up! http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/...a1ecd83f_z.jpg "No," said the mayor upon considering the motion, "I think we should just let everything get dilapidated as fuck:" http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/...889c3516_z.jpg This is the new arena for the Manitoba Moose hockey team. It is within the top 15 busiest venues in the world in terms of attendance / number of seats: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/...9c363c64_z.jpg They sold me ski bindings but refused to do my taxes. Go figure: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/...e5bf7a00_z.jpg This bridge is known to the locals with affection as "Antelope Bridge." Or rather, it will be known as this once more people see this thread: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/...8e077369_b.jpg Across the Red River: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/...bd08f4f2_z.jpg An emerging condo district on the northeastern hub of the downtown core: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/...f01afc9e_z.jpg Far out: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/...3e28a505_z.jpg Brought to you by your friends at the Institute of Scientology: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/...f2cbc1a7_z.jpg These might seem nifty once I'm past fifty: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/...a65ddf5f_z.jpg Gotham: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/...5f855d59_z.jpg The Bank of Montreal: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/...36ea0b21_z.jpg The ten story white highrise to the bottom right is the Canada Post building; they are relocating their main facility to near the airport, and the cops are about to make the downtown site their new digs: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/...eb80aae0_z.jpg Our obligatory revolving tower restaurant has been closed "for renovations" for a couple years now.... Wonder what's going on: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/...ac6e5d17_z.jpg The southern hub of Winnipeg's amazing Exchange District: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/...7a13d9b2_z.jpg The building with the gals painted on the side once held the nation's first public gathering concerning the right to vote for dames. Sorry, lasses. Broads. Skirts. Gals. Byrds. Chicks. Girlies: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/...9b085e26_z.jpg More of the western Exchange: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/...ef16c950_z.jpg Looking northbound on Main Street: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/...7606aed5_z.jpg When I become dictator this shall become the intersection of Robocop and MacGyver: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/...d29f7d32_z.jpg Another building that is crazy even post - mescaline: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/...4e5ab05b_z.jpg My favorite building in the city, the Electric Railway Chambers: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/...8e85a4e3_z.jpg Looking into the East Exchange: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/...ddf26a29_z.jpg West Exchange: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/...f213b608_z.jpg Still no lemurs, as promised: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/...951fc5d1_z.jpg More West Exchange, yo: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/...3d475d71_z.jpg I can dig it: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/...1642c4df_z.jpg Lookin' south on Main: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/...59a1381f_z.jpg The historic Fort Garry Hotel rests underneath 1990's revolving tower offering: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/...ba690aaf_z.jpg Chinatown, home to Winnipeg's ethnic Hungarian community: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/...5f2d612f_z.jpg Le Dome: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/...84aecda4_z.jpg We like our Manitoba Tyndall Limestone in this town: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/...ae1a1a20_z.jpg Brutalist China: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/...0db9105a_z.jpg The Arlington Bridge was constructed at Winnipeg's Dominion Bridgeworks at the turn of the 20th century. Originally intended to span the Nile at Cairo, the materials were deemed ill-suited for that climate. The at the time wealthy City of Winnipeg opted to purchase the bridge, and today it spans a vast rail yard: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/...2a1c94db_z.jpg Lookin' south: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/...e936d702_z.jpg A study in clouds: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/...d96fdebc_z.jpg This shot is so beautiful it makes your mother look ugly: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/...5aeca458_z.jpg The Wall of Wisdom: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg More Electric Railway Chambers: http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs45/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg Goblins ate my baby: http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg This city has more Ukrainians than you can shake a stick at. I tried shaking my stick at several Ukrainians, to no avail: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs44/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg Mid - fall: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs45/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg Little known fact: this building is actually in WINNIPEG, CANADA! http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs45/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg I will leave you with a horrific image of the Public Safety Building, an accident Oprah once described as "ugly as fuckin' sin, like some post - apocalyptic monstrosity forged with the compacted ash of the burnt corpses of the world's cutest dead pets." http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs43/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg Thanks for lookin'. I shall one day post more pictures of this splendid city, and perhaps a few shots of my bitchin' calves as well. There are a lot of 'hoods I did not cover in this thread so far, but be patient.... Once this mescaline wears off, I'll hit the streets, avec camera, once again.... Thanks again! |
"This shot is so beautiful it makes your mother look ugly:"
lol, my favorite of the bunch, quote and picture :) |
Great tour!
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Sorry, you lie. Place is crawling with lemurs. Peeking out from behind every branch. I counted at least a dozen.
- Good tour. I'm rooting for your city to procure an NHL team. |
I see some familiar sights but with much better weather, nice work! Winnipeg is a great city to explore.
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Your captions made me chuckle. Great tour!
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Of all cities in Canada, so much potential...
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Thanks for the feedback, Folks! I thought I had saved a bunch of pics to a disk before I reformatted my computer a while back, but apparently that didn't work, and I lost a lot of photos. Long story short, a few of these pics were probably posted several months ago in another thread (I've only made a couple threads here before). Most of them should be new pictures, though, and I do plan on a) attempting to retrieve some more good ones from the past and b) getting out to snap a bunch of new ones! There's a lot more of the city that is not displayed here; have patience and the quantity of my photos should increase alongside my quality! Thanks again for browsing my eclectic mix of sometimes brilliant and sometimes completely substandard photos.... Word!
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An oasis. I really like Canadian development. I imagine Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska (US) growing up like this some day.
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Nice shots of Winnipeg. I miss the place. One thing, though:
Quote:
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Toronto, Windsor, and Hamilton are hotter in the summer than Winnipeg? Really? I couldn't find numbers to verify that, but I'll trust your statement. Guess I was wrong about that; sorry if it was inaccurate. At any rate, it 'feels' bloody hot, especially with the humidex rating! I guess now I'm thankful I don't live in one of the even hotter towns!
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I think Toronto's daytime highs are about the same as Winnipeg's in the summer, but Toronto is considerably more humid and the nights here are often unbearably warm. According to me, Winnipeg has the most ideal summer weather in Canada. Very warm days and cooler (but never chilly) nights. Great thunderstorms, too. Rain there comes fast and furious and then it's gone.
Nice pics with some interesting commentary. |
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its the humidity and longer summer that makes it warmer.
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Great pictures of the Peg'! The facade of the Air Canada building looks tremendously like the one of the ACC in Toronto. Unless that's just the trademark design. City's lookin great tho!
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A couple more....
Brick Monster of Doom:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/...ea11519bdf.jpg Contrast: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5181/...7b9e6ca4_z.jpg Der Kloudenbildung: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/...d742f7e2_b.jpg Big Brother: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5267/...4a663bbb69.jpg Class: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/...df65206aab.jpg Complimentary Duo: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/...79c7ae5db3.jpg Historic Wall of Fort Garry: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/...9de427b8_z.jpg Where I Met Your Mother: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/...b71429c6_z.jpg Our 'station de train,' as it's known in countries where they speak extremely broken French: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/...e0ab0d94_z.jpg ANYONE FOR TENNIS? I stumbled upon this lil' shack and thought it looked like it was abandoned in haste sometime around 1952: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/...2a78897d_b.jpg |
I am enjoying this Peg thread. What is Peg, the 6th largest city in Canada ? Anyone ?
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I think it's 7th or 8th largest in Canada!
Great thread. I love the captions. Can't wait till the next one you post. |
I loved these photos, but I want to give this thread a lemur, so here is one for you:
[IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/...a425219676.jpgPigmy Slow Loris by Mathew Ward, on Flickr[/IMG] |
Thanks for the feedback, Folks! My skills should improve this summer, decent weather permitting.
Perhaps it was shortsighted of me not to include a lemur in this thread; now I can finally sleep at night! |
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