SkyscraperPage Forum

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)
-   My City Photos (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=321)
-   -   Nothing to do with lemurs: WINNIPEG (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189286)

Lenin Mar 6, 2011 9:59 PM

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!

patriotizzy Mar 6, 2011 10:21 PM

"This shot is so beautiful it makes your mother look ugly:"

lol, my favorite of the bunch, quote and picture :)

ColDayMan Mar 7, 2011 1:37 AM

Great tour!

Thundertubs Mar 7, 2011 3:34 AM

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.

flar Mar 7, 2011 2:10 PM

I see some familiar sights but with much better weather, nice work! Winnipeg is a great city to explore.

Jarrod Mar 7, 2011 6:58 PM

Your captions made me chuckle. Great tour!

Coldrsx Mar 7, 2011 9:03 PM

Of all cities in Canada, so much potential...

Lenin Mar 7, 2011 11:35 PM

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!

mSeattle Mar 8, 2011 3:40 AM

An oasis. I really like Canadian development. I imagine Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska (US) growing up like this some day.

rousseau Mar 8, 2011 4:05 AM

Nice shots of Winnipeg. I miss the place. One thing, though:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lenin (Post 5189508)
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.

Not sure where you got that. Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor are all hotter than Winnipeg in the summer.

Lenin Mar 8, 2011 11:19 PM

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!

Andy6 Mar 9, 2011 12:04 AM

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.

Wpg_Guy Mar 9, 2011 5:23 AM

Ive alays liked the PSB

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs43/i/20...mmunistCat.jpg

MikeOnt Mar 9, 2011 2:59 PM

its the humidity and longer summer that makes it warmer.

c@taract_soulj@h Mar 9, 2011 6:28 PM

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!

Lenin Apr 2, 2011 11:50 PM

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

ShadowMaster Apr 3, 2011 12:40 AM

I am enjoying this Peg thread. What is Peg, the 6th largest city in Canada ? Anyone ?

DLLB Apr 3, 2011 8:43 PM

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.

LVND_W2NX Apr 4, 2011 2:05 AM

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]

Lenin Apr 4, 2011 3:54 AM

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!


All times are GMT. The time now is 6:13 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.