Portage and Main re-opening 2016

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by biguc

I chalk it up to ignorance. Winnipeg is an isolated city, and many people don't get to see what other cities do. Whatever Fargo does is good enough.

There are a lot of simple and cheap things that other cities do all the time--like letting people cross the street--that would immediately improve this city. Instead we have a brand new, half-assed outlet mall on the edge of town at a time when malls are closing everywhere. It comes off as people deliberately making our city worse--and they are--but it's because Bloomington is just swell, Copenhagen is a brand of dip, and our city will only truly arrive when we get a Buffalo Wild Wings and someone fixes the damn roads.

I can only wish Winnipeg had a stretch akin to North Broadway in downtown Fargo. It actually puts downtown Winnipeg to shame.

[jmt18325]

Except not really.

[Bluenote]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

I can only wish Winnipeg had a stretch akin to North Broadway in downtown Fargo. It actually puts downtown Winnipeg to shame.

Lmfap. You are comparing DT Fargo to Winnipeg ? Really

[Urban recluse]

Why not? I cannot think of one street in downtown Winnipeg that reflects North Broadway between 4th Ave and 2nd Ave, and then up to 1st Ave.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87980...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87906...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87869...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87799...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87711...7i13312!8i6656

[jmt18325]

Downtown isn't a street. It's a big place.

[vjose32]

I think one of our problems is too many 1 way streets. If all these 1 ways were converted to 2 way streets then you would have 2 or 3 times as many east-west and north-south routes

[Urban recluse]

Yep! I agree that one way streets are negative and cater to vehicles.

[bomberjet]

Looks like Osborne. Or even Marion St.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by biguc

I chalk it up to ignorance. Winnipeg is an isolated city, and many people don't get to see what other cities do. Whatever Fargo does is good enough.

There are a lot of simple and cheap things that other cities do all the time--like letting people cross the street--that would immediately improve this city. Instead we have a brand new, half-assed outlet mall on the edge of town at a time when malls are closing everywhere. It comes off as people deliberately making our city worse--and they are--but it's because Bloomington is just swell, Copenhagen is a brand of dip, and our city will only truly arrive when we get a Buffalo Wild Wings and someone fixes the damn roads.

And it's like Christmas when our bud cases come with that red light for whenever the jets score!

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Looks like Osborne. Or even Marion St.

Right.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Looks like Osborne. Or even Marion St.

Looks like but isn't. It's not a major traffic route. I believe there are 56 bars and restaurants. Pedestrians everywhere and everything is busy. You have to experience it to understand.

[pacman]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

Why not? I cannot think of one street in downtown Winnipeg that reflects North Broadway between 4th Ave and 2nd Ave, and then up to 1st Ave.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87980...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87906...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87869...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87799...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87711...7i13312!8i6656

Nothing against downtown Fargo, looks like a nice street and I'm happy for them, will maybe visit it next time I'm down there, but needs some perspective. Pull back less than a block from that exact block and it looks like a perfect example that you could post of our crappy Winnipeg downtown with a huge surface lot downtown, no CRU's, nothing much going for it.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87905...7i13312!8i6656

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by pacman

Nothing against downtown Fargo, looks like a nice street and I'm happy for them, will maybe visit it next time I'm down there, but needs some perspective. Pull back less than a block from that exact block and it looks like a perfect example that you could post of our crappy Winnipeg downtown with a huge surface lot downtown, no CRU's, nothing much going for it.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.87905...7i13312!8i6656

I think I see the point he's making, though. Winnipeg has almost *no* continuous pedestrian-friendly retail stretches.

The Exchange has a lot of neat stores (and new activity) but it's spread out across a neighbourhood. Osborne has about one block (from River to Stradbrook). Sherbrooke has some neat retail, but it's also pretty spaced out. There's a lot of neat shops along Academy, but it's widely spaced out and mostly a series of strip malls with street-facing parking lots.Portage has continuous stretches of retail, but it's Timmy's for the office crowd -- nothing that you'd go window shop.

Consider LoJo in Victoria -- https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.42777...7i13312!8i6656

If someone said "where's a good place to go wander and window shop", what would you tell them? One block of Osborne, and a bunch of spaced out shops scattered through the Exchange, right?

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

and a bunch of spaced out shops scattered through the Exchange, right?

Serious question - what's so bad about the Exchange being a good neighborhood? There's a lot to do there - far more than you could fit on a street.

Edit: Osborne is walk able for more like 5 blocks.

[pacman]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

I think I see the point he's making, though. Winnipeg has almost *no* continuous pedestrian-friendly retail stretches.

The Exchange has a lot of neat stores (and new activity) but it's spread out across a neighbourhood. Osborne has about one block (from River to Stradbrook). Sherbrooke has some neat retail, but it's also pretty spaced out. There's a lot of neat shops along Academy, but it's widely spaced out and mostly a series of strip malls with street-facing parking lots.Portage has continuous stretches of retail, but it's Timmy's for the office crowd -- nothing that you'd go window shop.

Consider LoJo in Victoria -- https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.42777...7i13312!8i6656

If someone said "where's a good place to go wander and window shop", what would you tell them? One block of Osborne, and a bunch of spaced out shops scattered through the Exchange, right?

I understand the point too, and I agree with both of you. I'm just saying that even an example like that is not really much different than what we currently have. It's more dense on the one side and looks good but walking down the street won't be that different of an experience because there's nothing happening on the other side of the street. Also, the buildings are shorter and smaller than we have for example on Bannatyne or McDermot because our city was bigger when those buildings were put up. Shorter smaller buildings with more natural storefronts are easier to achieve a "dense" feeling than a bunch of 4-5 storey high former warehouses with minimal entrances. We all want walkable, window-shopping friendly, bustling with activity neighborhoods, but you gotta play with the hand you're dealt. No doubt Winnipeg can do better, but we need perspective.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.89712...7i13312!8i6656

How many stretches of the exchange have a continuous string of buildings similar size to the above stretch of McDermot? I would love to see a current neighborhood "redeveloped" into what you're looking for instead of trying to build it at the Forks, but realistically how many options are there?

[bomberjet]

Hey I said looks like! I really have no desire to explore Fargo. But will check it out if I'm ever in the area.

What about Corydon? There's 56 bars and restaurants that are pretty busy. People everywhere in the summer. Even though some people say its in decline. Just trying to play devil's advocate. We can cherry pick this and that from places all over the world.

[esquire]

^ Corydon is awesome but it is really a somewhat one-dimensional food and drink destination... there is very little retail, and what little there is comes in the form of mostly niche destination shops (travel agent, swimwear shop, quick printing, etc.) that you would never really browse around in. No bookstores, mass-appeal clothing stores, that sort of thing.

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

I think I see the point he's making, though. Winnipeg has almost *no* continuous pedestrian-friendly retail stretches.

The Exchange has a lot of neat stores (and new activity) but it's spread out across a neighbourhood. Osborne has about one block (from River to Stradbrook). Sherbrooke has some neat retail, but it's also pretty spaced out. There's a lot of neat shops along Academy, but it's widely spaced out and mostly a series of strip malls with street-facing parking lots.Portage has continuous stretches of retail, but it's Timmy's for the office crowd -- nothing that you'd go window shop.

Consider LoJo in Victoria -- https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.42777...7i13312!8i6656

If someone said "where's a good place to go wander and window shop", what would you tell them? One block of Osborne, and a bunch of spaced out shops scattered through the Exchange, right?

Oh man, that Victoria streetscape, stunning!

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Corydon is awesome but it is really a somewhat one-dimensional food and drink destination... there is very little retail, and what little there is comes in the form of mostly niche destination shops (travel agent, swimwear shop, quick printing, etc.) that you would never really browse around in. No bookstores, mass-appeal clothing stores, that sort of thing.

Yeah, and really, has Corydon changed much in 20 years?

[Cyro]

^ Retailers come and go as does business.
Not to wander to far off the exciting P&M discussion but the neighborhood has quite a bit more to offer if you actually take a closer look at some of the businesses and retailers present. Even along Lilac Ave. Grocer, hardware, antiques, pets, tattoo's, baked goods, salons, financial, head shop, bookstores and so on. The restaurants,coffee shops, bars etc are too numerous to mention..