The Soul-Sucking Canada Thread - Page 8

Andy6 · #**141** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Same with the ads

Well, remember when they first opened a casino in Manitoba - the Crystal Casino in the Fort Garry Hotel. The model they had in mind was clearly Monte Carlo. I think it was just taken for granted that that was what a casino was like. The big issue on opening was the local "black activist" of the day complaining about the high-roller dress code and demanding to be allowed to wear "African" formalwear.

Andy6 · #**142** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 1:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by niwell

Cathedraltown is creepy as shit and pretty ugly. But it has a grid pattern, main street with businesses and mostly laneway fronting garages. So still doing more things right than most suburbs in Canada... let that sink in for a bit.

Winnipeg has back lanes in most of the older residential areas of the city. They have some advantages but are also a lot of extra pavement to maintain and especially to plough. They're also a convenient backdoor for thieves: the one time I was burgled was in the only place I've lived that had a back alley (Palmerston Blvd. in Toronto, actually).

kwoldtimer · #**143** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 1:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy6

Well, remember when they first opened a casino in Manitoba - the Crystal Casino in the Fort Garry Hotel. The model they had in mind was clearly Monte Carlo. I think it was just taken for granted that that was what a casino was like. The big issue on opening was the local "black activist" of the day complaining about the high-roller dress code and demanding to be allowed to wear "African" formalwear.

Why would that be an issue?

esquire · #**144** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 3:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Why would that be an issue?

That's a pretty Winnipeg thing to occur... I can just imagine the CJOB Action Line callers of the day loudly opining that the gentleman should just observe the dress code and there won't be any problems! Or something to that effect.

The Crystal Casino was actually pretty nicely done, they clearly aimed upscale although I concede that might not have been the best business strategy in 1980s/90s Winnipeg. I guess legalized gambling was new and there was some pressure on government to prove that this wouldn't be some sleazy joint but that it would be classy.

I've also heard it said (I'm not sure how true it is) that having the casino in there for 15 years helped keep the lights on in the Hotel Fort Garry, which is Winnipeg's old railway hotel in the vein of Chateau Laurier, Hotel Vancouver, etc.

manny_santos · #**145** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 3:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reesonov

One of Kingston's more prominent intersections too. And it doesn't even really capture the Shopper's Drug Mart parking lot across the street.

Princess Towers is one of the ugliest buildings in all of Eastern Ontario. I suspect it is a reason locals get hyper-opposed to other highrises nearby.

manny_santos · #**146** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 3:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Pleasantville?

Good grief, that's not Turkmenistan?

That cathedral is visible from the 404 when driving from Toronto to Newmarket. Always wondered about it.

O-tacular · #**147** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 8:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

Great movie. Honestly, even before seeing it I thought the Markham cathedral had a creepy vibe to it.

Cathedraltown looks even worse in the winter:

Sam Neil did some great horror movies back in the day. Event Horizon was another good one.

Pinion · #**148** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 9:50 PM**

.

O-tacular · #**149** Posted **Mar 22, 2018, 10:40 PM**

Parq Vancouver looks stunning! How is it polarizing?

GlassCity · #**150** Posted **Mar 23, 2018, 12:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Parq Vancouver looks stunning! How is it polarizing?

Burgundy glass is controversial, and it blocks BC Place. I hate it so much I get mad just looking at it.

http://www.vancourier.com/living/a-s...ort-1.23050806

O-tacular · #**151** Posted **Mar 23, 2018, 1:01 AM**

Vancouver could use more burgundy glass to break up the monotony of seafoam green condos. Now that’s soul sucking!

GlassCity · #**152** Posted **Mar 23, 2018, 1:31 AM**

Agreed, it's the creation of a solid wall in front of BC Place that gets to me.

O-tacular · #**153** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:05 PM**

Community Centers are a special category of soul sucking. Newer ones tend to be better as they are usually part of the sales pitch for new communities. Some of the old ones are just brutal though.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.05765...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.06541...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03195...7i13312!8i6656

O-tacular · #**154** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:12 PM**

Schoolyards also tend to be soul sucking dead patches of concrete and grass:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.05251...7i13312!8i6656

Acajack · #**155** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Schoolyards also tend to be soul sucking dead patches of concrete and grass:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.05251...7i13312!8i6656

That's true. The nice appealling ones are the exceptions.

Though the price of gas at 95 cents per litre across the road isn't soul-sucking at all!

niwell · #**156** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy6

Winnipeg has back lanes in most of the older residential areas of the city. They have some advantages but are also a lot of extra pavement to maintain and especially to plough. They're also a convenient backdoor for thieves: the one time I was burgled was in the only place I've lived that had a back alley (Palmerston Blvd. in Toronto, actually).

A friend of mine actually just caught someone trying to steal from his back garage in the Junction Triangle on the weekend. The lock was broken and they hadn't gotten a chance to replace it - I guess someone was just going up the laneway and checked each garage. I still prefer it to massive front garages, and in the city it's extremely useful to have an alternative to street parking (my place just has a parking pad back there).

lio45 · #**157** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

You could've told me this is Russia and I would have had no problems at all accepting it. (I'd have bet on Russia, actually, if you guys hadn't said it was in Markham, Ontario.)

It's actually not that bad, just... could've been better. Also feels abnormal for here, but if I saw it during a visit of Russia I'd be just like "okay, that's just how they do it over there; normal urbanism, nothing special".

lio45 · #**158** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 4:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

That's true. The nice appealling ones are the exceptions.

Though the price of gas at 95 cents per litre across the road isn't soul-sucking at all!

Or you could make the opposite point: cheap gas leads pretty directly to soul-sucking built environments

whatnext · #**159** Posted **Mar 26, 2018, 6:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Agreed, it's the creation of a solid wall in front of BC Place that gets to me.

I agree. I wasn't a fan of spending so much money redoing the roof on BC Place, but once they did it was quite spectacular. And now they've boxed it in, effectively wasting all the money that was invested.

Denscity · #**160** Posted **Mar 27, 2018, 6:23 AM**

Isn't the glass copper colour?
You can still BC Place from other angles
It's hard to see Madison Square Gardens as well