Toronto Ripley's Aquarium of Canada | 13.11m | 2s | Ripley Entertainment | B+H

yyzhyd said:
I agree about the Science Centre but the Toronto Zoo has been ranked as high as 7th in worldwide rankings.

But it is without question that we have the best world class group of inferiority complexed perpetual whiners and complainers in this city.
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Our zoo is also one of the largest city zoos too and was one of the first to build it to give the animals the priority. It's still considered one of the worlds great zoos. Many people in Toronto seem to think that if it's in Toronto, it can't be of high quality but their wrong. It's definitely their inferiority complexes showing through.
 
jn_12 said:
What's really interesting is that I bet that the Ontario government was somewhat blindsided by this aquarium proposal. It wasn't on the radar in the summer and I think a lot of people figured that the revitalization of Ontario Place that is slated for the next 5-10 years would include an aquarium. At least we're getting a nice addition to our tourism industry, but you have to wonder if the aquarium could have been way better in Ontario Place.
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Wouldn't the best place for the aquarium be at the Toronto Zoo? It makes more sense. Not everything has to be located downtown.
 
Dugmor said:
Wouldn't the best place for the aquarium be at the Toronto Zoo? It makes more sense. Not everything has to be located downtown.
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No, but when you are selecting the site and are aiming for a place with lots of foot traffic somewhere near the core would likely be the best bet. I've ridden my bike along the trail on Meadowvale many times and have never seen anyone else using it, the foot traffic up there is essentially 0 pph.
 
I think Ontario Place or Harbourfront would be good locations for an aquarium because they're on the water. It makes ZERO sense to me to have an aquarium at the CN Tower or Dundas Square.
 
It does make sense to have the aquarium at the base of the CN Tower or Dundas Square, because that is where the people are.

It does not make sense to have the aquarium at Ontario Place, in the summer it will be fine, however in the winter it will be a dead zone. As for the waterfront it is going to take many years before the area is built out to support an aquarium.
 
Harbourfront is barely a stone's throw from the CN Tower anyway; that is unless you're of the type who can barely be arsed to walk more than a few minutes without complaining (though I realize many of said people exist, sadly).

Now, if by Harbourfront everyone's referring to the east waterfront, that's a little more warranted. That'd be my first choice for location. As it is though, I can't really see many spots large enough for this complex right at the central waterfront. Perhaps on one of the large parking lots closer to the Gardiner, north of QQ, but at this point the CN Tower area makes the most sense. So shut yer yaps.
 
Hmmmm....as much as I'd like to see the tower base renovated and made a bit more architecturally coherent and dignified, I don't think this is the way to go about it. The tower base buildings could definitely be better planned and enlarged. But as planned, it's all just a bit Clifton Hill meets The Skylon for me.

One of the things that was architecturally exciting about the tower when it was first built, was the way the base of the structure was so clearly articulated against the ground and rose so sheerly from it. With the geometries of the base outlined flatly and sharply in the reflecting pool that surrounded it, the idea of the tower as wholly visible sculptural object was carried through rather excitingly right through, from base to tip.

The outlines of the tower have become a bit muddied in the last couple of decades, primarily from all the new telecommunication equipment that's been added between the top of the Sky Pod and the Space Deck (the olde names of the observation levels).
I was hoping a new base renovation might de-clutter things, rather than mix them up. Oh well. But I hope at least this architectural plan gets another pass throught the CAD machine - and its scheduling. I'd like to see the PATH system connected first, with the possibility of later paving over of parkland being the second phase.
 
egotrippin said:
Harbourfront is barely a stone's throw from the CN Tower anyway; that is unless you're of the type who can barely be arsed to walk more than a few minutes without complaining (though I realize many of said people exist, sadly).

Now, if by Harbourfront everyone's referring to the east waterfront, that's a little more warranted. That'd be my first choice for location. As it is though, I can't really see many spots large enough for this complex right at the central waterfront. Perhaps on one of the large parking lots closer to the Gardiner, north of QQ, but at this point the CN Tower area makes the most sense. So shut yer yaps.
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When I say Harbourfront, I mean somewhere nearby Union, e.g. somewhereabouts the ferry docks and Harbourfront Centre and the WaveDecks are. And who needs land? There's always the proud Toronto tradition of just using landfill to extend the waterfront out. So just choose a spot, and figure it out from there. The foot of Yonge St would be a great location. Give people a reason to go down there. And it's really not that far a walk from Union, especially with all the stuff that's going in around there these days.
 
Brans89 said:
It does make sense to have the aquarium at the base of the CN Tower or Dundas Square, because that is where the people are.

It does not make sense to have the aquarium at Ontario Place, in the summer it will be fine, however in the winter it will be a dead zone. As for the waterfront it is going to take many years before the area is built out to support an aquarium.
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Dead zone? Doubtful. During the off peak season it would be busy with school field trips, and many people going there on the weekends.
We have to change our way of thinking about going to the waterfront during the winter. It's not just for the summer.
 
I see that Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach is ranked 24 out of 86 attractions on TripAdvisor (Side: There are eighty-six attractions in Myrtle Beach? Are they counting some of the grains of sand?). I don't think this bodes well for ours, though the one in Gatlinburg seems more popular.

I don't have a lot of faith in the Ripleys brand. If we do have an aquarium, I would like to see some focus on Ontario/Canadian exhibits (could you do an arctic tank?) and some focus on the many threats to ocean biodiversity that are currently occurring. And no whales. And no porpoises.

I suppose what I think doesn't matter, as I'm unlikely to go regardless. I've been in many cities with an aquarium, and apart from Vancouver's, I haven't been.
 
How 'bout a Gehry-esque bow tie........?

aqua.jpg
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
When I say Harbourfront, I mean somewhere nearby Union, e.g. somewhereabouts the ferry docks and Harbourfront Centre and the WaveDecks are. And who needs land? There's always the proud Toronto tradition of just using landfill to extend the waterfront out. So just choose a spot, and figure it out from there. The foot of Yonge St would be a great location. Give people a reason to go down there. And it's really not that far a walk from Union, especially with all the stuff that's going in around there these days.
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Why would Union and not the CN Tower be considered Harbourfront when the Tower is considerably closer to Harbourfront Centre and the Wavedecks? Do you ever come down here?

I do have to agree with building it out into the harbour. To me, it would act as the jewel of the waterfront.
Archivist said:
I see that Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach is ranked 24 out of 86 attractions on TripAdvisor (Side: There are eighty-six attractions in Myrtle Beach? Are they counting some of the grains of sand?). I don't think this bodes well for ours, though the one in Gatlinburg seems more popular.

I don't have a lot of faith in the Ripleys brand. If we do have an aquarium, I would like to see some focus on Ontario/Canadian exhibits (could you do an arctic tank?) and some focus on the many threats to ocean biodiversity that are currently occurring. And no whales. And no porpoises.

I suppose what I think doesn't matter, as I'm unlikely to go regardless. I've been in many cities with an aquarium, and apart from Vancouver's, I haven't been.
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I would take the Tripadvisor attraction rankings with a grain of salt. Chicago's Shedd Aquarium is only the 42nd ranked attraction in Chicago and its pretty awesome and the Field Museum which is one of the best in North America is 50th. Locally, the AGO is only 23rd for Toronto and I don't think any of us could name 22 things tourists should see before going there. By your logic no one should build a museum like the Field Museum or an art gallery like the AGO because Tripadvisor claims they're not very well-liked where they were built.

Tripadvisor is great for hotels and avoiding bed bugs, but if you look through its attraction rankings it really isn't helpful beyond pointing out some under the radar attractions that you might not have gone to otherwise.
 
What is the point of an Aquarium?? Just so we can have an aquarium like everyone else??? It doesn’t make any sense. If you are going to build an "attraction", build something unique or special. Another aquarium in this world - especially one that is less than average in size - is a ridiculous idea. What? Are we not a real "world class city" without an aquarium? Get real.

If all you want to be is "like everyone else" go ahead and build your mediocre, small aquarium. Personally I would rather see something unique or spectacular as an attraction. The CN tower was unique and will always be. But just another aquarium - and there are several "Ripley's" aquariums already in existence - is just plain stupid.
 
Archivist said:
I see that Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach is ranked 24 out of 86 attractions on TripAdvisor (Side: There are eighty-six attractions in Myrtle Beach? Are they counting some of the grains of sand?). I don't think this bodes well for ours, though the one in Gatlinburg seems more popular.

I don't have a lot of faith in the Ripleys brand. If we do have an aquarium, I would like to see some focus on Ontario/Canadian exhibits (could you do an arctic tank?) and some focus on the many threats to ocean biodiversity that are currently occurring. And no whales. And no porpoises.

I suppose what I think doesn't matter, as I'm unlikely to go regardless. I've been in many cities with an aquarium, and apart from Vancouver's, I haven't been.
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WOW! So does that mean this aquarium will put us in the big leagues along side those other world capitals, Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach? I'm sure my cousins in LA will be very impressed when I tell them about that.:D
 
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