Reasons to Feel Good About Toronto

[allabootmatt]

Accidental double post, apologies.

 

[Thanos]

http://money.canoe.ca/money/business/canada/archives/2011/07/20110718-132826.html

Another reason to feel good about our city, the economy.
Hopefully this will put an end to all the Detroit comparisons.

 

[TonyV]

I've nothing to add due to lack of time but I feel better after reading the posts on this page given all the negative crap last week which really got me down.

Walk away from the "negative crap" you read here sometimes, quite literally walk away from it. My favourite walks (of late) are:

- King St., all the way from Parliament westward past Spadina (also look at the side streets);
- Queen St., from approximately Carlaw westward past Spadina (also look at the side streets);
- Spadina Ave. itself;
- Head northward toward the back end of the Art Gallery of Ontario from Queen St. West at John;
- Or, walk around Wellington St. West and observe the dynamic streetscape resulting from new developments (The Ritz, RBC Dexia);
- Or, walk Front St. W, to see how the streetscape is developing there, too. It's marvellous. Imagine the possibilities of a big new development at Front/Simcoe - fantasize a bit;
- Have a cool lunch at an outdoor place on Baldwin;
- Go to the Island on one of those ancient ferries;
- Stand near St. Lawrence Market and gaze up westward at the array of shapes and sizes of the buildings in the CBD (and just think, there is so much more to come);
- Go into St. Lawrence Market and get something to eat;
- Do the gay village and ponder the cohesive neighbourhood - take in the fountains in Village Green and then get a cheap outdoor dinner at the adjacent raised patio;
- Admire the skyline from Danforth and Broadview;
- cut across the footbridge in Riverdale Park and arrive in Cabbagetown and upon arrival, go on a walking tour (follow the "discovery trail" signs);
- Talk to a tourist. Or, talk to a stranger. Help someone find directions. I've done that all my life. I was born here. We're like that here.

There are more walks of course, but there are destinations, too. Take in a show or concert. Toronto is so strong in this category - the second or third most active arts scene on the continent. You can have highbrow opera (modern or baroque) or symphony, or chamber (or baroque chamber), or solo recitals, or dance, or jazz, or mainstage musicals, or drama, or ... it's endless, absolutely endless.

Go to the Royal Ontario Museum. Or, don't. Just walk along Bloor. It seems that we are walking again.

EDIT: Take a ride on the Carlton/College streetcar (route 504) during non rush-hour. The experience is guaranteed to blow your mind -- it's all about what you see out the windows of course.

Or, read all about Toronto having the strongest economy in Canada, in spite of the fact that the various regions (and governments) try so hard to pillory (and pillage) the place. And just think, we have achieved all of that without the "economic stimulus" of an expo or an olympics.

 

[junctionist]

The high-quality waterfront development, transit expansion, and Toronto's successful shift from manufacturing to services and in particular, culture and the creative economy when many North American cities didn't: there's much to feel good about. What I love is the realization that we are the real national metropolis today, the city with a leading economy that's most cosmopolitan and vibrant with culture. One can travel and be impressed with the nineteenth and early twentieth-century streetscapes of Montreal, and then return and see a reflection of ourselves, the city most flowing with the metropolitan swagger and ambition.

We will have to forge stronger ties with other Canadian cities and be proud leaders in every aspect of urban culture, infrastructure, and development to cement ourselves as the metropolis of the nation in addition to international prominence. But practically speaking, that's what we've come after so many generations of hard work and a great heritage. We can leave a legacy of beautiful and respectful city-building for the next generation, and for Canada and the world to admire. It's not a given; it's up to us to set the highest standards for infrastructure, culture, and design. I feel good that Toronto the Great is within our reach.

 

[TonyV]

^ that is so well written, junctionist.

About your "Toronto the Great is within our reach" comment, well, it's true. I feel that it is important to recognize that a large component of greatness is the society itself. In other words it is not just about architecture.

Toronto's civilization is its strongest point, and it is what makes us a standout in North America.

 

[Tewder]

To put it simply: The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Magic.

 

[TonyV]

Give a thought to the international architects that have worked here in the last half century, it's quite a list. This is not to say that they have all made stunning contributions, but still:

Mies van der Rohe
I. M. Pei
Edward Durell Stone
Phillip Johnson
Santiago Calatrava
Viljo Revell
James Stirling
Moshe Safdie
Arthur Erickson
Frank Gehry
Daniel Libeskind
Will Alsop
Skidmore Owings and Merrill
EDIT: Add Snohetta and Philip Starck to this list...
... and there is room for Jean Nouvel.

And then there are our own ... KPBM, Clewes (a transplant), Diamond & Schmitt, and WZMH (must mention that all of these Toronto companies are getting international profiles now).

Once this town knits it all together with some cohesive streetscapes, we'll be a big winner.

 

[JLankford]

I really enjoy Toronto's ravine system, which I'm not sure many people even know exist. Outside of the core, the city is amazingly green, with plenty of parks around every corner. I always make it a habit to explore different parts of the city whenever I have time. Toronto is so large, even residents don't really appreciate all the unique neighborhoods, parks, and places one can see. Just hop on a streetcar, or bicycle and go!

 

[Bogtrotter]

Multiculturalism and its cultural institutions.

 

[Urban Shocker]

One perhaps easily missed benefit to living in Toronto is the number of superb free entertainments that are to be had - from lunchtime concerts given by some of the world's great opera singers and classically trained musicians at the City Room to outdoor concerts in parks and public squares during cultural events such as Luminato.

 

[adma]

Give a thought to the international architects that have worked here in the last half century, it's quite a list. This is not to say that they have all made stunning contributions, but still:

Mies van der Rohe
I. M. Pei
Edward Durell Stone
Phillip Johnson
Santiago Calatrava
Viljo Revell
James Stirling
Moshe Safdie
Arthur Erickson
Frank Gehry
Daniel Libeskind
Will Alsop
Skidmore Owings and Merrill
EDIT: Add Snohetta and Philip Starck to this list...
... and there is room for Jean Nouvel.

And then there are our own ... KPBM, Clewes (a transplant), Diamond & Schmitt, and WZMH (must mention that all of these Toronto companies are getting international profiles now).

Once this town knits it all together with some cohesive streetscapes, we'll be a big winner.

You might as well toss in Thom Mayne, Behnisch & Behnisch, KPF--heck, even Robert A.M. Stern. (Or Aldo Rossi, all too evanescently in 1988.)

 

[TonyV]

Yup, I missed a few.

 

[TonyV]

The Distillery District.