Toronto Manulife Centre Podium and Streetscape Renewal | 9.75m | 2s | Manulife Real Estate | MdeAS Architects

Once you understand this you understand why so many 'Toronto Specials' - minimum standard, max profit, finance them, flip 'em , move on to the next.. - p.o.s. buildings keep going up.
nice try, but if you are putting Manulife in your descriptive category.. I think you are just unrealistic in your expectations..
 
nice try, but if you are putting Manulife in your descriptive category.. I think you are just unrealistic in your expectations..
The Manulife Meh.. is indicative of the Meh.. in general.. the endemic Meh.. . Don't ever forget though, Meh.. is definitly better than what was there before!
#preservethefrontiertownhydropoles.com
 
ok, do you remember the streetscape before this reno?!
was it better? hardly! It was a mess with crumbled steps and ramps & pedestrian flow obstructions for no reason, etc..
fin. materials were extremely poor as well.. now, as with Bloor Street rejuvenation lead by aA before, this particular stretch got its matching redesign with decent extensions along Bay and Balmuto to match.. so, whether you like it or not, it is functionally better.
I would also argue that MdeAS have done a decent job to satisfy three factors here(driven by Manulife- client): fit within available budget, maximize rent-able space, improve accessibility.
You can argue forever for respect of brutalist origins of the structure, the truth of the matter is that if it was not protected by any public entity (City in this case) its preservation purely depends on the owner. The owner decided to approve the works.
Time will tell if they were right...
You rebel you... failing to conform to the other 53 pages of "this looks like crap" posts. Not one offering any kind of viable alternative, short of tearing the whole thing down. It is what it is...if people use it, then it works.
 
It is what it is...if people use it, then it works.

This is a horribly defeatist outlook; the fastest route to mediocrity. People use buildings for all sorts of reasons, often despite their failings.

If every architect and developer employed this mentality, the result would be the blandest possible outcome in every instance.
 
It remains to be seen whether or not the most inaccessible parts of Manulife, towards the south end on Balmuto and Bay, will actually be more accessible when finished. Like at 101 Yorkville (where at least an elevator was added), those stairways won't be missed.
 
Anyone know what's going in on the South end of Bay Street. There's a new bump-out next to the Indigo. My guess is it will be an expansion of the theatre or goodlife?
 
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The new restaurant at Eataly is open.

It's called Trattoria Milano

As one might expect it has a focus on Northern Italian cuisine. It's a bit more upmarket that Eataly's other sit-down offerings.

The menu includes:

L’Ossobuco with four saffron risotto and gremolata (serves 4, $128)


The menu for this 76-seater is here:


Dinner only for now, but lunch service rolling out in the next few weeks.
 
The new restaurant at Eataly is open.

It's called Trattoria Milano

As one might expect it has a focus on Northern Italian cuisine. It's a bit more upmarket that Eataly's other sit-down offerings.

We tried it last Friday night. It's blink-and-you'll-miss-it, tucked into a corner near the meat counter, thankfully away from the general chaos of the other restaurants, and unlike those, it is full service, including coffee and desserts. Our salad, fried meatballs, pasta and risotto were very well done. Nice cocktails. The wine selection is small and on the expensive side as can be expected, $72 for a plain barbera d'alba that retails for $15.95. There were service issues; the pasta wasn't what we ordered, my husband's dessert was late (they comped it) and they had a wrong bottle of wine on the bill. The tables are rather close together, and with the low ceiling the atmosphere is a bit cramped. We'll see how they improve (or not) in the next few weeks.
 

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