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

Agreed, I have thought so all along. The choice is not between Ripley's and the Shedd Aquarium, it's between Ripley's and nothing at all. And given the sheer size of the Ripley's proposal, and their apparent desire to raise the bar on their brand name, I would think that while the Toronto aquarium will not be the equal of the Shedd, it will still easily be the best in Canada.
 
I've hinted at this before, but what if the signage were modified or eliminated all together (unlikely) like that at the Leon's Roundhouse? For all the spent words here you'd think they were building this thing up at Eglinton...
 
ProjectEnd said:
I've hinted at this before, but what if the signage were modified or eliminated all together (unlikely) like that at the Leon's Roundhouse? ..
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i doubt it, Leons down there is nothing more than your average furniture shop..this is a tourist attraction
If anything, id say light it up more..... rooftop LED lighting, similar to the Rogers Centre.
 
I doubt that Ripley's will be willing to tone down their signage, especially if they are re-branding. Isn't "Ripley's" going to be written across the roof the building so it can be seen, and photographed, by visitors looking down from the tower?
 
Ramako said:
Saying that this is a missed opportunity implies that a "well-respected, innovative waterfront aquarium" was a realistic alternative that we turned down in favour of Ripley's.
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That this wasn't an 'either/or' choice does not diminish the fact that the loss of potential was indeed a 'missed opportunity'.

Ramako said:
In reality, the only alternative to this was getting no aquarium at all because there is simply no one around willing to pay for the kind of aquarium that you're talking about. The Georgia and Shedd Aquariums were funded by wealthy philanthropists, and sadly, such individuals are rare in Toronto.
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You are assuming that the loss of a Ripley's aquarium would be missed... and your 'we better do it now because anything is better than nothing, and nothing better will ever come along anyway' stance is alarmist. Over time and with the right kind of planning other feasible alternatives would be found. With recent talk of the possible rejuvenation of Ontario Place and/or a possible Olympic bid who knows what kind of 'opportunities' might have been possible through agreements with differing levels of government as well as private partners and benefactors?

Ramako said:
All I can think of is those spoiled California teens who cry about getting an Acura for their 16th birthday instead of the Mercedes that they really wanted. The vast majority of major cities in the world have no aquarium, so let's enjoy the fact that we're getting one at all instead of constantly whining about how it's not going to be the best in the world. This entire thread is nothing but whining. The point has been made repeatedly and it's getting tiresome.
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Ah yes, the familiar 'it's better than nothing' brand of optimism we hear so often here at UT. Inspiring!
 
Look, the deal is done and so my ranting is really just ranting. At the end of the day I will remain hopeful that this will turn out as best as it can be for what it is.
 
Tewder said:
Look, the deal is done and so my ranting is really just ranting. At the end of the day I will remain hopeful that this will turn out as best as it can be for what it is.
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Who knows... maybe the novel sights within will inspire a young and ambitious Torontonian to one day use his or her own fortune to build a new aquarium for Toronto on par with those in Atlanta and Chicago.
 
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Tewder said:
Look, the deal is done and so my ranting is really just ranting. At the end of the day I will remain hopeful that this will turn out as best as it can be for what it is.
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"..so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" ;)
 
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Not that this has much to do with Toronto, but Vancouver's aquarium isn't even on the water. Sure, it's on an island, but it isn't that close to the water.
 
Again, the snobbery and elitist attitude of some members on this forum never fails to amaze me. Most cities in the world would love to have a development like this, and many others that are currently being built in Toronto, and all we do is whine whine whine... :(
 
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