Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

The PATH wayfinding is impossible for normal people, so many times I see both tourists and 416ers scanning their heads or turning around and round trying to find their way. It took me months to figure out the whole thing (not just my route to work.)

With the new map the PATH is so much easier to understand, but it's still not easy (and they still haven't fully removed the old garbage map). Especially because you need to know building names. There really isn't an easy fix as an app without GPS would require beacons at $'s and for a small ROI.
 
The PATH wayfinding is impossible for normal people, so many times I see both tourists and 416ers scanning their heads or turning around and round trying to find their way. It took me months to figure out the whole thing (not just my route to work.)

With the new map the PATH is so much easier to understand, but it's still not easy (and they still haven't fully removed the old garbage map). Especially because you need to know building names. There really isn't an easy fix as an app without GPS would require beacons at $'s and for a small ROI.
There is a PATH thread and maybe (justifiable!) criticism of PATH wayfinding might be better there? SEE; https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/path-network-expansion-various-various-various.20620/page-30
 
Yikes:

http://entro.com/project/unionstation/

'The frivolity of the extended height of meaning is juxtaposed upon the dexterous wonderment of the difference between the product wherever it is directed by the arrow of reference.'

The source of the problem is apparent...

I think it's a little unfair to totally blame Entro for the mess that is the Union Station way-finding. Given the complexity and number of agencies and interests, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a case of design by committee. Everyone demanding their "logo" be prominent when they really didn't need to be. This is the perfect example of "just tell me where to put the couch" design mentality, in which any amount of thought was overridden by change requests.

A better example of their work is just next door at the UP station and Skywalk. It's clear, separates items by direction, and handles agency logos in a much more elegant way. The label for the word "Subway" is still a bit small, but I'd say this is dramatically better looking and easier to understand than the signs in Union.

IMG_0971.jpg
IMG_0970.jpg
 
I think it's a little unfair to totally blame Entro for the mess that is the Union Station way-finding. Given the complexity and number of agencies and interests, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a case of design by committee. Everyone demanding their "logo" be prominent when they really didn't need to be. This is the perfect example of "just tell me where to put the couch" design mentality, in which any amount of thought was overridden by change requests.

A better example of their work is just next door at the UP station and Skywalk. It's clear, separates items by direction, and handles agency logos in a much more elegant way. The label for the word "Subway" is still a bit small, but I'd say this is dramatically better looking and easier to understand than the signs in Union.

View attachment 171972
View attachment 171971
Those signs are way clearer. And they seem easy to modify temporarily by adding a sticker.
 
Makes sense to have the wayfinding signs lit up as easier to see when it is dark out there, also Cinnabon would make a great tenant !
Be careful with your Cinnabon consumption. They use the cheap Cassia cinnamon from China, known to be toxic, https://www.cinnabon.com/company-info.

On your own shopping, never buy ground cinnamon, as it's almost always the cheap Cassia species, even if its labeled as the safer Ceylon cinnamon.

Cinnamon-options.004.jpeg
 
Be careful with your Cinnabon consumption. They use the cheap Cassia cinnamon from China, known to be toxic, https://www.cinnabon.com/company-info.

On your own shopping, never buy ground cinnamon, as it's almost always the cheap Cassia species, even if its labeled as the safer Ceylon cinnamon.

Cinnamon-options.004.jpeg

Yaaaa... I'm pretty sure the toxicity of the cinnamon they use is the least of your worries if you're consuming large quantities of Cinnabon. The cardiac arrest will get ya before the liver failure does.

(P.S. Cassia is the most prevalent cinnamon in North America. If you haven't gone out of your way to buy Ceylon, chances are you've been consuming Cassia your entire life, in any recipe you've made and in any product you've bought).
 
Yaaaa... I'm pretty sure the toxicity of the cinnamon they use is the least of your worries if you're consuming large quantities of Cinnabon. The cardiac arrest will get ya before the liver failure does.

(P.S. Cassia is the most prevalent cinnamon in North America. If you haven't gone out of your way to buy Ceylon, chances are you've been consuming Cassia your entire life, in any recipe you've made and in any product you've bought).

You know what this reminds me of though...........sorry for an OTP tangent..........

Is that most grocery stores, when selling anything from produce to meat to dairy have labels that could be considered incomplete or misleading.

In most cases, to most people, the missing or misleading information is not material. Does it matter to you if the yellow-fleshed potato is 'Yukon Gold'? Does the breed of cow matter to you when purchasing your steak?

For most people the answer is no, and it rarely, if ever, affects issues like allergens.

Notwithstanding that; people's common perceptions of what they are buying; and what they are actually getting if one were detailed and pin point accurate are often not reconcilable.

I've often thought all labeling should have to be more detailed. (not just food).

Though there's always a question of where to stop; as one doesn't want to read the encyclopedia when buying a carrot or a can of soup, or a towel for that matter.

Back to the potato question.........should the varietal name have to be accurate? For clarity, should the botanical name appear somewhere on the label?

http://potatoassociation.org/industry/varieties/yellow-potato-varieties

Should the cinnamon variety have to be stated?

What about which varietal of coffee bean is in that coffee?

Or which breed of cattle was used to make that ground beef?

What about sheets?

Should the weave have to be stated? What about the thread length?

When is 'Egyptian cotton' not what you think?

Tangent over, back to Union Station now....
 
On your own shopping, never buy ground cinnamon, as it's almost always the cheap Cassia species, even if its labeled as the safer Ceylon cinnamon.

Ceylon isn't a cooking cinnamon; it doesn't survive high heat very well. It's something you add very near the end of cooking or even immediately before serving. Nearly every baker will be using a Cassia species as the alternative is essentially plain bread with a sprinkle on top.
 
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Be careful with your Cinnabon consumption. They use the cheap Cassia cinnamon from China, known to be toxic, https://www.cinnabon.com/company-info.

On your own shopping, never buy ground cinnamon, as it's almost always the cheap Cassia species, even if its labeled as the safer Ceylon cinnamon.

Cinnamon-options.004.jpeg

Sorry, but I am not obese. Plus, obviously, we consume it in excess already, read the above posts.
 
Enough on cinnamon. Back on topic please.

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This occurs on a semi-annual, if not greater, basis in this thread
I'm not saying "never mention the fact you miss Cinnabon again". I'm saying that enough time has now been spent dissecting cinnamon itself that it's time to get back to the topic of the thread. If someone has news that yes indeed that retailer is returning, then go at Cinnabon again, but that's it for this tangent for now.

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The Bay Concourse and York Concourse wayfinding signs (in the VIA Concourse) are lit up now, too.

Looks like all the framing for the drop ceiling in the Bay Concourse is completed (at least the areas visible from the leather shop bypass). Looks like additional lighting is powered up now too, it looks much brighter... or maybe it's because they've cleaned up so much. Hard to tell.

Dare I say the finish line is in sight?
 
The Bay Concourse and York Concourse wayfinding signs (in the VIA Concourse) are lit up now, too.

Looks like all the framing for the drop ceiling in the Bay Concourse is completed (at least the areas visible from the leather shop bypass). Looks like additional lighting is powered up now too, it looks much brighter... or maybe it's because they've cleaned up so much. Hard to tell.

Dare I say the finish line is in sight?
I’m sorry to say this as I said many time before but do you have pictures I want to see this
 

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