jn_12
Senior Member
The comparison of public parks in Toronto with that one park in Paris is misleading; The "park" forms part of the grounds of the museum, and is therefore only open to the paying public, and closes after 6:45. For this reason, it's not really a park at all, but part of a private space within the Museum.
If I recally correctly, most Parisian parks contain what seems to me like acres and acres of gravel - they seem inordinantly fond of it. Though they are tidy enough.
The point stands, however, that our parks in Toronto need more TLC.
It's not misleading at all. I said that the Musee Rodin Garden is the museum itself and requires payment (Mind you, it's something like €5 which isn't that bad for such a fantastic place). Obviously the situations are slightly different, but a a one or two dollar increase in the price of entrance at the AGO could subsidize some of the maintenance costs (I don't have any figures, perhaps it would take a lot more than one or two dollars, but it's an option that would go well with taxdollars from the city).
I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by the Parisian love of gravel. You go to the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb and the Louvre and everything is gravel. I expected it to be paved to perfection.
UrbanShocker said:I believe that the Music Garden is one of the featured gardens that the city supports at a higher financial level. There's funding for the music concerts that take place there too. The apparent "wildness" of the Garden is pure artifice, the result of careful maintenance of the many and varied plantings that have matured over the years.
I walk past the music garden every day on my way to work. It's the only park in Toronto that I would take someone from out of town to. It's ability to look both planned and untamed makes it one of the standout elements of the waterfront. If only you didn't have to look at decrepit malting silos while enjoying it. Toronto really could use more featured gardens and less of the "oh, there's grass, that's good enough"
I think the main thing is that the AGO is transforming into something great. It's only feating that it be surrounded by something fantastic as well.