The Last Bird

EvilGentleman: 18th Sep 2006 - 22:17 GMT

Bee-yoo-tee-full! If only it was a bit larger...

Sirhcbre: 19th Sep 2006 - 03:25 GMT

I wish Montreal had something that really distinguished it's skyline. There's no denying the silhouette of the Toronto skyline.

EvilGentleman: 19th Sep 2006 - 03:45 GMT

Sirhcbre - Take the metro to Longueuil, walk south on Boulevard Lafayette (next to Autoroute 20) until you are almost under the Jacques-Cartier Bridge (it's not very far, look it up on Google Earth), and look towards downtown Montreal. You should see the geodesic dome of the old American pavillion from Expo '67 on Ile Ste-Helene right in front of you, with the skyscrapers of downtown almost directly behind and across the river, and Mount Royal slightly behind that, but rising to the right. THAT is Montreal's distinguishing skyline.

Take away the CN tower, and Toronto could be almost any North American city in the 1 to 5 million population category. But the view I just described to you of Montreal has multiple elements that are found only in Montreal. Enjoy.

procyon: 19th Sep 2006 - 04:29 GMT

1. Biff, this is beautiful.
2. Could one of you take a picture of this geodesic dome you describe? I'm obsessed with World's Fair relics right now.

Biff: 20th Sep 2006 - 02:08 GMT

Evil, I just point and shoot, how do you make things larger?
Biff

EvilGentleman: 20th Sep 2006 - 04:44 GMT

You might need to change your resolution settings on your camera to a larger size. Are all your pictures this size even before you think of posting them on citynoise? If so, I see from a quick web search that your Nikon E2200 point and shoot camera can take pictures of at least 1600 x 1200 resolution, but perhaps you have it set for the smallest picture size. Since I am not familiar with Nikon digital cameras, I cannot tell you exactly what to do, but if you cannot find the appropriate menu to change the resolution setting, perhaps you can find a friend who can help you.

The only thing is, if you take larger resolution photos, you will need to reduce them to something close to citynoise's preferred 600 pixel width in order to post them on citynoise. I tend to make my pictures 640 pixels wide, since Microsoft Office Picture Manager has an automatic setting for that size. Hool usually makes his pictures 650 pixels wide and strips off the metadata asoociated with the files. Many other citynoise posters make their photos 600 pixels wide.

A final thing that may require changing is the size of your memory card, if your camera has one. Larger pictures use more memory space. I have no idea if you will need more storage space or not. Depends on what you already have. Definitely talk to a friend and see what you can do. Your pictures are beautiful, it would be even better if we could see them with more detail.

Nickle, Dime, Quarter: 21st Sep 2006 - 13:33 GMT

"Take away the CN tower, and Toronto could be almost any North American city in the 1 to 5 million population category."

That's an interesting comment about a city with more high rises than any other city in North America, outside of New York.

Have a look from the CN Tower, and tell me that you are looking at any city in North America. Far from it.

jeeff: 21st Sep 2006 - 15:53 GMT

every city is unique if you're willing to see the uniqueness.

EvilGentleman: 21st Sep 2006 - 23:45 GMT

Very true, about every city being unique. Sorry about that, I did not mean to slight Toronto (Old habit from hockey debates). I was just pointing out to Sirhcbre that due to the flat landscape of Toronto, the local geography has little to add to the skyline, whereas in Montreal, The skyline is greatly enhanced by the combination of river and (admittedly small) mountain. Vancouver is a much better example of a geographically enhanced skyline, as is Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and to a more distant extent, Calgary.

The only structure in Toronto visible from afar that really defines the city is the CN Tower. I must agree, there are a great many impressive structures in Toronto that reach great heights and have a certain aesthetic beauty, but few of them are immediately recognizable to people around the world. Toronto has some distinctive sporting venues, and city hall is a masterpiece, but they are hidden from view among the taller skyscrapers until you get right into the heart of the city itself.

With the CN Tower, Toronto is recognisable to most of the world. Without it, the picture above would be very hard for most of the world to identify.

And it is a nice picture, by the way.

jeeff: 21st Sep 2006 - 23:48 GMT

well, in a few years we might have a mountain of garbage somewhere nearby.

EvilGentleman: 21st Sep 2006 - 23:57 GMT

LOL, with any luck, you will have a beautiful structure built that looks like an architectual marvel that perhaps houses a university or an art gallery, yet inside, is the world's most advanced recycling facility. Call city hall, and get busy, Toronto. If anyone can pull it off, you guys probably can.

jeeff: 22nd Sep 2006 - 00:30 GMT

our ability to increase recycling % is limited by provincial legislation on the quality levels required in compost materials. ontario's standards are higher than some other provinces. (former mayor) mel lastman released a report in 2001 that set a goal of 100% recycling by 2010, but he relied in part upon unspecified advances in technology.

task force 2010 report: www.toronto.ca/taskforce2010

by 2004 the project was lagging behind schedule, so the city re-examined their 100% goal. they found it wasn't feasible without legislation changes.

the latest report:
www.toronto.ca/wes/techservices/involved/swm/net/pdf/2004-12_final_report/2004-12-13_final_report.pdf

EvilGentleman: 22nd Sep 2006 - 00:42 GMT

Time to start pressuring for some changes, then.

Nickle, Dime, Quarter: 22nd Sep 2006 - 04:13 GMT

Thanks for explaining your point. I see where you are coming from.

My favourite vantage point for the skyline is at the very end of the Leslie St. Spit (on the lighthouse hill). From there, it screams "Toronto" to me.

It is a great spot because it gives you a sweeping view like nowhere else in town. You get to see the lake, islands, and bluffs. Also provides a broader view of the buildings themselves. You can see the other clusters that head up Yonge St. instead of them being hidden behind the banking cluster (all the way to North York). You can see Humber Bay Shores, Etobicoke, and Mississauga clusters too.

And you are standing on one best uses of clean fill ever (not to mention an architectural graveyard for Toronto).

I will confess that I also like the smoke stacks in the portlands from this angle (vs. seeing them with a lake backdrop). They are very imposing.

And then, you can turn around, and see nothing but water (and birds, lots of birds). It is a refreshing contrast.

anon (64.46.4.221.novuscom.net): 29th Sep 2006 - 22:00 GMT

Toronto's about to get this amazing "sapphire tower" if approved by city hall: 90 stories!!