Toronto Nathan Phillips Square + Spirit Garden | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto

salsa said:
Isn't the Bay Street side supposed to be re-landscaped? If that's not the case, then good grief.
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Yes and I haven't heard about it being scrapped, just like the improvements to the walkways. They're coming but I wouldn't count on work being done on those elements until after the PanAm Games. They're "rushing" to complete what they have going now so that NPS isn't a construction zone when the games are on.

What's remaining:

- Bay St. landscaping
- Walkway wall cut outs with glazing facing into the square
- Walkway floor cutouts making the stair portals much larger
- Walkway decked floor
- animal entrances reclad in the new stone used throughout
- new furniture
- restaurant facing Queen
 
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20 million dollars over budget? And that's what they end up with? Where the hell was this money spent? Christ, were diamonds ground up into the concrete or something?
 
It was really frustrating at the Cavalcade of Lights event on Saturday that there were such huge expanses still fenced off while the square around the skating rink was jammed with people!
 
the lemur said:
It was really frustrating at the Cavalcade of Lights event on Saturday that there were such huge expanses still fenced off while the square around the skating rink was jammed with people!
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I was at NPS for new year's in 2010, and even back then there were fenced up areas. It just never ends. I also didn't think the fireworks were impressive at all. I don't know if that's still the case, but Cavalcade of Lights was better.
 
New Years always has shitty fireworks, like very terrible; Cavalcade of Lights has always been interesting, I didn't love this year though, the choice of music was odd, not chrismasy at all whereas in the past it was.

They do (though again not the best this year) a great job of using the city hall building it self, one year they had fireworks stream down the side. Its a really unique venue.

In terms of overall size its still very small, nothing compared to firework displays in Quebec. The best firework display I've seen Ontario in the last 5/10 years was actually harbourfront Toronto's Canada day fireworks; Still though if you like fireworks check out the various competitions they have Quebec, it'll blow your mind.
 
Toronto doesn't hold a candle to New York. I've never seen Quebec fireworks before, is it anything like Times Square?
 
taal said:
New Years always has shitty fireworks, like very terrible; Cavalcade of Lights has always been interesting, I didn't love this year though, the choice of music was odd, not chrismasy at all whereas in the past it was.

They do (though again not the best this year) a great job of using the city hall building it self, one year they had fireworks stream down the side. Its a really unique venue.

In terms of overall size its still very small, nothing compared to firework displays in Quebec. The best firework display I've seen Ontario in the last 5/10 years was actually harbourfront Toronto's Canada day fireworks; Still though if you like fireworks check out the various competitions they have Quebec, it'll blow your mind.
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The only fireworks that have impressed me in Toronto is the 2014 Worldpride event, and Y2K.

I was going to go to Cavalcade of Lights, but the music lineup being 90% hip hop made me decide not to.
 
salsa said:
Toronto doesn't hold a candle to New York. I've never seen Quebec fireworks before, is it anything like Times Square?
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This is a very very odd comment ... you realize times-square fireworks are terrible, and probably worse then what we even have in Toronto !

The fireworks in Quebec are world renown ! Some of the best firework companies are based in Quebec.
 
khristopher said:
The only fireworks that have impressed me in Toronto is the 2014 Worldpride event, and Y2K.

I was going to go to Cavalcade of Lights, but the music lineup being 90% hip hop made me decide not to.
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I saw 2014 pride ones, they were decent ! Similar to cavalcade of lights to be honest ... in terms of shear quantity harbrourfront was much better ... you should check that out next Canada day.

Ontario is really bad in Canada for this, BC has quite a few nice firework shows as well.
 
World Pride easily had the best fireworks at NPS (and the best I've seen in Toronto) but the most intense fireworks I have ever seen was in Montreal. The amount of fire in the sky was crazy.

[video=youtube_share;r6ADKixzWs0]http://youtu.be/r6ADKixzWs0?list=UUvzB_ssRp47qF4QrzvD5oFg[/video]
 
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When that series was called Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire, it played here at Ontario Place and in Vancouver too. After tobacco companies lost the ability to sponsor events under their own name, they never found another such a generous funder again in Ontario or BC, and eventually died.

Some of the Symphony of Fire shows at Ontario were absolutely spectacular. I used to bike down regularly and sit near someone who had brought a ghetto blaster to enjoy the music the shows were set to.

Montreal shows, with Loto Quebec as the new sponsor, have persisted. Watching from the Pont-Jacques-Cartier was always memorable as you'd be as high in the sky as many of the bombs.

One of my favourite shots from Montreal, though, comes from below the bridge one year…

191423034_373c90e2f2_b.jpg


Anyway, I would love for a big sponsor to bring the Symphony of Fire back to Toronto, or whatever fireworks show. What about the OLG as a sponsor? Aren't they all about blowing money at their core?

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