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

[RiverCity1]

While it may not be obvious, the CN Tower is well protected from potential threats.

Like the white ball lights; they should look very cool at night. Thank god they aren't fountains haha.

 

[Critique]

So are those balls simply a light feature?

 

[devjohnson]

Looks amazing so far! For the past few years, looking down while on the CN Tower glass floor was pretty horrid. At least there will be a nice plaza to look down to when completed!

 

[khris]

Security is better now. There used to be a large gutter around the base of the tower were one could presumably leave a bomb (not that any type of bomb that could fit in a backpack would do anything other than chip off some concrete). The street furniture is all cleverly designed to remain useful and visually appealing but impossible to use as a hiding space for any dangerous device.

kristopher, you've always been able to touch the tower from the outside.

Where? I've never seen a place you could do that before.

 

[MetroMan]

All around. It's never been gated off.

 

[SP!RE]

That photo makes me appreciate the new plaza and ground-level pavilions more than ever. Yeesh that was bleak before.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I really wish they could have used the same West 8/DTAH red/grey granite mosaic paving and the Canada-themed furniture/light standards, plus a variation of the glulam designs they'd envisioned for the TTC portal for the new addition - it would have added a tremendous amount of warmth in an area sorely lack of a softening edge. As it stands right now it had all the charm of a cheap power centre and I don't doubt for a second it will age terribly.

AoD

 

[Ryan_T]

I hope they'll start using that space for events or gatherings. It'd be nice to see it get used for more than just casual pedestrian or tourist visits.

 

[DarkSideDenizen]

Where? I've never seen a place you could do that before.

I can't ever recall being able to walk right up to the tower and touch it either. It was always glassed/sealed-off or had the moat around it as far as I can remember, that going back to it's earliest days.

 

[MetroMan]

Have you looked at the above photo? Here's another one...

The first thing I did when I returned to Toronto in 2001 after being away for a decade was to walk to the tower and touch it. I don't recall there ever being any restriction preventing you from touching it.

 

[Irishmonk]

Ever watch The Prisoner?

Indeed. Exercise extreme caution when walking away from those white globes--they are more dangerous than they look.

[video=youtube;I6Ffr1U7KMY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Ffr1U7KMY[/video]

On another note, received this nice email from Adam Vaughan in reply to a letter I wrote him about the current state of "Salmon Run"

"Thanks for your note and concern for the upkeep of The Salmon Run. I will ask Jennifer Chan of my office, the staff lead for the south part of the ward, to raise this with Parks staff and ask that this be repaired for the summer. If you do not see this improved please follow up with Jennifer at 416 392 4042 or jchan@toronto.ca. Thanks again for writing."

Best regards,
Adam Vaughan

 

[GrinTO]

I can't ever recall being able to walk right up to the tower and touch it either. It was always glassed/sealed-off or had the moat around it as far as I can remember, that going back to it's earliest days.

It had a reflecting pool

 

[p5connex]

I really wish they could have used the same West 8/DTAH red/grey granite mosaic paving and the Canada-themed furniture/light standards, plus a variation of the glulam designs they'd envisioned for the TTC portal for the new addition - it would have added a tremendous amount of warmth in an area sorely lack of a softening edge. As it stands right now it had all the charm of a cheap power centre and I don't doubt for a second it will age terribly.
AoD

I couldn't agree with you more AoD. What I find increasingly difficult to overcome in this city is the lack in connectivity between public spaces - there is no sense of an over-arching theme, character, material palette etc., such as what is happening on the waterfront from West 8/DTAH. What you end up with is a mish-mash of different lighting standards, paving materials, street furniture etc. I am not suggesting that each place resemmble or look like another, but it would be good if there were a type of design matrix that would essentially create the basis for a layout/palette etc. Instead, each space is designed completely within a vacuum, resulting in a multitude of disconnected spaces.

Furthermore, this place will not only age terribly, it is already completely dated. I am not against the renewal or retrofit of the space, as it was needed, but this approach was absolutely wrong and really does have the charm of a "smart centre" in Vaughn.

On another note - the aquarium is still quite behind schedule and it looks like a summer opening may in fact be more likely an early fall opening.

your friend,

p5

 

[Filip]

Have you looked at the above photo? Here's another one...

View attachment 12996

The first thing I did when I returned to Toronto in 2001 after being away for a decade was to walk to the tower and touch it. I don't recall there ever being any restriction preventing you from touching it.

Why this statue is now in a parking lot at Yorkdale mall is beyond me. It belongs back by the CN Tower.

 

[Ryan_T]

I think that statue is probly most at home in Jersey Shore.