Quote:
Originally Posted by Burning Down
That's interesting. My aunt is from Montreal originally, and has been living out West for over 25 years now. She's lived in several places over the years - Squamish, Abbotsford, Kelowna (and some other parts of the Okanagan Valley), Prince Rupert, and then she moved to Tacoma, WA but now she lives in Seattle. She has only been back this way once and that was last year for a funeral.
Yes, Toronto has a lot of old buildings and a extensive history. Of course, it is also much older than a city like Vancouver. The city passed a law that says contractors are not allowed to tear down old buildings, instead they are allowed to build around them but they need to maintain the original integrity of the building. However, west of Toronto, in Hamilton (which is just as old if not older, and where I spend most of my time now) old buildings are being torn down to make room for condos and offices, which is an absolute shame because much of the city's rich history is disappearing. They even tore down the old city hall which was (I think) about 150 or 175 years old to build a newer one that is uglier. Hamilton is slowly becoming the "sterile city" that you say Vancouver is. But it's only 40 minutes from Toronto so if people want to see the old buildings they just take a drive  |
I don't blame your aunt, Squamish, Kelowna, Prince Rupert, and Abbotsford... that's brutal, it could have only been worse if she lived in Armstrong.
As to the historical buildings of Vancouver, we still have some, but they're all pretty much in the Downtown Eastside, which is slowly being gentrified. Not that it's a bad thing mind, I mean Grandville Street is a lot nicer to walk nowadays than back in the '90's when it was just dive bars and porn stores, and Yaletown was once just empty decaying warehouses, but is now a thriving little community of yuppie buildings, trendy clothing stores, and overpriced restaurants. Better than industrial decay? I suppose, but I wish there was some middle ground answer that helps preserve what was once there, while still making it usable by people of today.
To respond to Thom Yorke, I would like to go to Montreal one day, but I've always been deterred by my less than proficient French. I dont want to pretend to be American, but I also want to at least try and acknowledge their culture and its overall importance to Canada. In 2008 I was suppose to go out and visit a friend but circumstance conspired against us.