3804 replies to this topic

[Ismo07]

We've just a small city, and act accordingly.

 

Well we also have an airport terminal

[Victoria Watcher]

“The other day I saw this monstrosity of a thing sitting there and we thought it might be a prop for a movie scene of ‘Mad Max’ or something like that. So, we walked over and looked and I was absolutely appalled at the aesthetics of that thing. So the design aesthetic is my primary rejection to the whole thing. I really think that the height of the thing and the size of the thing will impede the look of the downtown skyline from the harbour.”

 

Van Buren said the look will improve.

 

“Just give it a minute, the plants are coming, the landscapes are coming, the art on the side is coming, hang in there.”

 

 

https://www.vicnews....-a-monstrosity/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 January 2023 - 10:57 AM.

[Mike K.]

Via https://twitter.com/...946336172888064

 

[GaryOak]

I believe this is the same company http://botabota.ca/en/. And I personally don't think their spa in Montreal looks too bad 

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[Nparker]

It's McBarge without burgers.

[Matt R.]

Is that a floating prison? Now that’s a good idea.

[Ismo07]

Is that a floating prison? Now that’s a good idea.

 

I kind of suggested we use one of the Fast Cats for the years ago...

[AllseeingEye]

We've just a small city, and act accordingly.

 

That doesn't stop us from at least thinking big; the following cities are frequently cited by online traveller's sites at and/or near the top of the world's best waterfronts. Only Lisbon with just over 500,000 people, is bigger than Victoria. The rest are all well under 400K and San Sebastian clocks in at less than 200,000. 

 

Lisbon

Venice

Brighton

San Sebastian (Spain)

Bergen

 

Insofar as what I think we could or should do with our waterfront first and foremost figure out the maritime museum situation - which is a disgrace. If Victoria doesn't know what to do I suggest they speak with Halifax, population 455,000, and even go there to see what a real MM should look like. And yes its parked right on prime time real estate on their waterfront. Where it should be. Shocking.

 

Move heaven and earth if necessary first and_then move the Art Gallery from its current location in a random neighbourhood that is not remotely walk-able for the average tourist, and put it at the very least in the d/t core if not somewhere close(ish) to the harbour.

 

Complete the David Foster Walk all the way to Rock Bay and then work with the Songhees FN to transform that area into a FN cultural center/museum along with whatever requisite commercial businesses the FN wants to put in there to make it work.

 

It could include a carving shed, an interpretative center of coastal FN culture and history, hell even build a small dock on that part of the waterfront in Rock Bay itself and run FN canoe excursions out into the waterway everywhere from the Upper Gorge & Harbour right out to Esquimat where a guide can point out historic FN settlements and other locations of cultural importance. My English family would love that - they always thought the Little Englande schtick here was a bunch of bollocks. Europeans in general are fascinated with North American FN cultures. In conjunction with the FN exploit that opportunity.....

 

Point being there is a lot we could do or at least discuss doing - if the city wasn't so (in)famous for insisting on lowering the bar on proposals like this. In addition to taking 'forever' to make decisions: how long did it take to get approval for Northern Junk - a decade for basically nothing more than a building not any larger than your average suburban detached garage?

 

As it is I actually think the 'barge' isn't a horrible idea - its just badly misplaced IMO. Mike wasn't there a proposal floated just a couple of years ago for a 'performing arts center' at Ships Point? That would be a magnificent location for such a facility - or for that matter a...ahem....maritime museum.

[Ismo07]

Via https://twitter.com/...946336172888064

 

 

They were building it without approval?  Must of had other locations I guess.

[Ismo07]

That doesn't stop us from at least thinking big; the following cities are frequently cited by online traveller's sites at and/or near the top of the world's best waterfronts. Only Lisbon with just over 500,000 people, is bigger than Victoria. The rest are all well under 400K and San Sebastian clocks in at less than 200,000. 

 

Lisbon

Venice

Brighton

San Sebastian (Spain)

Bergen

 

Insofar as what I think we could or should do with our waterfront first and foremost figure out the maritime museum situation - which is a disgrace. If Victoria doesn't know what to do I suggest they speak with Halifax, population 455,000, and even go there to see what a real MM should look like. And yes its parked right on prime time real estate on their waterfront. Where it should be. Shocking.

 

Move heaven and earth if necessary first and_then move the Art Gallery from its current location in a random neighbourhood that is not remotely walk-able for the average tourist, and put it at the very least in the d/t core if not somewhere close(ish) to the harbour.

 

Complete the David Foster Walk all the way to Rock Bay and then work with the Songhees FN to transform that area into a FN cultural center/museum along with whatever requisite commercial businesses the FN wants to put in there to make it work.

 

It could include a carving shed, an interpretative center of coastal FN culture and history, hell even build a small dock on that part of the waterfront in Rock Bay itself and run FN canoe excursions out into the waterway everywhere from the Upper Gorge & Harbour right out to Esquimat where a guide can point out historic FN settlements and other locations of cultural importance. My English family would love that - they always thought the Little Englande schtick here was a bunch of bollocks. Europeans in general are fascinated with North American FN cultures. In conjunction with the FN exploit that opportunity.....

 

Point being there is a lot we could do or at least discuss doing - if the city wasn't so (in)famous for insisting on lowering the bar on proposals like this. In addition to taking 'forever' to make decisions: how long did it take to get approval for Northern Junk - a decade for basically nothing more than a building not any larger than your average suburban detached garage?

 

As it is I actually think the 'barge' isn't a horrible idea - its just badly misplaced IMO. Mike wasn't there a proposal floated just a couple of years ago for a 'performing arts center' at Ships Point? That would be a magnificent location for such a facility - or for that matter a...ahem....maritime museum.

 

I think when you look at those cities you gotta look at the Metropolitan population...

[aastra]

 

I personally don't think their spa in Montreal looks too bad

 

Small towns like Montreal and Victoria have different standards than big cities.

[AllseeingEye]

I think when you look at those cities you gotta look at the Metropolitan population...

 

Possibly but the larger point remains; there is so much potential along that harbour/waterway but this city (historically) is beyond drop dead slow in doing anything - how long have we waited for a new Coho terminal? Years? Decades? How much longer will we wait - until it crumbles into the water?

 

And/or it is sooooo conservative about change that global empires have risen and fallen more quickly and in less time than anything substantive happening here. Frustrating - because the potential for it to be SO much more than it is, is clearly evident.

[Victoria Watcher]

Possibly but the larger point remains; there is so much potential along that harbour/waterway but this city (historically) is beyond drop dead slow in doing anything - how long have we waited for a new Coho terminal? Years? Decades? How much longer will we wait - until it crumbles into the water?

 

 

I think we waited until the Americans told us we needed a new one, plans underway now. 

[Mike K.]

Small cities don't have the economic prowess to do a lot of things quickly.

 

It's just the way it is. If you want excitement, move to Vancouver. Which by international standards is known as a sleepy city.

[Matt R.]

I think what ASE is saying, is that anything less than a Guggenheim isn’t worth doing.

[Victoria Watcher]

I think what ASE is saying, is that anything less than a Guggenheim isn’t worth doing.

 

I'd be happy if they just extended the running of the goats from the petting zoo to include a lap of the lower causeway daily.  People could watch from the deck of the spa barge.

 

"Hey, what do you guys have in your world class inner harbour?"

 

"Let's see, we have a mini-donut stand, various indigenous trinkets for sale, an airport, several parking lots, and a floating spa barge"

 

"Wow!"

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 January 2023 - 11:52 AM.

[Mike K.]

The greatest excitement this city ever saw was when that orca swam into the Inner Harbour, causing the Coho to pull that evasive manoeuvre sending it into the pier, and at the same time a car drove down the Wharf Street bike lane.

It was enough to draw even the anti-car Twitter people to come and look, even though there were like two pick-up trucks they wanted to take photos in front of.

[Mike K.]

I'd be happy if they just extended the running of the goats from the petting zoo to include a lap of the lower causeway daily. People could watch from the deck of the spa barge.

"Hey, what do you guys have in your world class inner harbour?"

"Let's see, we have a mini-donut stand, various indigenous trinkets for sale, an airport, several parking lots, and a floating spa barge"

"Wow!"

You don’t consider the 20-somethings drinking on benches along the water then peeing into the water an attraction? It’s one of the must-sees at the Arsens Suite’s Things to Do guidebook.

[Matt R.]

I'd be happy if they just extended the running of the goats from the petting zoo to include a lap of the lower causeway daily.  People could watch from the deck of the spa barge.
 
"Hey, what do you guys have in your world class inner harbour?"
 
"Let's see, we have a mini-donut stand, various indigenous trinkets for sale, an airport, several parking lots, and a floating spa barge"
 
"Wow!"

Now imagine those same goats on a zip line. I thought you were the ideas guy?

[Matt R.]

You don’t consider the 20-somethings drinking on benches along the water then peeing into the water an attraction? It’s one of the must-sees at the Arsens Suite’s Things to Do guidebook.

Ah yes, just like in Europe at the Bayonne Ham Festival. We want Victoria to be more like a small to mid sized European city, right?

It’s a city with less than 100k in it, yet somehow they’ve had this festival happen every Easter since 1460 ish. Why can’t we have the same thing? I mean, in 500 more years of course.