3132 replies to this topic

[Jackerbie]

From Google reviews:

 

 

The exterior architecture of this mall is spot on. It suits old town downtown Victoria, you almost feel like you're walking down Johnson street...

 

 

I assume they mean the interior exterior, not the exterior exterior 

Edited by Jackerbie, 10 October 2017 - 10:40 AM.

[Nparker]

...The exterior architecture of this mall is spot on. It suits old town downtown Victoria, you almost feel like you're walking down Johnson street...

That may be true if:
a) you've never walked down Johnson Street
b) you're blind

Also, how is it "spot on" for a 21st century mall in Saanich to mimic Old Town Victoria?

Edited by Nparker, 10 October 2017 - 10:58 AM.

[57WestHills]

Uh oh someone has an opinion slightly different than others.....

[jonny]

I think the exterior of the interior of the mall looks great. My only qualm at this point is Uptown has zero housing. 

[Bingo]

The only time I feel like I am walking down Johnson Street is when I am walking up Cook Street.

[aastra]

In the author's defense, I assume he means the main boulevard at Uptown looks and feels somewhat like an actual city street (owing to the minimal setbacks). He might also be saying that some of the storefronts at Uptown could work in a genuinely urban district? If so, I don't disagree with that.

 

But obviously any architectural resemblance to lower Johnson Street or any other area of the old town would be comically superficial at best.

 

Johnson Street:

http://www.hooplapho...611053_orig.jpg

 

Uptown:
https://www.chateauv...et-Shopping.jpg

 

I think I got the labels right.

[Rob Randall]

^Labels are swapped but we got it.

We're spoiled by a spectacular Old Town that is largely intact, one of the best in North America. But someone from Edmonton or Miami might be impressed with Uptown.

[Mike K.]

Are we and is it “really?”

We make a HUGE deal out of it, but it’s not particularly noteworthy even by North American standards. In fact it’s pretty tame save for the Empress, the Legislature and a handful of other buildings.

[Bingo]

^Labels are swapped but we got it.

We're spoiled by a spectacular Old Town that is largely intact, one of the best in North America. But someone from Edmonton or Miami might be impressed with Uptown.

 

A little known fact is that street at Uptown is in the approximate alignment with the OLD Victoria to Sidney Railway right of way.

And Edmonton being a railway town the folks from there will be impressed.

[sdwright.vic]

Are we and is it “really?”

We make a HUGE deal out of it, but it’s not particularly noteworthy even by North American standards. In fact it’s pretty tame save for the Empress, the Legislature and a handful of other buildings.

Let's see... NYC, SF, Washington DC, Boston, Philidelphia... Heck even Dayton, Oh has entire areas and streets that are older than old town.

[AllseeingEye]

Let's see... NYC, SF, Washington DC, Boston, Philidelphia... Heck even Dayton, Oh has entire areas and streets that are older than old town.

I'll add to that list Omaha NB, which has a spectacular area literally composed of street after street after street of fully restored, beautifully maintained houses from the American West era, roughly dating from the 1860-80's. Frankly I've never been_that impressed by our so-called Old Town; there are many cities with far larger, much more extensive and more historically significant "older" sections of their cities than ours. In a similar vein I am sometimes bemused by the enormous fuss made over the Legislative Buildings: granted it is a lovely structure but come on - there are 50 state and 10 provincial capitals on the continent, a majority of which have legislative structures at least as big, at least as old or in many instances especially in eastern North America, that are far older than ours...

[sdwright.vic]

Our old town is old town "light" and impressive to those that have never left the island except for the mainland (which they seem to define as the definitive cityscape).

[jonny]

You guys are brutal. When did VV become the stomping ground of so many curmudgeons? Our Old Town is nice. It's not Old Montreal, but it is very nice for North America.

Edited by jonny, 11 October 2017 - 05:27 PM.

[Daveyboy]

^^

A couple of weeks ago, we were walking up the stairs near the tourist info centre in the Inner Harbour just before sunset .  A couple of Americans in front of us were in total awe of the view looking towards the Empress and Legislature.  One of them said to his partner " Wow, that view is unbelievable.  Have you ever seen anything more spectacular in a city?"  Just reporting what I heard...

[sdwright.vic]

^I can tell you I have seen equal amazing water front sights and inland sites in North America.

I really don't pay much attention tourist comments like that when I don't know where they are:

1) From
2) Travelled to.

[Daveyboy]

^I can tell you I have seen equal amazing water front sights and inland sites in North America.

I really don't pay much attention tourist comments like that when I don't know where they are:

1) From
2) Travelled to.

They were from 'Murica and travelled to Victoria.

[sdwright.vic]

Just some samples...

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[jonny]

Has anybody else ever noticed that there's more than one nice view on this planet?

[Rob Randall]

Ok, you guys have convinced me Victoria's Old Town is average, at best. Now to get out of this hellhole and relocate to Omaha.

[sdwright.vic]

Okay now... does it always have to be one extreme or the other on here. Our old town is neither the greatest or the worst thing out there. Can't we just accept that is just average with a couple of pretty stellar buildings (Capital and Empress). But those two building don't make it worthy of being frozen in time.