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internationalx

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Tout ce qui a été posté par internationalx

  1. internationalx
    All of the sudden the GOP is the champion of the middle class?! It never ceases to amaze me how the Republicans continue to fool the middle class voter. Health care is a total disaster here and college is out of reach for so many. These are two issues that are foreign to Republicans. They have no intention of tackling these issues. The GOP is the party of the ruling economic elite. For the past 8 years not one domestic issue has been addressed. The office of the President is supposed to be filled by someone whose intellect and intellectual curiosity far exceeds the average joe on the street. The founding fathers were brilliant men with exceptionally developed minds and not frat boys like GWB and his cronies. Barack Obama is an intellect with a sophisticated mindset and way of looking at issues. The dumbing down of the American electorate is a lot ways is mirrored in the kinds of politicians that get elected. John McCain is as far from an intellect as you can get. He is very much a man like GWB in the way decisions are made. I would much rather have a brilliant mind than someone who has some experience running the country. Experience does not imply good leadership or judgement.
  2. internationalx
    For me, the Montreal General is as much a landmark on the mountain as the cross. I would add the Royal Vic and Ravenscrag to the list. They are pretty much integral parts of the Park. This addition is BELOW Pine Avenue not above it and will not go anywhere near the height of the main pavillion. Not sure what all the fuss is about. It is a fully developed part of the mountain already around Cote des Neiges and Dr Penfield. Not like trees are being cut.
  3. internationalx
    LOL! Well, the Palais covers up most of it.
  4. internationalx
    I think it's pretty important. You don't cut corners with historic spaces like that. It sends the message that our public squares aren't important enough. The look of the city should be a point of pride.
  5. internationalx
    It is not the height that I am so bothered by but rather, the aesthetic, design of the project. I still think there is a lot of look. I mean, it seems very very busy. The Gazette facade is unique in its own right and the roof addition will have another look, and the new tower portion has another look. Not very cohesive. Kinda strange. Won't be getting any architecture prizes that's for sure.
  6. internationalx
    what a beautiful little building!
  7. internationalx
    True, the square could be extended on the east side. But please, NO modernization of it. It can be re-furbished or freshened up but I am not a fan of taking our historic squares and giving them a comtempo look. They should be respectful of period. In fact, what actually looks modern and fresh today is going with period look. It is all in the quality of the materials. The square is covered in hideous reno-depot pave-uni bricks from the 1980's. It should be paved in a more elegant stone.
  8. internationalx
    That's not bad! I think it looks quite interesting and inviting.
  9. internationalx
    While I was never a fan of this project from the day is was announced (the gov't should never be building major office buildings and luring tenants in with unfair tax breaks) And I thought this overall concept of a campus of 9 buildings was just wrong for downtown, I do think that this 3rd phase would complete what was built perfectly. I think it is a nice addition and a really good re-use of the old industrial buildings.
  10. internationalx
    I am anxiously awaiting new renderings. Phillips Square is a special square - the buildings all around it are incredible and this is the last hole to plug. it better be good!
  11. internationalx
    It could fetch upwards of $10 -12 millions, I don't doubt it at all. First of all, you cannot compare Le Crystal and The Ritz at all. They are in different leagues altogether. Location for one. Sherbrooke street at the heart of the Golden Square Mile; a Sherbrooke street West address alone is worth substantially more. Secondly, it is The Ritz. The history of this building and the hotel is again going to get a premium. Let's not discount the Golden Square Mile history either. The street is lined with stunning architecture. Duplex apartments at the Acadia list for $5 million. This is truly Canada's Fifth Avenue - the pre-war apartments like the Acadia, The Linton, and Le Chateau and soon to be The Ritz are far from the nouveau contempo look of Le Crytal.
  12. internationalx
    Montreal is actually lacking in hotel rooms and hotel development has been for the most part of the last 25 years, pretty quiet. In a lot of ways, Montreal is playing a bit of a catch-up game. I mean, finally, Westin is re-entering the market! That was a major brand name missing, for one.
  13. internationalx
    My God, you guys are so pessimistic about the future of Montreal. Wow. Montreal needs to start acting with some ambition and vision and a desire to be as competitive as can be, exploiting all our assets to the fullest. That is how Montreal can be relevant in Canada and the world. Montreal's big problem is that it is effectively governed in another city: Quebec city. Unlike Toronto, Montreal is not the economic engine and the political capital; Quebec city doesn't know or very much care about the real needs of the metropolis. Confederation is always cited as why Montreal is stuck (which I don't agree with)... no one ever looks at the other side of the coin: Montreal is a city that simply gets a raw deal because it is controlled by another city. Among some of the issues: Why does Montreal not attract as many immigrants? Why don't we attract the right kind of immigrant? That is, highly educated and highly skilled. There are serious structural and policy issues that are NOT language related that have got to be looked at in Quebec. And finally, nationalists in Quebec who have controlled the political discourse incessantly for the past 30-35 years have essentially practiced isolationism - stripping Montreal of its Canadian-relevance. I mean, what did you expect? Of course Montreal's status within the rest of Canada has shrunk. On another note, reading about all this future glory for TO... Toronto shares the power in Canada with Calgary. In fact, a lot has shifted west to Alberta even from Toronto. I for one believe that Canada is too small a country to many competing metropolises - Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal. For that reason, Toronto will never be the global phenom that most are predicting here. Sadly, Canada does not have a unified financial and political capital. Had the political capital not been moved to Ottawa, it is unlikely that Montreal would have ever been dethroned by Toronto as the financial capital and our city would have been a mega-metropolis. Montreal would have been a true metropolis like London, or Paris. I believe Toronto's golden era has passed: it was the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. Sure, it will continue to be the largest city, but what does that necessarily guarantee? As the American empire continues to lose its relevance the Chinese empire rises, this should become more evident. Afterall, Montreal's downfall and Toronto's rise coincides with the shift from the UK being our main partner to the USA being our main partner.
  14. internationalx
    It is called modern traditional. I think it is quite well executed.
  15. internationalx
    Sounds good. Now let's deliver. Montreal needs giant museums of exceptional architecture filled with important works if it is going to stomp on Toronto's feeling of entitlement when it comes to culture. Let them be the Frankfurt of Canada. Let us be the Berlin of Canada.
  16. internationalx
    I live abroad too and Toronto is no more known than Montreal. In fact, Montreal garners a lot more of "I really want to visit" than TO does. Let's not forget Montreal's history, lifestyle, and international stature far exceeded Toronto pre-1970's. Even today, Montreal is far more unique brand with the combo of Anglo-Franco character that has so shaped the city's identity over the centuries.
  17. internationalx
    Place du Canada was built as part of CP's Head office complex.
  18. internationalx
    Love that they will light up the monuments. That should make for a beautiful sight at night. Hopefully they don't go too modern/contemporary with the furniture though. I'd like it to remain true to the period. it could use some better paving materials other than cheap asphalt.
  19. internationalx
    Except that if you look at the population map of 2008, you notice that the population growth and mushrooming of the Montreal region occurred NORTH and not to the South of Montreal. So in hindsight, perhaps the Trudeau gov't wasn't so off in wanting to build the main airport in St Scholastique. Just a thought. And the election of the PQ in 76 didn't help things either; they had no desire to work with the feds to complete the needed infrastructure. YMX became a casualty of politics as much as ignorance with regards to the aviation industry.
  20. internationalx
    well, at 32 stories, it'll be a good balance for the Port Royal. I wouldnt bank on that old design... they just needed something -a visual -for the announcement. FYI... Waldorf Astoria at the moment is not regarded as highly as Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons. With this expansion, they are trying to bring the name up to par. I am surprised Monit didn't get Four Seasons. Either way, 1500 Sherbrooke is PRIME. The only spot on the Square Mile.
  21. internationalx
    At the end of the day, I like it overall, but it belongs a couple of blocks west. It is not tall enough (especially given the site is zone for 200m) and for a hotel being marketed as 5 star luxury, its really just a 4-star contemporary styled hotel. Nothing extraordinary about it - especially the rooms. And the hanging balconies are a mistake in such a dense urban/commercial core. Let's see how badly they age.
  22. internationalx
    Not sure where this all came from in relation to being visionary and ambitious and what I see as a culture of anti-development in Montreal. I mean, we have entire swaths of downtown Montreal that are parking lots and NIMBY's not only want to preserve the urban context but would like to see parks built. NIMBY's complain that a 10 floor building in the middle of downtown cannot be built because it will block the sky. I mean, if you want sky and parkland they should not be living near Guy and Ste Catherine street - they should be in a suburb of Blainville. I just think Montreal is anti-development let alone visionary. It is just very bizarre and extreme. Just to let you know, as and English Montrealer (Anglo is a very derogatory word for me as it represents 40 years of being demonized and blamed for all the social and economic injustice). It broke English Montrealers' hearts that Toronto supplanted us. In 2008 the political elite and the most Francophones still do not understand English Montreal as we are lumped in as English Canadians. While in Quebec we are seen as just another minority. Both are dead wrong.
  23. internationalx
    he's absolutely correct. His statement about Montreal not understanding the importance of architecture is especially true. Enough with the chez nous-only architects and the mediocre buildings. As for the Grande Bibliotheque, there were other designs that were so much more interesting including from Zaha Hadid.
  24. internationalx
    I don't know when exactly the culture changed, but when I was young Montreal was known as a city of high-rises and skyscrapers; in the early 80's TO was still pretty new at its role of Metropolis. And my parents stories of Montreal in the 1950's and 1960's certainly told of an ambitious city both in architecture and height.
  25. internationalx
    there should be no consultations on this project as the proposal is as-of-right meaning it is well within the zoning regulations. My God, this city has gotten building paranoid.
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