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March 30, 2005
Walking the Waterfront
I caught a streetcar (the same as a Melbourne tram) into the downtown area with no particular plan in mind as I set out. By the time I reached the city centre I realised I've been away from the ocean for too long. I needed to spend some time near the water. Walking straight down Yonge Street (the main North-South street in the downtown area) it was only 4 blocks or so to the waterfront.
Most cities try to make something of a feature and a place for recreation of their downtown waterfront areas. The planners here seem to have tried to incorporate too many ideas and have ended up doing none well. Either that or they changed their minds halfway through the project.
There's some parkland and several quays with restaurant and cruise boats moored there which is a nice start but they haven't followed through enough with the concept to make it a really entertaining or vibrant place to explore.
There's been a vast amount of condominium development in the city and it's very much still ongoing. Walking along the length of the waterfront there are dozens of glistening glass towers sparkling in the sun like great crystal ornaments in a mirrored display. I don't doubt that part of the reason for the lonely quietness and emptiness is due to the fact that it's the off season but I'm sure the closely spaced condominiums close to the water near the city don't help. The day I walked there it was a warm spring day but the wind whistled chilly, funnelled down those empty, shaded glasss canyons. Because they're residential they're largely empty and quiet through the day when the people who live there are at work.
One bonus is that you can catch some striking glimpses of the CN Tower framed by crystal monoliths;
Posted by Yasmin at March 30, 2005 03:02 PM
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Comments
Looks so serene there. I would bet that taking a cruise on one of the boats would bring such a relaxing feeling over ones self as you tour the area. Nice pic of the CN Tower.
Posted by: Ken at April 1, 2005 12:41 AM