Travel observations and new developments of other cities and countries

[chc3]

Downtown Phoenix at sunrise this morning looking west from Terminal 3

[Binbin98]

I spent Easter weekend in Oslo Norway on my way to England and let me tell you this place is magnificent. I am for sure returning here one day as the vibes of this place along with the stunning natural beauty and architecture left a great impression on me. If you ever are traveling to Europe try and visit Norway.

[BnaBreaker]

13 hours ago, Binbin98 said:

I spent Easter weekend in Oslo Norway on my way to England and let me tell you this place is magnificent. I am for sure returning here one day as the vibes of this place along with the stunning natural beauty and architecture left a great impression on me. If you ever are traveling to Europe try and visit Norway.

Stunning!  Thanks for sharing... always wanted to make it to Scandinavia, and your photos and endorsement have increased that drive! 

I had spent a glorious long Easter weekend in the UP of Michigan, half roughing it, half hotel stay, because I like showers and Egyptian cotton sheets too much to sleep outside five full days.    But I also highly recommend a trip up there to anyone interested in the great outdoors.  It's a long drive even from Chicago, but it's well worth it!  Pictured Rocks in particular is just mind numbingly beautiful.  Photos don't do it justice!

[rolly]

Grand Central Station before the big skyscrapers blocked out the Sun.

 

[colemangaines]

55 minutes ago, rolly said:

Grand Central Station before the big skyscrapers blocked out the Sun.

You also get a nice sunbeam effect because everyone and their mother smoked like a chimney back then. When they cleaned/renovated the ceiling in the '90s, they left a small rectangle un-cleaned to show how bad the buildup of cigarette tar had gotten.

[Binbin98]

I’m in London now and England/Ireland for the next 5 weeks. It’s a stunning city in some areas.

I very likely will be moving to England next year as I want to go one of several graduate programs for my major there. I am visiting close friends of mine on this side of the pond and also more or less seeing how it’s going to be living over here from  now on rather than america. 

[markhollin]

Toronto's renderings for 19 Bloor St., 94 stories, 990', 1,262 residential units:

[markhollin]

New York's Jacob Riis Park Bath House on Rockaway Beach (circa 1930) is going to be renovated with a 28-key hotel, a rooftop restaurant, ground-floor eateries, a beachfront bar, an indoor pool, flexible event spaces, and retailers (courtesy of YIMBY New York).
 

[markhollin]

Miami's renderings for Biscayne 21, three 649' towers, 606 units, 8,400 sq. ft. of commercial commercial, 971 parking spaces, and 800' of new waterfront promenade (courtesy of YIMBY Florida):

[KJHburg]

Here is where I come from and yes that is a country song by Alan Jackson.   But you would know that this being Music City USA and home of the Grand Ole Opry! 

The Queen City of Charlotte last week during the Charlotte Shout Festival.  Shots of uptown, midtown and Southend.  

[CenterHill]

46 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Here is where I come from and yes that is a country song by Alan Jackson.   But you would know that this being Music City USA and home of the Grand Ole Opry! 

The Queen City of Charlotte last week during the Charlotte Shout Festival.  Shots of uptown, midtown and Southend.  

 

 

Crown envy with that shot.   Thanks for posting.  I haven't been to Charlotte in years.   Would love to get back.   

[markhollin]

Los Angeles celebrating 4th of July:

[sambo]

Was 80 stories and 1015 feet tall

[nashville born]

Had no idea the Braves moved from downtown...

[BnaBreaker]

9 hours ago, sambo said:

Was 80 stories and 1015 feet tall

Ouch!

[bnacincy]

4 hours ago, nashville born said:

Had no idea the Braves moved from downtown...

I'm thinking If Nashville gets a MLB team it can build its stadium and position it similar to this facing the development going into the old truck stop area on the East Bank right across the railroad trestle.

Could be a really nice look.

[markhollin]

St. Louis Arch:

[smeagolsfree]

17 hours ago, nashville born said:

Had no idea the Braves moved from downtown...

LOL, all the way back in 2017. A very nice facility too.

[chc3]

Yesterday I took the ferry from Whidbey Island over to Port Townsend, one of my favorite places. In the late 1800’s, it was expected to be the major city and port in the Puget Sound region, but the railroads ended in Seattle, ushering in a long decline. Now it’s what I would describe as an “artisanal” town.

Edited April 22, 2023 by chc3

[rolly]

Is our architecture digressing, or is this just an inevitable effect of modernization? 

[markhollin]

University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning:

[smeagolsfree]

3 hours ago, rolly said:

Is our architecture digressing, or is this just an inevitable effect of modernization? 

I think architects are less inspired and forgetting the lessons of the past and also developers are going for cheap. I know I will get some flak from the architects on the board from that comment but a lot of the stuff coming out of the studios these days are not very eye catching. Modernish, IMO overblown. Too much time and effort are being spent on trying to come up with something new instead of looking back to the past and realizing the importance of Greek, Roman Gothic, and Renaissance architecture. 

Many of today buildings have zero personality. Oh, they meet the form and function, but many are not beautiful. The are just bland concrete, glass, and steel structures. Sometimes they are trying to emulate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with all the plants dropping off of them but give me a break. Why is it that when people visit cities around the world what do they go see? They see the masterpieces of architecture! Glass buildings are a dime a dozen, but there is only one Empire State building, One Chrysler Building, One Tower of London, One Hagia Sophia, etc. Some modernists buildings do stand out because they were the first of their type, but I will say you do not have a lot of folks that go see the first brutalist buildings because they are ugly as hell. IMO, they are failures unless you want a prison.

[Luvemtall]

Smeags, perfectly said ! 100% agree. Would love to see new buildings constructed around the philosophy of old. 

[FrankNash]

^^^What Vanderbilt and Belmont are building in Nashville is better than what was there before IMO. 

[VSRJ]

On 4/10/2023 at 2:21 PM, chc3 said:

Downtown Phoenix at sunrise this morning looking west from Terminal 3

I'm always surprised that, for its size, Phoenix doesn't have a more impressive skyline. The city's tallest is only 483 feet and was built in 1972. There are a lot of towers under construction (according to Wikipedia), but all are under 400 feet.