Travel observations and new developments of other cities and countries

[markhollin]

Long Beach California's renderings for One & 11 Golden Shore, w/ residential, hotel, office, 3,600 parking spaces (courtesy of YIMBY LA):

[Binbin98]

Some photos of Miami Beach the day before the cold front came in. It’s pretty cold here but only for Xmas eve and Xmas day strangely enough, but nothing like Nashville was. The Miami skyline is rapidly changing and will look completely different in 5 or so years

[donNdonelson2]

1 hour ago, Binbin98 said:

Some photos of Miami Beach the day before the cold front came in. It’s pretty cold here but only for Xmas eve and Xmas day strangely enough, but nothing like Nashville was. The Miami skyline is rapidly changing and will look completely different in 5 or so years

 

 

 

 

Beautiful photos!

I was in Miami for New Year’s in 1981 to do the half time show for the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately, it was one of those rare years when Miami dipped below freezing. It was a remarkable, if cooler than expected, experience. (Due to a small party some of us threw in one of our suites at the Intercontinental Hotel, we were threatened with expulsion on New Year’s Eve. We WERE rowdy, but we were NOT guilty of the offense that the security detail was investigating. Made for a memorable experience!)

[markhollin]

Sydney, Australia's Quay Quarter Tower is an "upcycled" 70s-era 49 story tower.  Interesting feature:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90827299/worlds-first-upcycled-tower-70s-building-in-disguise
 

[Luvemtall]

On 12/25/2022 at 9:56 AM, Binbin98 said:

The Miami skyline is rapidly changing and will look completely different in 5 or so years

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. But I’m still of the opinion, that Miami and all of South Florida is a disaster in the making. Another Andrew, Katrina, etc is coming possibly even stronger due to changing climate and Global warming. There’s no way to get that many millions of people out, and all those high rises with beautiful full glass views to the East will not sustain the furry of 200 mph winds. Maybe the structure could hold out, but once that glass blows out and everything inside becomes projectiles raining down on neighborhoods for miles and the 20-30 foot storm surge batters the pilings that supports those buildings to the point of failure… disaster. 
I know because I was there for Andrew, I witnessed roads ripped from the ground , steel reinforced concrete reduced to rubble twisted like pretzels. Most people like to live for today, don’t worry about tomorrow. Show me the money, let’s have a good time, but never think about the consequences of their actions. In reality there should be a ban on building anything within a mile of the shoreline and nothing over 3 stories within 10 miles. How many times does insurance have to pay ( and all our rates go up) for people who choose to build and put themselves in harms way over and over again. 

[smeagolsfree]

On 12/28/2022 at 8:48 AM, Luvemtall said:

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. But I’m still of the opinion, that Miami and all of South Florida is a disaster in the making. Another Andrew, Katrina, etc is coming possibly even stronger due to changing climate and Global warming. There’s no way to get that many millions of people out, and all those high rises with beautiful full glass views to the East will not sustain the furry of 200 mph winds. Maybe the structure could hold out, but once that glass blows out and everything inside becomes projectiles raining down on neighborhoods for miles and the 20-30 foot storm surge batters the pilings that supports those buildings to the point of failure… disaster. 
I know because I was there for Andrew, I witnessed roads ripped from the ground , steel reinforced concrete reduced to rubble twisted like pretzels. Most people like to live for today, don’t worry about tomorrow. Show me the money, let’s have a good time, but never think about the consequences of their actions. In reality there should be a ban on building anything within a mile of the shoreline and nothing over 3 stories within 10 miles. How many times does insurance have to pay ( and all our rates go up) for people who choose to build and put themselves in harms way over and over again. 

I was just down there, and it is already a disaster. The traffic was horrible, and the mass transit system was a mess. I actually had high hopes for it when I arrived, but after riding it for three days I quickly made the determination that it simply did not work well. I rode in from Ft Lauderdale on the Tri Rail and for some reason the change the direction of the trains around on the tracks. So, if you are used to getting on the train on one platform and the train is going the other direction, you miss your train. I asked about this, and they said they did not know why they did that. They just did.

The employees also do not know the best way to navigate their own system. They told me to take a bus to a certain location when all I had to do was to take the Metromover. I spent an hour on the bus when it only would have taken me 10 minutes otherwise. For the most part I found the folks in NYC friendlier than the people here. The normal folks that ride the bus have a lot of resentment about the mass transit system here. 

To your point if they have to evacuate it will be a disaster just to get out of south Florida. Traffic through Orlando was a mess as well, even on the toll road I took. I hit it during rush hour and Nashville has nothing on Orlando as far as traffic goes.

As far as Ft Lauderdale goes it is not a very pedestrian friendly city. Even along the beach where it should be. The main road that runs along the Beach is more car centric to the point that pedestrians have to wait up to three of four minutes to cross the street from the beach to the other side when it should be the opposite. Priority is given to the cars in most places in Florida from what I have seen as the entire state is car centric.

The only places I enjoyed were The Everglades & St Augustine. Will I go back? Not likely as I had my taste of FL, and it was a bad one. Number one I am not a beach person. Number two it is crowded, the traffic is horrible, the mass transit is pretty much a disaster.

The high points were the Art Deco architecture of South Beach once I got there as that commute took 3 hours via mass transit from Ft Lauderdale. The skyline of Miami was OK, but I was in a way let down for some reason. The skyline is very linear without much depth. The main transit line is also very linear and there should at least be a line going to Miami Beach. The Ft Lauderdale canal system is unique and a tour via water taxi was interesting.  St Augustine is well worth a visit, and I wish I had more time to visit there. Even though it was designed by the Spanish the similarities between it and New Orleans were interesting. It was much nicer and cleaner than the old part of New Orleans. The MetroMover in Miami was a pleasant surprise as it is free and a 4-mile system around the downtown area. However, the Miami rail system is unreliable on the weekends. The Florida Turnpike works well for what it is, but I have not gotten that bill yet!

Nashville's skyline dominates over the rest of the major cities in Florida as I have seen Tampa, Orlando Ft Lauderdale, & Jacksonville now. Tampa is the only one that does come close. 

I will try and post a few pictures when I remember to transfer them off of my phone.

[markhollin]

Courtesy of YIMBY Chicago:
 

[Binbin98]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:48 AM, Luvemtall said:

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. But I’m still of the opinion, that Miami and all of South Florida is a disaster in the making. Another Andrew, Katrina, etc is coming possibly even stronger due to changing climate and Global warming. There’s no way to get that many millions of people out, and all those high rises with beautiful full glass views to the East will not sustain the furry of 200 mph winds. Maybe the structure could hold out, but once that glass blows out and everything inside becomes projectiles raining down on neighborhoods for miles and the 20-30 foot storm surge batters the pilings that supports those buildings to the point of failure… disaster. 
I know because I was there for Andrew, I witnessed roads ripped from the ground , steel reinforced concrete reduced to rubble twisted like pretzels. Most people like to live for today, don’t worry about tomorrow. Show me the money, let’s have a good time, but never think about the consequences of their actions. In reality there should be a ban on building anything within a mile of the shoreline and nothing over 3 stories within 10 miles. How many times does insurance have to pay ( and all our rates go up) for people who choose to build and put themselves in harms way over and over again. 

If it helps you not worry I’m likely going to graduate school in england in 2024 XD 

although I’m gonna have a whole new set of problems then so I guess no matter where you are in the world now there are risks

[Binbin98]

23 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

I was just down there, and it is already a disaster. The traffic was horrible, and the mass transit system was a mess. I actually had high hopes for it when I arrived, but after riding it for three days I quickly made the determination that it simply did not work well. I rode in from Ft Lauderdale on the Tri Rail and for some reason the change the direction of the trains around on the tracks. So, if you are used to getting on the train on one platform and the train is going the other direction, you miss your train. I asked about this, and they said they did not know why they did that. They just did.

The employees also do not know the best way to navigate their own system. They told me to take a bus to a certain location when all I had to do was to take the Metromover. I spent an hour on the bus when it only would have taken me 10 minutes otherwise. For the most part I found the folks in NYC friendlier than the people here. The normal folks that ride the bus have a lot of resentment about the mass transit system here. 

To your point if they have to evacuate it will be a disaster just to get out of south Florida. Traffic through Orlando was a mess as well, even on the toll road I took. I hit it during rush hour and Nashville has nothing on Orlando as far as traffic goes.

As far as Ft Lauderdale goes it is not a very pedestrian friendly city. Even along the beach where it should be. The main road that runs along the Beach is more car centric to the point that pedestrians have to wait up to three of four minutes to cross the street from the beach to the other side when it should be the opposite. Priority is given to the cars in most places in Florida from what I have seen as the entire state is car centric.

The only places I enjoyed were The Everglades & St Augustine. Will I go back? Not likely as I had my taste of FL, and it was a bad one. Number one I am not a beach person. Number two it is crowded, the traffic is horrible, the mass transit is pretty much a disaster.

The high points were the Art Deco architecture of South Beach once I got there as that commute took 3 hours via mass transit from Ft Lauderdale. The skyline of Miami was OK, but I was in a way let down for some reason. The skyline is very linear without much depth. The main transit line is also very linear and there should at least be a line going to Miami Beach. The Ft Lauderdale canal system is unique and a tour via water taxi was interesting.  St Augustine is well worth a visit, and I wish I had more time to visit there. Even though it was designed by the Spanish the similarities between it and New Orleans were interesting. It was much nicer and cleaner than the old part of New Orleans. The MetroMover in Miami was a pleasant surprise as it is free and a 4-mile system around the downtown area. However, the Miami rail system is unreliable on the weekends. The Florida Turnpike works well for what it is, but I have not gotten that bill yet!

Nashville's skyline dominates over the rest of the major cities in Florida as I have seen Tampa, Orlando Ft Lauderdale, & Jacksonville now. Tampa is the only one that does come close. 

I will try and post a few pictures when I remember to transfer them off of my phone.

I agree traffic and the drivers especially here are awful. Everyone in Miami drives like they are on steroids and having roid rage (and some of them likely are)

While I agree miamis public transit could be a lot better (they should extend the subway lines here further), it’s a lot better than most cities in the south. Atlanta has the same issue where they have a subway but it’s not extensive enough. 

The Miami Airport is actually trash. When you check into your flight it feels like your checking into a bus station. If any airport needs an overhaul in this country it’s this one, yes one of the terminals is modern and was built recently, but all five other terminals were built between the 1940s and 1970s and are sorely in decay. There are also not enough gates anymore for new airlines and the fact that Miami is one of the biggest international airports in the country is actually a miracle because the airlines that fly here aren’t having much to work with…

That being said the Miami skyline is beautiful and growing very fast, and with the exception of maybe Honolulu, Miami has the best beaches of any city in the country. 
 

 

[Luvemtall]

1 hour ago, Binbin98 said:

If it helps you not worry I’m likely going to graduate school in england in 2024 XD 

although I’m gonna have a whole new set of problems then so I guess no matter where you are in the world now there are risks

Please understand, my post was never intended towards you in any way. Just my opinion on the build out of Miami and South Florida. I lived there for 21 years and still have family in different places in Florida. I fully understand the desire of many folks seeking the warmth and tropical lifestyle, but I question the decisions made to build right along the coastline and to build high rises at that. I know why they do it …. Money (greed) for the developers, they take no responsibility for what they are creating nor do they care! Florida is a big state , plenty of space to spread out . Yet they allow them to keep building as close to the coastline as possible as long as it keeps filling the pockets of politicians. The same politicians who will be crying to the world when everything in sight is leveled beyond recognition and weeks are spent recovering bodies. I know there’s drawbacks to living almost anywhere, we here in Tennessee have to deal with tornadoes. But Florida , especially South Florida is known to be a “sitting duck” for ages for monster hurricanes. Back in the days before the 1960’s -70’s not that bad to get the people out of the area because there wasn’t millions. And the buildings were mostly under 10 stories. But now , it’s going to be disastrous 

[dmillsphoto]

Some interesting perspective about the super-tall trend from the point of a New Yorker who, I think, brilliantly captures what the real essence of living in a city is as they wrap the article. 

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/01/supertall-mega-skyscraper-building-nyc/672228/?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-theatlantic&utm_content=later-31927576&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio

[markhollin]

Brooklyn's rendering for 625 Fulton, 35 stories, 500', 1,098 units, 26,000 sq. ft. of retail, 250 capacity garage (courtesy of YIMBY New York):

[KJHburg]

Tomorrow kicks off the Year of the Trail in NC and I would encourage you to head east to hike, bike, or canoe on one of our trails, greenways, mountain bike trails or blueways. 

https://greattrailsnc.com/

You have all heard of the Appalachian Trail which straddles the NC TN line for miles but you may not know of the Mountains to the Sea Trail that will be 1400 miles when completed from the highest peaks in the state to highest sand dunes on the east coast in the Outer Banks.

https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails/mountains-sea-state-trail

Here is a little video intro and whether it our Rail Trail in Charlotte that is featured on the sandy trails on our coast come over to NC this year or the highest mountain peaks in the east. 

Some of cities have some of the best greenway systems in the nation like Raleigh and Cary for example:

Look at this map of just Raleigh's greenways. 

https://cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/drupal-prod/COR24/raleigh-greenway-map.pdf

Happy New Year from Charlotte and NC! 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by KJHburg

[markhollin]

Miami's rendering for One Brickell Center, 68 stories, 1,000', 1.5 million sq. ft. of office space (courtesy of YIMBY Florida):
 

[BnaBreaker]

The 573 foot Halo Tower, a 594 unit residential dual tower complex currently under construction in Newark.  According to some folks here, developers only pay for unique tower designs in big markets or for large corporate HQ's!  Technically it's in the NY market I suppose, but I mean come on... it's friggin' Newark.  

Edited January 3, 2023 by BnaBreaker

[Binbin98]

Miami and Miami Beach on New Year’s Eve

I will lay off all these generic Miami photos for awhile, unless a new skyscraper is being build or something. 

[donNdonelson2]

With the stormy weather around here today, it’s nice to see the beautiful sun and sand of South Florida! 

[markhollin]

Philadelphia's rendering for the new (but made to look old)  1935 North 2nd St., covering 4 stories, 13 residential units, 1,000 sq. ft. of ground level retail.

[markhollin]

Brooklyn's renderings for Eagle + West, 30 & 40 stories, 745 units (courtesy of YIMBY New York):

[donNdonelson2]

This morning in midtown Manhattan

[donNdonelson2]

Headed back to Nashville today. The new LaGuardia terminal is such a significant upgrade from the archaic structure from just a few years ago!

I hope this short video will post. Fountain feature in a shopping area just past security. (Screening process was so fast and efficient! I left my hotel 2.5 hours before my flight and now have an hour before my flight. But this terminal is so nice I don’t mind the wait.)

Edited January 9, 2023 by donNdonelson2
Add video

[donNdonelson2]

Random assortment of other photos from my long weekend in NYC. My main purpose in going to New York was to see The Phantom of the Opera one more time before it closes after 35 years…a Broadway record. (I worked on the tour for many years.) While there, I also saw a new musical, Kimberly Akimbo. It’s a simple, touching, sad AND funny little tale, and I loved it. Also saw an off Broadway revival, Little Shop of Horrors. I had only ever seen the movie, but it was written for the stage. Loads of fun. Rounding out my collection of ticket stubs is Some Like It Hot. This one is a razzle-dazzle, big and brassy, old fashioned production. Big cast, beautiful sets and costumes, and choreography that undoubtedly leaves the dancers exhausted! It’s a blast.

Fun weekend, indeed. (Pretty pricey weekend, too. Hotel, theatre, and food prices are all up considerably from five years ago, with menu prices really steep these days-a mediocre dinner at a Mexican place at 9th & 51st totaled out at nearly $90 and that was with NO BAR TAB! Two entrees, one appetizer and two sodas…they charge for refills!) Despite the sticker shock, I had a great time and look forward to my next visit.

[chc3]

Snapped this picture of Bellevue from the northbound 405 Freeway this morning looking NW. The 600’ 555 Tower is topped out. Amazon is the chief tenant.

 

[markhollin]

Chicago's renderings for 415 North Sangamon, 17 stories, 260', 267,000 sq. ft. of office space with heavy use of solar panels integrated into the design (courtesy of YIMBY Chicago):

[nashmoney]

New Denver building will have 10-story landscaped canyon

https://www.9news.com/article/life/style/colorado-guide/one-river-north/73-f618987d-2acb-40c9-9607-14319d59ccfe