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10-12-2015, 04:47 PM
I have been wondering for a while if Downtown Kitchener or Uptown Waterloo will ever have our own version of a Time Square/ Young Dundas square. The reason I wonder is because of all the technology companies in the area and the revitalization happening. Where would it be located?
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I think King/Victoria would be a great place for something like this; the Transit Hub would make up one corner of it, and perhaps the vertical surfaces on School of Pharmacy could be home to some illuminated signs, too. I always liked when they put video on "the cube" at City Hall; very Blade-Runneresque.
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Is a gaudy, ad-filled plaza a thing that our cities are desperately missing?
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mpd618's point aside, I think that a place like Times Square or Yonge/Dundas or Piccadilly needs some serious density around it to provide the daily mass of people that would attract this kind of advertising installation.
Conservatively, I think that's at least a generation away. But, I'd be happy to see King/Victoria turn into a much more lively location, with the advent of the hub and growth of the city around that area!
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(10-13-2015, 01:17 AM)mpd618 Wrote: Is a gaudy, ad-filled plaza a thing that our cities are desperately missing?
No, is the answer I would put forward.
However, an intersection with a cool light installment would be different. Christie Digital could do this and make it very cool.
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Times Square is so cool. I'm really glad I got to see that this year, and I'm very much looking forward to standing in awe at Shibuya crossing next spring on my upcoming Japan trip. Some of us just like to be in awe at modern, futuristic progress, not get stuck in the past with gingerbreading, scrolly furniture and crumbling roads, I guess.
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I'll be the cynic here and say, the last thing I want to see - anywhere - is more corporate advertising forced upon me. That's all those those areas are. Big ads wasting immense levels of electricity to sell you meaningless junk or to tell you what to think. I never understood the appeal any such areas have unless big screens with Pepsi adverts, your local Left vs Right news pundits arguing on the news and a million LEDs inspires awe.
If you're after a sort of...centrepiece to the city with life, lights and sound, city hall fills this role well. There are often events on day and night, two art galleries in the building and additionally they often project films and visual art works onto the building. There is a really nice fountain that turns into a skating rink all winter, a cafe and a rooftop restaurant and all sorts of people just out and about day or night.
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It's just fun and cool looking and futuristic, that's all. No meaning-of-life stuff here. I do love City Hall.
Is the restaurant at the top open to the public, however? The only time I've ever been up to the balcony there was during some special event (Pride? Can't remember). Is there an actual restaurant up there open all the time?
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(10-30-2015, 09:18 PM)Canard Wrote: It's just fun and cool looking and futuristic, that's all. No meaning-of-life stuff here. I do love City Hall.
Is the restaurant at the top open to the public, however? The only time I've ever been up to the balcony there was during some special event (Pride? Can't remember). Is there an actual restaurant up there open all the time?
The restaurant was only open to the staff at city hall. It has since been replaced by vending machines.
Coke
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I wonder whether one or both of the two "wings" of city hall would structurally support adding a glassed-in restaurant level ... even if it's not high, it would have nice views of the fountains/skating rink, festivals etc. Access through city hall is not easy, though, might need to add an elevator on the outside of the building. Hmmm, now I think about it, it's probably impractical, as much as I like the idea.
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I thought of a good place for a (Non advertising) time square. The back part of Center in the Square facing Frederick ST. It could feature local art and the only advertisements would be for what shows are going on at center in the square and maybe the art gallery.
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11-01-2015, 08:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-01-2015, 08:11 AM by Canard.)
I like that idea! The little art gallery there is actually really good, I'm within walking distance of it and we go there once a year or so. It would be a fairly inexpensive way to promote it - I think a lot of people don't even realize it's there.
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11-20-2015, 12:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-20-2015, 01:00 AM by ac3r.)
That'd be a nice idea to see.
KWAG is a great little place in general that I'd love to see grow. There are lots of exhibits they put on every year, usually a month or two at a time and they have a huge collection of art that is usually on display too, with different themes depending on the month. There's lots of lectures and debates as well and lots of workshops for the public as well as children. It's a nice place to start getting involved in the art community here (which is surprisingly large, just not well promoted).
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