Can You See Your City Geographically Situated Elsewhere?

[SIGSEGV]

speaking of Catalina, what the flying fuck? https://www.latimes.com/environment/...nia-scientists

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

speaking of Catalina, what the flying fuck? https://www.latimes.com/environment/...nia-scientists

incredible and terrible.

i’d love to be on this investigation and/or cleanup job - never worked at sea.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by badrunner

Don't Ibiza my Catalina!



No, the only reason the Channel Islands don't feel as "connected" to the mainland is because it has been intentionally kept undeveloped. Of the eight islands, four are part of a national park, two are occupied by the navy, one is tiny, and most of Catalina is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy, which is a private landholding that doesn't allow any development.

One of the things that I admire about the Bay Area is the unspoiled beauty of its coastline (which feeds into my argument that the Bay Area turns its back against the Pacific), particularly the northerly parts of Sonoma County. That’s something I wish we had more of in LA. Part of me wishes Malibu and the PV Peninsula wasn’t developed, but at the same time, that kind of coastal living is a valuable feature of the LA lifestyle.

Part of me also wishes Catalina could be like our Ibiza, but it’s also nice that we have a place that greedy humans can’t deliberately fuck up.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Will O' Wisp

I've been told that given Catalina's location and geography, with the right development emphasis it could equal Ibiza or Madeira as a tourist destination. I remember this proposal being shopped around in the early 2010s for a cruise ship dock and an airport capable of landing regional airliners. There was a developer lined up to pay for the whole thing, all they needed was someone to say yes.

The water seems way too cold on the California coast for Catalina to ever be an Ibiza. But it is interesting that there aren't really any well-known island destinations on the West Coast. Nothing like a Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Fire Island, Outer Banks, Hilton Head, Florida Keys, etc. Even the beach towns in California seem like they're a bit removed from the water. It's more like they are designed for views of the water than they are for actually getting in the water.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

But it is interesting that there aren't really any well-known island destinations on the West Coast.

Other than the LA islands, how many other offshore islands of decent size even exist on the west coast?

It's not an "islandy" geography like the east coast with all of those barrier islands, intracoastal waterways, and expansive continental shelf. The west coast is more like cliffs falling into the sea.

[davee930]

I could see Calgary where Honolulu is

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Other than the LA islands, how many other offshore islands of decent size even exist on the west coast?

It's not an "islandy" geography like the east coast with all of those barrier islands, intracoastal waterways, and expansive continental shelf. The west coast is more like cliffs falling into the sea.

puget sound (and san juan islands) is rife with islands and is more like the upper northeast with the island hopping boating culture. but, yeah there arent big coastal plains that taper off.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

st. louis has some great-lakes related attributes but really takes on a sub-tropical feel in the summer - rumbling cloudbanks and a city-wide obsession with growing banana trees in the front of houses...

i could see it somewhere upriver from buenos aires if argentina or paraguay had industrialized more extensively - an old, new world city thats seen some shit...hard to picture it anywhere but on a river although I could picture it as an industrial el paso type thing - a chunk of brick sitting on a river/ditch in the desert.

Originally Posted by ue

Winnipeg could've been in the US. It looks Midwestern and has the manufacturing industry that other Prairie cities lack. It could've been somewhere around Fargo or Omaha or Minneapolis or perhaps Kansas City. Alternatively, it could've been where Edmonton is - they're similar as it is and also have similar climates.

A lot of what Centropolis says about St. Louis makes sense for Winnipeg. At least in summer. Watching clouds 10km high dump everything they've got on the earth, you get the sense of scale that puts you in the middle of something vast. The continent around you has a presence. In this sense, Winnipeg could be Missouri, Volgograd Oblast, or Zambia.

[Centropolis]

i’ve certainly wandered the volga river valley on google earth and found similarities with the mississippi and missouri river basin - forgot about that.

[edale]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

The water seems way too cold on the California coast for Catalina to ever be an Ibiza. But it is interesting that there aren't really any well-known island destinations on the West Coast. Nothing like a Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Fire Island, Outer Banks, Hilton Head, Florida Keys, etc. Even the beach towns in California seem like they're a bit removed from the water. It's more like they are designed for views of the water than they are for actually getting in the water.

Well there are far fewer islands on the west coast, but there are still some notable ones. Balboa Island in Newport Beach is pretty popular, but it doesn't have a beach. Coronado Island in San Diego is also pretty well known, and home to the beautiful Hotel del Coronado.

As far as beach towns being removed from the water, I think that's more a factor of topography than anything about relationship to the water. I mean Southern California is pretty famous for its surf culture, and the beaches are, collectively, kind of LA's primary public space. A lot of the beaches around LA and Orange County are 'below' the cities they're adjacent to because of natural topography. Most famously you see this in Santa Monica. But where topography allows, like in Venice, Hermosa, or Laguna Beach, the city is built right up to the beach.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8622...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5421...7i16384!8i8192

[Crawford]

Balboa is an artificial island community in OC. It's just the result of harbor dredging, not really an island in the sense under discussion.

[ue]

Originally Posted by biguc

A lot of what Centropolis says about St. Louis makes sense for Winnipeg. At least in summer. Watching clouds 10km high dump everything they've got on the earth, you get the sense of scale that puts you in the middle of something vast. The continent around you has a presence. In this sense, Winnipeg could be Missouri, Volgograd Oblast, or Zambia.

Yeah, that's true too. In the summer, there are many days that remind me of Southern Ontario around the Great Lakes. You don't get that further west in the Prairies. But, then, Winnipeg is at a crossroads. It takes influence from Ontario and the Midwest while influencing the subsequent Prairie cities.

[edale]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Balboa is an artificial island community in OC. It's just the result of harbor dredging, not really an island in the sense under discussion.

Ok, well it's still a destination for tourists and locals alike. Taking that little ferry over is part of the appeal. I mean, what discussion can really be had about "California doesn't have the Florida Keys/Outer Banks/Fire Island"...? No, it does not. The Channel Islands are really about it, and they're almost entirely protected. Short discussion.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by edale

Well there are far fewer islands on the west coast, but there are still some notable ones. Balboa Island in Newport Beach is pretty popular, but it doesn't have a beach. Coronado Island in San Diego is also pretty well known, and home to the beautiful Coronado Inn.

As far as beach towns being removed from the water, I think that's more a factor of topography than anything about relationship to the water. I mean Southern California is pretty famous for its surf culture, and the beaches are, collectively, kind of LA's primary public space. A lot of the beaches around LA and Orange County are 'below' the cities they're adjacent to because of natural topography. Most famously you see this in Santa Monica. But where topography allows, like in Venice, Hermosa, or Laguna Beach, the city is built right up to the beach.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8622...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5421...7i16384!8i8192

Yeah I'm not sure what he's talking about.
Plus, Santa Barbara is better than the Florida keys or Martha's vineyard.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

puget sound (and san juan islands) is rife with islands and is more like the upper northeast with the island hopping boating culture. but, yeah there arent big coastal plains that taper off.

right, i know about the san jaun's, that's why i specified "offshore" islands, as in islands located off of the coast like the channel islands, not those within bays or sounds or other protected bodies of water.

the long and short of it is the US west coast doesn't really have any substantial offshore islands other than those in the LA area.

i think it's pretty cool that such relatively rare commodities near one of the planet's most desirable locations have been so well protected.

5 are virtually uninhabited. 2 are minimally inhabited by naval installations, and 1 has a very tiny community of 4,000 people on a 75 sq. mile island.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Yeah I'm not sure what he's talking about.
Plus, Santa Barbara is better than the Florida keys or Martha's vineyard.

ha. that’s definitely an opinion there.

i did however have my honeymoon in and around santa barbara and as someone from a humid climate greatly prefer vacationing in the west. also the combination of the sea + mountains on the west coast is hard to beat (for me).

[Centropolis]

heres arroyo burro beach (santa barbara) looking towards the channel islands (my photo).

[edale]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Yeah I'm not sure what he's talking about.
Plus, Santa Barbara is better than the Florida keys or Martha's vineyard.

I've never been to the Florida Keys, but I have been to MV and found it really lovely. I also love Santa Barbara. Totally different places, but both are pretty awesome, IMO.

[shappy]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

I'd say it's a bigger and more booming upscale version of Cleveland surrounded by LA and with lots of splatters of Brickell Miami.

The character of the suburbs is more like LA especially with the sheer amount of new detached tract housing and massive 8 to 20 lane freeways and interchanges.

It also dosent have the beaux arts and art deco skyscrapers of Chicago, and instead of a centralized core it has a multi-nodular series of 'downtowns' that run from the lake along yonge street all the way to the 407. Most of these impressive suburban highrise clusters are exclamations on vast stretches of older fine grained 2 to 3 story commercial strips.

The distance from Bloor to the lake isnt that much bigger than the distance of Denman Street in Vancouver's west end to the Stadium skytrain station. Apart from Bay Street or Yonge and King, there isnt much that can be used for filming movies set in the financial core of downtown New York. We just lack the dramatic pre-war 12 to 20 story brick , stone, and terracotta tile clad canyons that make NY and Chicago so intensely urban.

I hope this changes as window wall falls out of favor and brick becomes a more popular material with developer and downtown continues to densify.

Ok, but then Cleveland has no where near the amount of quality Victorian housing or commercial strips/districts. Cleveland's residential character is also more oriented to detached housing with larger lots in the central city. And then there is transportation, demographics, vibe, culture, etc. Maybe I'm missing something but I fail to see what makes them so similar. Cleveland's Little Italy area looks great, are there other areas like this?

Also, Toronto is quite centralized. Downtown has more office space and is currently building much more than all suburban markets put together. Are you referring to St. Clair, Eglinton or North York along Yonge St.? Sure, there is a good amount of office space there but downtown is way bigger/more. (And Bloor to the lake is 1km longer than Denman to Stadium-Chinatown. )

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

right, i know about the san jaun's, that's why i specified "offshore" islands, as in islands located off of the coast like the channel islands, not those within bays or sounds or other protected bodies of water.

the long and short of it is the US west coast doesn't really have any substantial offshore islands other than those in the LA area.

i think it's pretty cool that such relatively rare commodities near one of the planet's most desirable locations have been so well protected.

5 are virtually uninhabited. 2 are minimally inhabited by naval installations, and 1 has a very tiny community of 4,000 people on a 75 sq. mile island.

Point Reyes is almost an island!