Winnipeg Construction X

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by buzzg

That building is so perplexing... like why not try and lease out the main floor and make some money from it? Makes no sense.

Might this discussion be about the 17 floor Kensington Bldg, 275 Portage?

[Ando]

Another Winnipeg building gets front page treatment in today’s Globe and Mail real estate section. The Uptown in River Heights.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real...a-new-pose-as/

[trueviking]

they must pay for those, eh?

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

Might this discussion be about the 17 floor Kensington Bldg, 275 Portage?

Yes.

Originally Posted by trueviking

they must pay for those, eh?

Oh yes definitely. While all these Time, NYT, Lonely Planet, etc. articles about Winnipeg being a top place to visit sure are a nice pat on the back... they are absolutely due to a lot of effort (and money) from Tourism Winnipeg.

[trueviking]

^ the Time thing makes me cringe. It’s embarrassing.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by trueviking

^ the Time thing makes me cringe. It’s embarrassing.

the time piece was one that actually wasn’t paid for and bought. The main reason why everyone is hyping it so much.

[pspeid]

Has anyone looked at all the selections in the Time article or just the Winnipeg one? I haven't myself, but perhaps they were looking for a selection of lesser-known locations as their theme? In any case I honestly don't see what's so cringe-worthy about the article. It's a travel piece; all travel pieces are heavy on praise for wherever they are featuring. Besides, IMO Winnipeg punches above it's weight when it comes to arts and culture, I think it's good thing to encourage it.

[trueviking]

I try to boost the good things about the city we live in but I’ve been a lot of places and I’m sorry, this is not in any way a list Winnipeg can rightfully be on. No matter what the criteria. THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLACES OF 2021 - 100 extraordinary destinations to explore.

It is there this year because of the Inuit Gallery, which is a nice addition to the WAG, but hardly a global attraction that could put Winnipeg on any list with New York and Cairo.

If you could choose 100 places in the world to visit, would Winnipeg really be one of them? We don’t even really have a nice hotel to stay in.

Here’s the article: https://time.com/collection/worlds-g...t-places-2021/

[905er]

I really don't like how self deprecating we Canadians can be sometimes... why not Winnipeg?.... what makes Mozambique so special, or St. Louis and Orlando?

I saw a similar article not too long ago that said the same thing about Saskatoon.. thanks to their new Remi building.. some of our cities may not be spectacular by any means, but doesn't mean they're not worth a visit, even if only a short on. My one visit to Winnipeg in 2007 actually impressed me.. and a lot has changed since then. Good on Winnipeg getting that exposure!

[cllew]

[QUOTE=trueviking;9349837]snip

If you could choose 100 places in the world to visit, would Winnipeg really be one of them? We don’t even really have a nice hotel to stay in.

end snip/QUOTE]

I'm curious what makes a nice hotel? Are the Fairmont's and Delta's that bad here in Winnipeg for most travelers?

[Wigglez]

What I find interesting is his use of Cairo as a city Winnipeg couldn't possibly live up to. Outside of a museum and a historic location in the suburbs, it's a crowded air polluted city tearing up boulevards to construct 2 story freeways on historic streets. Is this trueviking admitting he's pro freeway/car and that's a key to being a world class city?

[Gravity Wins]

I'm not one to glance over Winnipeg's shortcomings, but I have no issue with it being included on a list like this. Important to note that this is not Time Magazine's definitive list of the "100 greatest places on the planet". It's, as stated in the name, their 2021 edition of the top 100 places. Meaning that they do many editions of this (perhaps yearly?) and so we can safely assume they have included many hundreds of places, if not thousands, over the years.

If anyone is still arguing that Winnipeg is not worthy of being called one of the few thousand greatest places on earth, then you need to travel more. Or better yet, speak to one of the many immigrants and refugees who called Winnipeg home, and hear what they think. To them it may indeed be one of the greatest places on earth, even if those of us who grew up here don't have the perspective to see it.

[kattiff]

I think this is amazing that Winnipeg can be on this list. Weren’t we on another list not too long ago about best places to visit in the world or something by like Travel Leisure??
I know we locals go oh my god really like why Winnipeg and even some Canadians go ew Winnipeg and even ewww Manitoba. We are an over looked province and get a bad rep…. A lot of people just hear Winnipeg and are legit turned off.
So why not have our city go on a global stage for more then being colder then Mars. Our city has come a long way. I am originally from the country and moved to Winnipeg a few years ago and I gotta say while Covid was going on I actually explored Winnipeg plus parts of Manitoba as a tourist. What an absolute beautiful hidden gem we have. I am happy that people in Canada say it’s an crappy place because we can keep it for ourselves. Every place in the world is unique and pretty to someone some how.
We of course judge it bad because we live here, we know our city. But maybe someone in Cairo who lives with desert and odd palm tree would want to see like Whiteshell Provincial Park and on their drive back they see like wheat fields, sunflower fields and some potatoes. With fresh dirty river and different garbage in the street. New building designs, no dust clouds, humidity or wind chill. our crap hole could actually be someone else’s treasure.
And heck when stuff opens up let’s get tourism back and make the economy grow!! maybe get some gosh darn good construction in Winnipeg and bloody descents roads lol.

[1ajs]

hahaha wow the self doubt sure kicking in. this city has come a long ways. we need to stop self shaming and explore it more like u talk about on twitter with ur biking qdventures..

also what constitutes a nice hotel? they all seem the same to me

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Wigglez

What I find interesting is his use of Cairo as a city Winnipeg couldn't possibly live up to. Outside of a museum and a historic location in the suburbs, it's a crowded air polluted city tearing up boulevards to construct 2 story freeways on historic streets. Is this trueviking admitting he's pro freeway/car and that's a key to being a world class city?

You may have heard of a little thing called the pyramids?

I’ve been to Cairo. It’s mind blowing.

Winnipeg is an ok place to live. I’m not even really sold on that given other options, but it is crazy to suggest it’s a global destination for tourism. I’m sorry. That’s just the reality. Downtown, which is where tourists go, is filled with massive parking lots, is centred on giant car filled streets. There are very few shops or storefronts. No shopping street. Even the Exchange is half of what it could be.

[Wigglez]

Originally Posted by trueviking

You may have heard of a little thing called the pyramids?

I’ve been to Cairo. It’s mind blowing.

Winnipeg is an ok place to live. I’m not even really sold on that given other options, but it is crazy to suggest it’s a global destination for tourism. I’m sorry. That’s just the reality. Downtown, which is where tourists go, is filled with massive parking lots, is centred on giant car filled streets. There are very few shops or storefronts. No shopping street. Even the Exchange is half of what it could be.

That's that thing in the suburbs I mentioned

I've also been and I gotta admit I wasn't impressed. I went there a million years ago now back when I was in university, went to see some of the wonders the world had with my then-girlfriend. While there a number of different men offered to purchase her... So perhaps this is a gender-specific mind blowing experience.

If that's how you honestly feel why not bail? You clearly have the money to move anywhere in Canada regardless of affordability issues some cities are currently experiencing. If you're not even convinced its livable why not go somewhere with greener pastures?

I say this as someone who would also do that if not locked here for the foreseeable future.

[GreyGarden]

Originally Posted by Wigglez

If that's how you honestly feel why not bail? You clearly have the money to move anywhere in Canada regardless of affordability issues some cities are currently experiencing. If you're not even convinced its livable why not go somewhere with greener pastures?

One of the most annoying Winnipeg responses I see - "if you hate it, then move" - trust me our young people are. Relocation is tough once life happens, but we should be seriously worried about keeping the young people we do have.

Re the Time piece, not paid for (probably lobbied for), but like someone else said, it's not Top 100 greatest places, its a yearly list and this year we had the luck of having the new WAG addition open. I haven't been but everything I've read is that it was done right - so why not feature it. Winnipeg is definietly not the "sh*thole" Canadians think it is. Regarding travel, for someone who is into art, it might be worth coming for a weekend and taking it in. I agree, the experience would be vastly improved if there were some luxury hotels, shops and restaurants, and of course well-heeled people who lived in the surrounding area to make it all viable.

I think the only times I cringe for these is the way Winnipeg media covers these types of pieces - or when they're paid for.

[pspeid]

People are allowed, of course, to like or dislike whatever they want. Personally I think it's kind of sad that some people seem to fixate on the city's flaws. Not to try to find solutions to fix them, however, but to point to them as some kind of "evidence" (in their minds) as to how "horrible" the city is. This often seems to be followed by outrage when others don't share their sense of condemnation. I can't see how this leads to anything but endless frustration but to each their own, I guess.

Of course there are other cities that can offer more in terms of arts. culture, architecture, etc., but remember the old adage that "familiarity breeds contempt". Cairo may be "mind blowing" during a visit, but living there for a few years would probably inspire disgust over the on-going crime and poverty of that city.

Yeah, Winnipeg is flawed. I'd love to see more construction on it's surface lots, a more aggressive approach to neglectful property owners, and more focus on helping the homeless in the city. It also has some great things going for it, and personally I don't think one thing cancels out the other. I don't feel I have to apologize when it gets some positive press.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

I’d love to see it remain a hotel. It could be the best hotel in the city if it was restored. But maybe it won the federal rapid housing lottery, in which case it will be affordable housing.

This federal rapid housing policy initiative is a bit of a head-scratcher... I guess it's better than nothing, but you have to wonder about the long-term impact of just cramming people into a bunch of hotel rooms which are fine for a few nights, but maybe not so great as a place to live. I don't know that it's really an adequate substitute for proper, long-term housing.

As to the Marlborough, I don't know that it could realistically ever be the "best hotel in the city"... I always understood it to be a solid mid-level hotel aimed at business travellers, even in its heyday. I could see it being a nice three star hotel along the lines of a Four Points type place, though. Which is basically what it was until about the mid 90s. Speaking of that place, why did they stop using the old wing of the building as a hotel? What is in there now?

[esquire]

On the Time thing, let's face it, magazines like that can't just keep trumpeting the same couple dozen dream destinations like NYC, Paris, London, Rome etc. over and over again. They have to keep it fresh by throwing in some places people might not have considered. Hence Winnipeg. Even if Winnipeg is not a global tourism hub I don't think it's really that far fetched to imagine someone with an interest in arts and culture flying in for a couple of days to see what's what.