the regal constellation was big shit in the '80s. my father worked for a while at the similar-but-lesser "skyline," and was then transferred to the regal (to the delight of all). it's so campy and corny now, but at the time, he leveraged that into a position at the d.c. ritz.

it's kind of funny how people ordinarily get into this sort of thing through liking skyscrapers, then become urbanists who mock those who are still "at the skyscraper stage." there's room for liking skyscrapers. it's not inherently immature or weird, nor does it have as much to do with penises...

there is a difference, but i don't think it has much to do with grandeur. either way, as you correctly noted, this is totally subjective.

paris has far more "big-city grandeur" than chicago.

it is inherently malicious in that, for the government to "control" the economy, it must first forcibly seize control from the multitudinous private stakeholders who preceded it.

in real terms, toronto passed montreal around 1978 -- the year of my birth.

the "toronto is so boring, why would you go there?" attitude is quickly vanishing in montreal, and in some circles it's considered kind of churlish and outdated -- a kind of flipside to the "why go to quebec? i say let those fuckers separate" thing you find among drunk uncles in the rest of...

they're a nice, simple, dignified sign. newer ones are too suburban usually.

here's an example of a westmount street sign: are they exactly the same as toronto's? i think the font is a bit taller...

true. when montreal was the big guy, nobody liked montreal.

one thing i notice is that this sort of accent discussion tends to bring out a certain type of linguistic... let's say, preservationist. thus, in these discussions -- whether it's toronto or anywhere else -- you will tend to notice more people claiming to use unusual archaisms and pronunciations...

didn't know there were bay and gables around ontario... cool!

these are nowhere near as close, but they still wouldn't look out of place (pittsburgh):

here's the link...

this is on abbott street in the southwest of westmount (just above the ville-marie). as far as i know it's the only row of its type in montreal:

my family is english, but recognizes that they are no longer in england -- so my sister and i grew up as north americans, imbibing the standard north american pronunciations and never once being told that the customs of a foreign land were "correct." sometimes i will make a concession on a...

you're right, and i apologize. for canadians over maybe 50 or 60, these could possibly maybe still be normal usages. for the rest of us, no.

these usages are not examples of "correct" english in a north american context. they are fussy Anglicisms. they're archaisms, affectations.

not totally true. while chicago may entirely lack the high-rise nodes of toronto, it's pre-war density span is far larger. there are kensington markets at keele and eglinton, essentially. their equivalent of sheppard resembles dundas or queen right outside of the core.

i feel like "municipal politician killed in toronto" may not be the epoch-defining headline that you are imagining it to be.