[Archivist]

condovo, I found that Tel Aviv had the most handsome beautiful men of anywhere I have ever been in my life. Absolutely.

Architecturally, a bit of a mixed bag, and I didn't care for the physical form of the city, with Highway 20 / Rail corridor running through the centre, surrounded by some high buildings (some of which were quite handsome). The waterfront was lovely, in terms of its beachiness and walkways. The Bauhaus stuff was nice, but I also found there was lots of abandoned storefronts in the middle of the city. Dizengoff Square was a bit tacky. Some of the parks were in terrible shape. Loved the treed central walkways as on Rothschild.

Overall, though, we loved it and can forgive it it's problems - seemed like it was on the mend as well.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Evil empires come, and evil empires go, and great art is produced under the most adverse conditions. Beautiful buildings are treasured regardless of the regimes that happened to govern when they were built because the direct aesthetic connection they prompt is ennobling.

 

[ladyscraper]

sorry to bump an old thread but I just came across a building so ugly, that I laughed tea out of my nose:

It says it's in Times Square. That is the tackiest place I can think of outside of Vegas so I guess this building is strangely suitable. Holy F, that is the ugliest Cosby sweater-turned building I have ever seen!

 

[OttoSchloss]

It really does look like an homage to Bill Cosby's wardrobe.

 

[adma]

Yet there's a real architectural sensibility behind it: it's by Arquitectonica, after all (the folks who earlier gave you Miami Vice Pomo). And never mind "strangely suitable"; it's deliberately suitable, i.e. designed with its 42nd Street/Times Square visual-overload context in mind.

Not that it I disagree that it might be too garish for its own good. But I'll take it over Toronto Death Square anyday.

 

[Uncle Teddy]

It actually looks pretty cool in person. One of these at Yonge and Dundas would work wonders.

 

[casaguy]

I think this monstrosity has to take the cake. Just god-awful.

photo by rody69 at skyscrapercity.com

 

[jn_12]

I can't get beyond the location to be honest. It's amazing that something like that is being built where it is.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Best yet - that *thing* is going to get a gigantic clock - a la Big Ben. It is rather remarkable that something this vulgar could be in in sight of what is one of the holiest cities on Earth. Thank heavens non-believers are forbidden to step foot on Mecca.

AoD

 

[casaguy]

Behold the beauty!

Ugh. God help us all.

 

[ladyscraper]

I still stand by my word that the thing in Times Square is an ugly steaming turd no matter how you try to justify it. It's just hideous to look at no matter what the context is.

However, the building posted above is 100000000000000 times worse than what I posted. So I stand corrected about it being the absolute ugliest.

 

[Urban Shocker]

What's the Arabic for Cheddingtonista?

 

[Urban Shocker]

The nearbye Kaaba, however, is a minimalist wonder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-MimunZijM&feature=related

 

[ganjavih]

Mecca is starting to look like Vegas... not good.

 

[adma]

I still stand by my word that the thing in Times Square is an ugly steaming turd no matter how you try to justify it. It's just hideous to look at no matter what the context is.

But my more fundamental point remains: worse than Metropolis/Toronto Life Square/whatevertheheckit'scallednow?