One idea could be to have it be where Ontario Place used be. That place has suffered a long decline, and I know there has been talk about what to do with it, and I think it would also end up being closer to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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One idea could be to have it be where Ontario Place used be. That place has suffered a long decline, and I know there has been talk about what to do with it, and I think it would also end up being closer to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Yeah, I have fond memories of going there with my Family over the years. It's quite sad to see it in such a state. I've seen Youtube videos of what it looks like now, including plans they had for the future back in the day, and it's hard to watch.
haven't seen that much of Toronto not sure exactly where Ontario Place sites but it would be hard pressed to match one big plus for the current location of the rogers centre - access to transit. Almost right next door to Union station which it a boon for fans - swipe your presto card - no having to deal with cars, traffic and parking.
People from my neck of the woods have been known to hit Blue Jays games (and even leafs) using transit (unfortunately it's twice as long as driving except if you get stuck on the Don Valley Park
I didn't think it was that bad.
Honestly, my biggest problem with the skydome is the warning track - exactly the same material as the rest of the field, just painted a different color. Which completely defeats the PURPOSE!
Indeed.
And as I said, it is a HUGE plus to have that Marriott attached to the stadium. There, you don't even have to deal with subway crowds!
I would not, OTOH, want to have a room that overlooks the field. If there's a game going on, I want to be out in the stands with everybody else. And if there is NOT a game going on, I don't care to look at an empty field...much better to have a view of the city!
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I didn't think it was that bad.
Well, I haven't been there in decades. I think the last time I possibly went was late 2000's. But even then, it was already a far cry from what it had once been. From what I could tell, it's really gone downhill over the last several years, with some sections being completely abandoned and the scale of the place being diminished. It's one of those projects that when launched had big prospects, but also one that has less and less money thrown at it over the decades and a struggle to remain open. The last I've heard, there were plans for a revitalization project, but no idea if anything ever came of it.
This is a really good video on it:
Thanks for the video! That was interesting.
Confession time: I've never been to Ontario Place, and was actually under the assumption it was located on the old CNE grounds.
No, the CNE has always been held at Exhibition Place. From what I understand, Ontario Place resulted in just wanting to have something to be proud of as a province, as a result of past worldwide expositions. They are situated across the road from each other though, with some pedestrian walkways for access to both places. Some of the major cities in Canada have their own version of the CNE. Ottawa has one, Montreal has one, and I'm sure there are others out west. I've mentioned Exhibition Stadium before, and this is where they played football and baseball before they each got their own more recent stadium and it was located within the CNE grounds.
Again, I'll point to another video from that same channel, this time the history of the CNE:
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Uh...what exactly are we talking about here?
I was just referring to the Skydome itself. I certainly didn't notice any part of it being "abandoned" or anything like that. I probably should have been more specific!
As I said, I like the Skydome very much and I don't want to see it go away. I LOVE the Marriott, and this area is just about the most convenient place I can see the Jays playing. I'd love it if they could get a natural grass field, but that's a major undertaking in and of itself. (don't know if a grass field is part of the renovations I just mentioned). At least now they have an all-dirt infield...
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I was just referring to the Skydome itself. I certainly didn't notice any part of it being "abandoned" or anything like that. I probably should have been more specific!
Sorry, there was a bit of cross-discussion going on. Talk about Ontario Place, and talk about the Skydome. You'd replied and quoted me and I thought you were referring to Ontario Place which is what I'd been discussing, in having gone downhill, with some parts abandoned. I can see how it got confusing!
Yeah, I have some great memories of the Skydome, but I have to be honest as I've only been there once, which must have been in 1991, and before that it was Exhibition Stadium. But I also have some great memories of Ontario Place, which is what disappointed me when I'd realized it had gone downhill. Ontario Place also had part of it that was a theme park/ water park and children's village, but those would be gutted over time. It had a great Log flume ride, but all that is gone now.
To make it up to you for your confusion, here's a video on the history of Exhibition Stadium for you 
I've been getting hooked on these videos as of late as they're pretty good pieces of history.
I've been getting hooked on these videos as of late as they're pretty good pieces of history.
I wanted to go to Toronto for a Jays game this year (and then also Niagara) but didn't make it. Last one I went to was in 2019, and Andrew Phung (Kim's Convenience, Run the Burbs) sat beside me in the nosebleeds. Before that, the last time I had seen a game I was a teenager. I think I've seen 4 total. Maybe 5. I subscribed to sportsnet for the playoff run, unsubscribed the next day for obvious reasons.
That's Canada for you, where you can sit beside a Celeb and not have it be special designated seats. I just find it very Canadian 
I've only ever seen two games in person, and I think both times they lost. One time, it might have been at the Skydome, I remember one of the players had broken his bat while hitting the ball. And I remembered wondering what the heck had just happened. Might have been Winfield or George Bell. Bell was one of my favourite players.
I've only ever seen two games in person, and I think both times they lost. One time, it might have been at the Skydome, I remember one of the players had broken his bat while hitting the ball. And I remembered wondering what the heck had just happened. Might have been Winfield or George Bell. Bell was one of my favourite players.
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That's Canada for you, where you can sit beside a Celeb and not have it be special designated seats. I just find it very Canadian
I've only ever seen two games in person, and I think both times they lost. One time, it might have been at the Skydome, I remember one of the players had broken his bat while hitting the ball. And I remembered wondering what the heck had just happened. Might have been Winfield or George Bell. Bell was one of my favourite players.
The wife used to be a big blue jays fan and went to a lot of games (including the time that the game went close on 20 innings).
Then you had the big players strike and the fans who had bought season tickets got utterly stiffed on refunds, well that was the end of that - hasn't been to one since.
OMG, I still have Aeroplan miles! I thought they'd have long since expired.
(I haven't flown Air Canada since '19...the ONE TIME I got to use the non-stop service between Omaha and Toronto...which they don't have anymore...
)
(I haven't flown Air Canada since '19...the ONE TIME I got to use the non-stop service between Omaha and Toronto...which they don't have anymore...
)
Btw, if anyone's interested in Ontario Place, this was actually the first video I had in mind, only I couldn't remember where I had seen it. It's fairly long, but it explains the role of the CNE and the emergence of Ontario Place, which was intended to be a permanent world's fair.
On an unrelated note: inspired by a recent job interview that didn't work out as well as a page from what used to be the standard atlas for grade-school kids where I once lived, I started working on a map of short-haul, scheduled airline routes, trying to cover as many communities across Canada as I can. "Work in Progress" caveats apply here, of course!
WIP: Air Route Map - Canada - 14 Sept 2022 by Dwight Williams, on Flickr
WIP: Air Route Map - Canada - 14 Sept 2022 by Dwight Williams, on Flickr
Very interesting! You can see that there are still rather large areas in Northern Ontario with no coverage. Unless of course that's due to the work in progress. Either way, it's obvious you've put lots of work into it.
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