web analytics

So, this thing is in London

Tallest building in Europe, at least for now. It went live earlier tonight with a laser show.

Phew, and I thought the Pickled Gherkin was big and ugly.

I have a kind of thing about skylines. When I went away to art school, my mother drove me up to Rhode Island. I refused to stop for the night until we saw The Skyline of Providence. Next thing we knew, there was the Welcome to Massachusetts sign. (Yeah. Providence was smaller than I realized. It does have distinct and lovely skyline, but a little one).

This thing…and the Gherkin and the Millenium Dome all the other modern abominations visited onto London has really screwed up a lovely skyline (you can barely make out good old St Paul’s any more).

Oh, well. I guess Hitler started it.


Oooooh! Forgot to add: See you at 6pm WBT for the new Dead Pool!

Comments


Comment from Bruno Braun
Time: July 5, 2012, 11:48 pm

I’ll take Speer any day of the week over this.


Comment from Christopher Taylor
Time: July 5, 2012, 11:48 pm

At least its not a thinly disguised arabic structure like that pickle building. Lots of ugly ass buildings in London, the kind that make James Likeks wax brilliant in his columns.


Comment from sandman is going to resist
Time: July 5, 2012, 11:56 pm

Frankly, being the ignorant country hick I am, I could do without ever seeing a building over 10 stories. I know they’re hot shiite and all that kit but they’re just not my speed. I’ll pass and admire the skyline from the treeline, thanks.

Still, you do find some interesting things to write about Swease, you surely do.

I know: don’t call you Shirley…


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: July 5, 2012, 11:59 pm

I’m with you, Sandman – it’s a bloody abomination and built with filthy money from Qatar. They must really enjoy throwing our own oil money back in our faces and desecrating the landscape in the process.

I’d hope they rot in hell but they’re already there.


Comment from Redd
Time: July 6, 2012, 12:13 am

I watch Selling London. They gut these beautiful old homes and decorate them in puce with marble. They look like hotels. Blech.


Comment from EZnSF
Time: July 6, 2012, 12:38 am

Didn’t Kim Il-Sung build that in Pyongyang?


Comment from Paula Douglas
Time: July 6, 2012, 1:45 am

It looks like a Klan hat.


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: July 6, 2012, 3:54 am

I think it looks like something the singer Madonna (remember her?) bought for her boyfriend to match her bra.


Comment from Oceania
Time: July 6, 2012, 4:50 am

Bet it isn’t up to earthquake building code standards


Comment from Feynmangroupie
Time: July 6, 2012, 6:18 am

Finally, some positive thinking from Oceania.

I’m with Sandman on the max number of floors a building should have.
I was just whinging about my dislike of gigant-ifices, since The Husband insisted that we visit Las Vegas. Ugh, what an abomination. We did go see the Titanic Exhibit that you mentioned a while back, Stoaty. It was quite interesting, and there were a lot of people paying the $35 per head to see it. All of the recovered items were nicely displayed, with detailed descriptions. It was amazing to see all of the glassware and ceramic that survived the sinking. There were even postcards and paper products that survived and sustained little damage. It was all very dramatic and thoughtfully presented.

It was only slightly ruined by the constant references to the James Cameron movie overheard, and of course DVDs of it for sale in the gift shop.

Otherwise, I hate Las Vegas and can’t wait to head up to the gorgeous mountains surrounding it!


Comment from Mike C.
Time: July 6, 2012, 8:22 am

EZnSF stole the essence of my comment. That would be considered ugly and weird even in Dubai.


Comment from Scubafreak
Time: July 6, 2012, 8:31 am

Looks like Margaret Cho’s dream Dildo.

Stoatie, have you ever thought of doing a graphic of Zombie Reagan walking away from a bunch of blubbering MSNBC talking dicks muttering “No Brains”… ? Daily KOS is having a total cow right now about the pic of Reagan on a Velociraptor, like it was real or something…. LOL


Comment from Scubafreak
Time: July 6, 2012, 8:32 am

(personally, I think they secretly hope that, if they make London ugly enough, the Islamists will all go back home…)


Comment from Redd
Time: July 6, 2012, 9:49 am

While I like the TransAmerica Building in SF (I call it the T&A bldg)– it and the other skyscrapers ruin the natural beauty of the hills. But nothing is as bad as the black monolith of the Bank of America bldg. What were they thinking??


Comment from Deborah
Time: July 6, 2012, 1:25 pm

Oh good grief—that Gherkin thing is oh-so wrong. It would look terrific in Houston—where they like rockety things, but poor London. This must be what triggered Prince Charles’s rant about modern architecture.


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: July 6, 2012, 1:31 pm

I love the buildings in Las Vegas! Not because I like the architecture – not at all – but because the place is such a perfect visual representation of the mental and moral attitude of Las Vegas … Every building is a slick fiberglass deliberately-vulgarized built-on-the-cheap, poor-last-night-rich-today-broke-again-by-sundown obviously faked copy of something famous. Think of a painted on black velvet reproduction of the Mona Lisa showing her with a big smile and her nipples showing.

( No, Weasel, NO! You must resist! Yes, you could do it better than anybody, and yes, it would make a great coffee cup BUT it’s your immortal soul we’re talking about here!


Comment from Clifford Skridlow
Time: July 6, 2012, 1:52 pm

Yes, Weasel YES. You must do it. I have my credit card out and am hovering my cursor over the Zazzle link. I’ll even chip in a few bucks for a brand new mortal soul for you, and maybe something nice for Uncle Badger too.


Comment from Mike James
Time: July 6, 2012, 1:58 pm

Man, that pile gives off a sinister MiniPax or MiniTru sort of vibe.

What’s it called, again? The Orwell Building?


Comment from Davem123
Time: July 6, 2012, 2:13 pm

Excellent point, Mr. James. That building does look like it should house the Ministry of Truth.


Comment from mojo
Time: July 6, 2012, 3:37 pm

Somewhere, Christopher Wren weeps…


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: July 6, 2012, 3:46 pm

It’s obviously an antenna, silly people. It’s meant as a beacon to guide the mothership during the alien invasion…kinda like Greenwich…it’s the fixed point 0,0 on their maps! If I had real estate there I’d sell fast!


Comment from Feynmangroupie
Time: July 6, 2012, 4:00 pm

Some Veg,

It definitely is what it is. I suppose that I had some vision of 1950s-60s Brat Pack type aesthetic (why? I have no clue). We’re staying in the po’ side of town, right next to Nellis AFB where the homeless get an airshow on a regular basis.
I don’t take issue with people gambling, I just hate casinos. The maze-like interior (so you cannot leave), the constant barrage of sound and light. The stench of desperation. It definitely doesn’t try to pretend to be anything else.


Comment from David Gillies
Time: July 6, 2012, 5:17 pm

I love tall buildings and always thought it was a shame London didn’t have many real skyscrapers. When I was a kid the NatWest tower (now Tower 42) was about it. I think the Gherkin is awesome. I hope the Shard is followed by several 1000+ ft structures. So basically you’re all wrong.


Comment from Redd
Time: July 6, 2012, 6:40 pm

The Gherkin and the Shard?

I think The Suppository and The Shank are more apropos.


Comment from stina
Time: July 6, 2012, 6:44 pm

Gherkin/Shard etc. are actually a precaution to make sure that London isn’t stepped on/sat on when gigantic Godzilla-style aliens invade Earth.

Like those pointy plastic mats people put on their gardens so cats won’t dig there.

“Don’t sit on the sharp pointy things! Go loll about on the nice comfy Cotswolds instead! Or go take a stroll on East Anglia!”


Comment from iamfelix
Time: July 7, 2012, 6:22 am

You made me think of the San Francisco County Jail, aka the Glamour Slammer to the locals. And their Costco looks like prison, especially the parking structure part.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlostexca/539299727/

Write a comment

(as if I cared)

(yeah. I'm going to write)

(oooo! you have a website?)


Beware: more than one link in a comment is apt to earn you a trip to the spam filter, where you will remain -- cold, frightened and alone -- until I remember to clean the trap. But, hey, without Akismet, we'd be up to our asses in...well, ass porn, mostly.


<< carry me back to ol' virginny