So Durham's in Belarus, is it?

[SimuLord]

I'm guessing (and completely pulling said guess out of my ass) that the city pictured in the Escapist's new skin is Durham, NC (Themis Media's hometown)? Though from the look of the nondescript architecture, heavy use of the "sterile concrete box" aesthetic, and complete lack of anything resembling civic character or overall visual design, it might be Irkutsk or Dnepropetrovsk or some section of Vilnius where the medieval architecture didn't survive the Second World War. (seriously, if that's Durham, then modern American urban design is even worse off than I thought.)

For Discussion! Does your hometown have a famous architectural landmark that people would see and think "Yep, I know that city from that landmark"? Y'know, the kind of stuff like the Statue of Liberty or the Old North Church in Boston or the Kremlin or Big Ben?

 

[KefkaCultist]

My town has a museum with a train right next to it. If someone showed me a picture of it I'd instantly be able to point out the town.

as for the new skin it is Durham, I googled Durham NC the 1st picture is of that CCB building on the left.

 

[Pariah87]

We have the Express Lift Tower. Hasn't been used in years, it's quite ugly but it's now a landmark which can't be torn down. It only really means anything to us locals because it can be seen from a way away so you always know you're near home when you see it.

We also have one of the ugliest buildings in the country as voted for by the great British public. The "winner" of said competition got demolished and rebuilt as its prize. We didn't win but Greyfriars Bus Station was top 3.

 

[Idlemessiah]

Not much really. We have one of the oldest grammar schools in the UK, a statue of this dude called Thomas Clarkson who pretty important in his day... ummm. The BBC filmed David Copperfield here cause the river frontings look nice. And aparently this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Spanley
was filmed here too. Can't all be bad then I guess.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Eh... we have several casinos in a cluster in the downtown area. They're pretty cool to look at.

 

[cke]

There's an american flag on top of that CCB building.
Also those concrete boxes look nothing like soviet built ones.

OT: Well the silhouette of Riga is somewhat recognisable. Also we have The Monument of Freedom (or something) that looks like a toilet when viewed from google maps. (For some reason a lot of English tourists get arrested for taking a piss on it.)

 

[Kiba The Wolf]

I am pretty sure that it is Durham since I live in Durham, and I have been in an area that looks like the area in the picture,but I am not 100% sure, I am about 91.5% positive

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Not really much.

Though I suppose people may recognise

Spoiler: this

The largest fountain in the world (to my knowledge)

Spoiler: or this

A ship on top of three buildings.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Stupid Durham in NC...

I'm at uni in Durham, UK, so get confused by this every time! As for famous landmarks, there's a big-ass cathedral that's well worth seeing.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Stupid Durham in NC...

I'm at uni in Durham, UK, so get confused by this every time! As for famous landmarks, there's a big-ass cathedral that's well worth seeing.

Same. But where I live with my family is Portishead, possibly the dullest place in existance. There's 'posh new bit', 'scummy old bit', the old bit down the bottom of the hill and the anonymous british suburby bit up top.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

I thought it was New York, but now that I googled the CCB building, I guess it is Durham.

OT: Nope, the only thing my hometown is known for is whaling and the whaling museum (Which is apparently the largest museum on whaling in the country...you know, out of all 20 of them.). Other then those two, besides that, we only have a few other monuments and Fredrick Douglas' old house, so I guess we're pretty unrecognizable

How about a game, whoever can guess the name of my town wins a free cookie.

 

[SimuLord]

Eh... we have several casinos in a cluster in the downtown area. They're pretty cool to look at.

Your profile lists your town as "Sin City's Estranged Cousin"...you a fellow Wasteland dweller? Because if you're gonna talk about Reno's salient features, the university makes a much better representation of this town than Casino Alley does. The south quad at UNR legitimately qualifies as "an oasis of green in this depressing sea of brown."

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Eh... we have several casinos in a cluster in the downtown area. They're pretty cool to look at.

Your profile lists your town as "Sin City's Estranged Cousin"...you a fellow Wasteland dweller? Because if you're gonna talk about Reno's salient features, the university makes a much better representation of this town than Casino Alley does. The south quad at UNR legitimately qualifies as "an oasis of green in this depressing sea of brown."

Aye, I am. Can't say I like it either. xD
And the university's a better representation, but it isn't exactly an accurate one.
The Gold Midget Market in downtown Sparks also counts, I think, if anybody even bothers to go that far.

 

[Wes1180]

Spoiler: Millenium Bridge

Spoiler: Angel Of The North

Spoiler: The Sage

Also I didn't even know there was a Durham in America, juse knew about the one in England

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

snip

Why did you have to use post-U.S.S.R. cities as examples?

Yes, fine, our architecture is boring and pragmatic, but we're not the only ones.

OT; We do. Kremlin.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Well it's not really part of my town but I can see it from my kitchen/living room balcony:

St Michaels Mount

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[JRCB]

The CN Tower. And the Skydome (now known as the Rogers Centre). Those are the most recognizable things in Toronto.

Oh, and the Distillery District. I like that one the most, since it's family history for me.

 

[AvsJoe]

My town has the Ambassador Bridge, the second busiest border crossing in North America. It's a pretty nice bridge, too.

 

[SimuLord]

snip

Why did you have to use post-U.S.S.R. cities as examples?

Yes, fine, our architecture is boring and pragmatic, but we're not the only ones.

OT; We do. Kremlin.

Because the stereotype endures of the Commie Lego Stack-A-Prole Collection of buildings. And it's not like Irkutsk stopped being ugly because Gorbachev got kicked out of office.

 

[My name is Fiction]

I'm guessing (and completely pulling said guess out of my ass) that the city pictured in the Escapist's new skin is Durham, NC (Themis Media's hometown)? Though from the look of the nondescript architecture, heavy use of the "sterile concrete box" aesthetic, and complete lack of anything resembling civic character or overall visual design, it might be Irkutsk or Dnepropetrovsk or some section of Vilnius where the medieval architecture didn't survive the Second World War. (seriously, if that's Durham, then modern American urban design is even worse off than I thought.)

For Discussion! Does your hometown have a famous architectural landmark that people would see and think "Yep, I know that city from that landmark"? Y'know, the kind of stuff like the Statue of Liberty or the Old North Church in Boston or the Kremlin or Big Ben?

"Yes it does, its the lake!"
this video will explain
cut to 0:10