Texas is a very big state, nearly 900 miles from east to west, with dramatic diverse landscapes and over 500 cities to explore. This remarkable state is organized into seven regions, each with its own Texan personality. Texas real estate comprises of Texas homesites, farm and ranch properties, riverfront properties on the Colorado ... Read more
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For over 60 years, Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto was synonymous with hockey in Canada. Whether you loved the Toronto Maple Leafs or lived in another area of our vast and great nation and therefore despised them, you definitely knew where the Leafs played their home games. Maple Leaf Gardens had much the same connotations and power as New York City’s Madison Square Gardens; everyone knew about the arena, and everyone knew which team played there. Not only that, but the building itself was kind of a sacrosanct tribute to the nation’s favourite sport.
Hockey, like many other sports, saw a shift in the perception of arenas in the 1990s. Dozens of new teams had been added to the National Hockey League since the Leafs first moved into Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931, and part of the stipulations for most (particularly in the expansion crazy ‘90s) was the building of a state of the art arena for the team to practice in and play their home games. Another sad part of the old arenas is that in many cases they were difficult and costly to repair, and like Mellon arena in Pittsburgh and arenas in other cities it was more cost effective to build a new, sponsored stadium than to fix up the old ones. Along with the hunger of many cities to host multiple sport franchises in the same location, these factors spelled the end of the Maple Leaf era in the gardens. Air Canada came to an agreement with the Toronto Maple Leaf and Raptor management and built the modern arena in which both teams play today. The Leafs themselves played their last game in the Gardens in February of 1999. Today many people still remember Maple Leaf Gardens with a certain degree of fondness, although most will agree that the new facilities of the Air Canada Centre are more amenable. Still, as Canadians we are attached to our historical icons, and most people wonder what is happening with MLG today. Actually, most would probably assume that the Gardens are still being used in some capacity as an arena, as this would seem to make sense. However, the management at Maple Leaf Entertainment, which owns the rights to the building and the property, has refused to let the arena be used for sports purposes. It was announced in 2003 that the building had been sold to food giant Loblaws, who plan to renovate the building and turn it into a Real Canadian Superstore. Many are in agreement that this is a sad and somewhat inappropriate end to the history of a true Canadian landmark, whether or not you have ever cheered on the Buds. It seems as though even Loblaws may agree, as little has been done so far in converting the building.
People visiting or living in Brampton Ontario with an interest in cultural, architectural, or local history, or even those just looking for something to do for an afternoon, might be interested in visiting Bovaird House, the cit... A lot of people don’t understand the importance of getting pre-approved for a mortgage before they actually start looking for a house. After all, the reasoning goes, I haven’t even found anything yet so how will I know how much ... With winter just around the corner, many people are getting their sleds ready for another great season of running the powder. There’s no better feeling for snowmobilers than gliding on a few feet of snow at high speed, perhaps p... One thing that a lot of people don’t realize about purchasing real estate is that the final sale price is not the only time you are going to have to pay fees, and we are not just talking about the mortgage payments either. Once ... If you grew up in North America during the last 50 years, you are almost certain to have been exposed to the exploits of red headed Archie and his gang of friends in their ubiquitous comic books. The city that the gang calls hom... Often several separate neighbourhoods that retain their own identity, and develop their own culture will develop within a large city or town. This is definitely the case in Mississauga Ontario. Though the city is usually seen as...
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