The Boulevard Club entry to the new spa. Artist Rendering by Norm Li AG+I.

The renewed facility will have new change rooms; a spa and wellness centre; relaxing and luxurious lounge spaces; badminton courts and a multi-use gymnasium.

To illustrate the multi-use gymnasium, we created two images, using the same view, but showing two different uses.  The following images are prime examples of activity and context – two key components to engaging images (refer to Norm’s talk at OCAD).

The Boulevard Club’s main membership is made up of adults.  So to demonstrate how they might use the new gymnasium, we placed adults using the space in sporty ways.

The Club also has kids programming called Camp Boulevard.  To show that, we used the same view of the gymnasium, but this time populated the space with active kids along with adult supervision of course.

Both images contain activity and context, hopefully giving you the viewer an instantly recognizable and relatable visual image of what it will be like to use the new facility.

As Toronto’s only private multi-sport, recreation, and social club with an expansive waterfront setting on Lake Ontario, the Boulevard Club has a lot to offer its members.  The expansion also has plans for a new roof terrace open to the lake to take full advantage of the waterfront view in ways the original building never did.  Now if only old man winter would cooperate and leave the city so we can get on with spring already!

Dreaming of warm summer nights by the waterfront, under the stars…sigh.

The Boulevard Club, Toronto. Artist Rendering by Norm Li AG+I. So romantic.

Sure, Barcelona has great Gaudi buildings... but that's not all it has

When you think of Barcelona, you think of Picasso, Gaudi, soccer, Park Guell, tapas, prosciutto, and Sagrada Familia.  While these are all major staples of Barcelona, they aren’t the only things that are keeping an influx of tourists constantly visiting the city. Perhaps the foremost aspect of Barcelona that it is most renowned for is its phenomenal nightlife.  By the day the city is a buzzing, lively center of culture, art, architecture, shopping and fine dining, but by night, located in the nooks and crannies, are some of the continent’s biggest and best clubbing venues.  Barcelona has arguably the most exciting and flourishing nightlife cultures in Europe. One of Barcelona’s foremost defining qualities is its ability to keep people out on the town into the wee hours of the night.  Barcelona’s nightlife is very much in keeping with the city itself: trendy, varied, and sometimes spectacular.  The party scene in Barcelona has multi-dimensions to suit all different types of people, from tourists and students to native Barcelona people.  A unique quality to Barcelona’s nightlife is the timing of it.  Compared to American culture, all things are pushed back a number of hours.  People typically eat dinner at around 9:00pm or 10:00pm and don’t head out for the night until midnight, often staying out until 6:00am in the morning.  In Barcelona, it wasn’t a truly good night if you aren’t up to see the sunrise in the morning.

Barcelona at sunrise: its common for party goers in Barcelona to be out until the sun rises

The nightlife is not featured in just one area, but has an abundance of different neighborhoods with interesting things going on. Las Ramblas is a major happening spot at nighttime.  Las Ramblas is the busiest boulevard by day and continues to stay popular at night.  There are several dinner and drinks spots filled with both locals and tourists.  The most popular bars and clubs on the strip include Boadas Cocktail Bar and Boulevard Club.  Another major area is the Gothic Quarter, which is composed of intersecting narrow alleys.  Gothic Quarter’s big names include La Divina, Stoke Bar, and Nevermind.  If you’re looking for a less touristy slice of Barcelona’s nightlife, El Born is a more authentic and sophisticated area to check out.  The highlights in El Born are Miramelindo, Cactus Bar, and Cat Bar.

Boadas Cocktail Bar: located on Las Ramblas

A seriously unique side of Barcelona nightlife is the scene at Port Olimpic, which is located next to the beach.  There is a legendary strip of clubs and bars nestled together on a strip directly alongside the water.  This scene is highly cosmopolitan and swanky, often frequented by the city’s youth, and most of the places stay kicking until early in the morning.  There is an attractive glamorous element to partying adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea.  One of the most famous destinations at Port Olimpic is Shoko Restaurant and Lounge Club, which is a restaurant that turns into a nightclub.  Underneath Barceloneta’s promenade, its outdoor terrace sits directly in front of the beach.  The décor is fabulous: large red cushioned seats allow for a stylish and comfortable environment to sit in.  regularly placed outdoor heaters make the terrace a viable option practically all year round.  Shoko has beautiful Asian influences in its design.  Shoko has a wealth of music diversity: on Mondays through Wednesdays it plays commercial pop music, on Thursdays hip hop and electro, on Fridays and Saturdays house music, and on Sundays electronic house and techno.  Club Opium Mar is directly next to Shoko and is another favorite amongst partiers.  In 2009, Opium became a member of the World’s Finest Clubs, which in and of itself should prove just how fantastic it is.   When you go down Opium’s stairs, you feel as though you are entering another world.  The massive club is dimly lit with red-tinted bulbs and freestanding candelabras, and the walls and bare are designed with glowing scripted flower designs.  There are multiple dance floors and hired dancers who get their groove going on mini stages.  Much like Shoko, Opium also has a terrace.  So, if one tires of the intensity of the dance floor, he or she can always retreat to the calmer and more chill atmosphere of the terrace. Many famous DJs, such as David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia, grace Port Olimpic with their presence and are often featured at these big clubs.

The interior of Shoko

There are several other notable must-see nightlife destinations in Barcelona.  Razzmatazz is located right oft the Marina Station and consists of several rooms, each of which features a different genre of music.  Razzmatazz’s sheer size is amazing.  It has everything from live bands to trance, dubstep, and hip-hop. Chupitos is a bar renowned for its diverse array of 500 unique shot drinks at a reasonable 2 euros per each. Chupitos offer creative shots named after celebrities such as the “Harry Potter” shot and “Monica Lewinsky” shot.  There are “Campfire” shots where people can roast marshmallows over their fire-lit shots.  In addition, London Bar seems like an average pub; however, it has been in operation since 1910.  Dali, Hemingway, and Picasso all have frequented the bar in years past, which gives a historical allure for the patrons.

Here's a picture I took of the Campfire Shot at Chupitos -- Crazy!

A huge part of the Barcelona nightlife, especially with American students, is the existence of promoters.  There are specific promoters for each club who reach out to people to encourage them to go to the featured club of the night.  Students will form special connections with a specific promoter who will then typically organize where they go each night.  Being affiliated with promoters gives students special discounts on their entry into the clubs and often they can gain “VIP” access to the club.  The VIP section requires a certain wristband to enter and has an appealing status and allure attached to it.  Usually free bottles of alcohol are brought to students in VIP.  In turn, forging a connection with a promoter is a key gateway move to having the most fabulous time with the highest accommodations.  Club promoters are also useful because they enable you to skip the long, taxing lines for clubs that tend to stretch around the corner.  A simple name drop of a club promoter and – bam -you’re in. Often times there will be dressed up characters that walk around VIP to give the night some extra spice and flare, as seen below.

Edward Scissorshands makes an appearance in the VIP section of Opium

Of course Barcelona is a phenomenal city for too many reasons to list.  However, it is clear that its unique and expansive nightlife is a defining aspect of its fame.

To see more on Barcelona’s nightlife, click here for a great and detailed website!

Their fabulous MC (David) started off the festivities with a rendition of “Be Our Guest”. The party didn’t stop there, the fabulous bride and groom also managed to bring the Stanley Cup to Toronto (great job on the cake Heather!).

I had an excellent time and I wish the both of them an amazing life ahead… “just sayin” lol …  :)