Aries Apartments

The north-west corner of Nicholson Street and Brunswick Road has, for as long as I recall, been a vacant block littered with scrub, weeds, and rubbish. I've been told by those who've lived in the area longer, that it used to be a petrol station. A billboard was recently erected, announcing that the land will soon become Aries Apartments. This is not an inherently bad thing - unlike some people, I have nothing against apartments at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. But the advertising campaign is pretty tacky; promoting itself as a slice of European sophistication. Apart from being within walking distance of the excellent Maria's Coffee House, there's nothing particularly 'European' about the area, unless you count the overall Greek influence on Brunswick, although even this has dissolved at the outer edges of Brunswick, which is where these apartments are located.

Then there's this 'artists' impression' of what life will be like at Aries Apartments:

I'm guessing the depiction of public transport in some way alludes to a 'European' lifestyle. The #96 tram heads into the city, and that bus route (#504) runs between Clifton Hill and Moonee Ponds, but I can't imagine people with aspirations of European sophistication actually catching the bus to Clifton Hill.

But what's most puzzling about this picture is that it places the city skyline out where Brunswick West would normally be. If you were looking at the proposed building from that angle, the city would actually be behind you. And the quaint terrace houses framed by lush greenery - is in reality a couple of ugly '80s brick warehouses. At least they have Our Lady Help in the right place.