J & A's Adventure

Exploring a new city is daunting. There are endless restaurants and activities, and you never know if you are getting the authentic local experience, or just falling for another tourist trap. Having spent our honeymoon here we had a good idea of what to do and expect when we returned. Going down to the waterfront and getting to people watch is still a favourite, and our first weekend in Halifax was dedicated to doing just that.

One of the first things we tried, once settled, was visiting a local farmer’s market that Amy’s colleague recommended. It was set up inside the original Alexander Keith’s Brewery near the harbour every Saturday. The place was packed to the brim with local vendors and we decided to grab a coffee while explored what was all to offer. There was a corner booth selling baked goods and Amy found a giant raspberry coconut bun that she could not get enough of. I decided to try their standard cinnamon bun but, unlike a normal cinnamon bun that only has a few swirls before getting to the centre, this one had dozens! Which means that there are dozens more places to pack all that cinnamon-ey flavour into each bite.

Halifax Brewery Farmer’s Market

After our time at the farmer’s market was over, we grabbed a couple of Ferry passes and headed over to Dartmouth. This is where we started our Honeymoon last year and we wanted to take in the neighbourhood that made us fall in love with the city. I picked up my weird coffee drink, a Coffee Tonic (espresso, tonic water, and OJ), and we walked through the downtown area. Surprisingly, the magic of Dartmouth did not seem to last as the both of us just found it to be empty and lacking in the same energy when we first visited. Despite that, we enjoyed our walk, pointing out all the shops we visited, and even stopped at a brewery for a pint and a round of chess. Before our ferry passes had a chance to expire, we hopped back on to return to Halifax.

Enjoying some tasty beverages in Dartmouth

Halifax has a great boardwalk area that is filled with food vendors and little shops. It’s essentially where all the tourists go when they visit, and it makes for great people watching on one of the many patios that are situated along it. Since the summer season is coming to a close, many of the businesses on the boardwalk are also closing due to the drop in traffic, so we likely won’t have much of an excuse to return until spring. Luckily, there are many more neighbourhoods and districts that we can explore year-round.

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Spring Garden has become a frequent stop for errands and shopping. It’s densely packed street with similar stores that you will find in the malls, but with a blend of local shops to break up the more familiar businesses you would find across Canada. The centre is about a 20 minute from our apartment, so we often make a day of errands as we walk from store-to-store. A favourite excursion for us is to stop at The Central Library on Spring Garden, finding a spot to read that overlooks the street, and then perusing the shops for snacks or gifts on our way home.

The views from Downtown Halifax

We’ve gotten plenty of walks in around our neighbourhood, and while we haven’t gotten to know the neighbours very well yet, we have been greeted by many of the street cats that roam the roadways. Each street seems to have its own cat that hangs out on it, and we have taken the opportunity to conveniently name each cat after the street they live on. Our favourite would have to be Henry, a lovable long-haired cat, living on Henry Street. He is usually sitting on a porch during our morning walk before work, and when he spots us he will run down to greet us. There is also Preston, Basil, and Cedar, (Basil is his actual name, or else we would have two Prestons to try and keep track of). They mostly keep their distance, but I’m sure over time they will be running up to us as well.

Enjoying the harbour at the tail end of the season

Each day seems to offer something different from the last, and it’s what motivates us to wrap our work up and head outside to see what this city has to offer.