Sunday, May 29, 2011

First impressions of the Hamilton waterfront

I originally wrote this blog post for OpenFile Hamilton - thought I'd also repost it here! Enjoy :)

My first trip to the Hamilton waterfront happened shortly after we moved to the city, last winter.

We were looking for something fun to do on Family Day, and decided to check out what the city had on offer down by the lake. I’ll admit that previous to this, my only perspective of the water’s edge in The Hammer was the view of the steel mills as you come over the Burlington Skyway bridge.

Notwithstanding the fact that this was a Canadian waterfront on an icy February day, there was a decent amount going on. A few people were trying out the skating rink, or walking the path that runs the perimeter of the waterfront area near James St. North and Guise St. East.

Where the crowds were really gathered was the Williams Fresh Café – what I would, on first impression, call the “main attraction” of this part of Hamilton’s waterfront area, (although I will admit that I haven’t yet paid a visit to Pier 4 Park, Bayfront Park, taken the trolley or a boat tour yet).


Fast forward to Victoria Day weekend, and we decided to head down to the waterfront again, for a warmer weather perspective. There were a few more people mulling around this time, the ice cream store was open, there was a lineup in the Williams Café and we managed to get a better view of the path around the site, where dog walkers, couples and families alike took in the warm spring evening. (Some people were also fishing: I assume the they were doing so for sport, rather than dinner, but I can’t confirm - there’s also a fishing derby coming up in August!)

Hamilton’s evolving waterfront area is a fascinating mesh of Hamilton old meets Hamilton new – cafes, skating rinks, picnickers and dog walkers share their space with old warehouses (which boast great murals painted by school kids), one or two huge rusting ships and views of factories in the distance.


Both times we have visited the waterfront area, we noticed the beautiful Discovery Centre building, which looks freshly built, but also slightly unused. In the winter, we chalked this up to it being the “off-season”, but in May, the closed patio and deserted feel of the place was disappointing.

Being newbies, we didn’t know the history of this building. Upon further research, it seems the six-year-old centre was closed last summer and its management transferred from Parks Canada to the Hamilton Waterfront Trust, which is reportedly exploring options and proposals for its use.

From the perspective of a new Hamiltonian, finding an innovative use for this building seems absolutely crucial to the success of the waterfront.

What the fledgling waterfront development doesn’t need right now is to start losing relevance and I have to say - a beautiful, new empty building doesn’t do much in terms of piquing people’s interest to visit the area. It also seems particularly critical when you hear that other events that previously drew people to the waterfront are also running into difficulties.

Generally, I find the transformation of Hamilton’s waterfront not unlike what is happening to the eastern part of Toronto’s shoreline, but there are a few notable differences.

Around the same time I first visited this part of Hamilton, a friend also took us on a winter “tour” of the new Toronto East Bayfront site, complete with man-made beach. Yes, this area also used to be industrial. It will soon reportedly boast condos, a college campus, corporate offices and restaurants.

I’m excited to see what else is in store for Hamilton’s waterfront - Hamiltonians are undoubtedly showing an interest in the area, and while there are several exciting things happening, I think a few more restaurants, attractions or exhibitions wouldn’t go amiss.

What are you hoping to see built at Hamilton’s waterfront?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The great Hamilton BBQ search - Part 2

On our endless (and delicious) quest for good BBQ places, we came across Buckeye's Smokehouse last weekend, one of the (seemingly) multitude of BBQ offerings in the Hammer.

Well, not exactly came across - we had seen it during the course of our travels (on Ottawa Street) and had always planned to give it a try. After reading some really positive reviews, we decided it was time.

Slightly different than Rolly Rockets, Buckeye's has more of a sports bar feel to it, but the menu is all barbeque (nestled in the textile district, its also pretty unassuming-looking from the outside). There was also a steady stream of customers while we were there, a surefire sign of a neighbourhood fave.

We partook in the ribs, coleslaw and sides (me: sweet potato fries, hubby: jambalaya rice) and it was TASTY. The ribs were delicious, and the jambalaya in particular looked (and tasted) homemade and fresh (but as with most BBQ places, the portions were too big for me!) Still, it was definitely perfect end-of-the-week comfort food.

In our humble opinions, the prices at Buckeyes were incredibly reasonable. They also seem to have various deals throughout the week, so perhaps next time we'll head there on a weekday.

This seems like a great (and welcome) BBQ option for those in the east end of Hamilton, and probably even worth a visit for those in the west end! The BBQ search continues, and all suggestions are welcome!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Doors Open Hammer and other signs of spring

As I sit here writing this blog post on a gorgeous spring evening, I can't believe how much Hamilton-related activity we've managed to pack into this weekend.

Going into Saturday, I knew this would happen...a simple inquiry on Twitter as to what types of activities were going in Hamont this weekend solicited a flurry of different replies. Yes, this was the weekend when 1) Doors Open Hamilton 2)West Hamilton Artists Tour and 3) Jane's Walk were all happening.

After starting our Hammer-filled weekend off right with a trip to Buckeye's Smokehouse (BBQ!) on Ottawa Street on Friday night (I will be dedicating a blog post to this later), we woke up bright and (not) early on Saturday to explore Doors Open Hamilton.

We decided to hit Dundurn Castle first, given that we're new to the city and its a notable and much mentioned tourist attraction. Before I get in to specifics about Dundurn, let me just say that Doors Open Hamilton is a much more enjoyable experience to Doors Open Toronto, which we visited a few times while we were TO residents.

For example, a trip to check out the inside of the Royal York a couple of years ago resulted in a three-hour lineup for a brief (but still informative) walk around the hotel.

Getting into Dundurn Castle, however, was a breeze. We didn't show up until late morning, but had no trouble getting in, with no lineup to be found. (Don't get me wrong - there were loads of people meandering around the house and grounds, but it wasn't absurdly crowded).



We were greeted by staff in period costume, who gave us a brief history of Dundurn Castle along with a map, and sent us on our merry way to explore the three levels of the restored home of Sir Allan Napier MacNab (including a taste-test of homemade pickles and preserves from the estate's garden!) If you haven't been, I would recommend a visit - its not only fascinating from a historical perspective, but the grounds are beautiful, and a definite gem in Hamilton. While there, we also checked out the Military Museum on the grounds, which was also well done, and had lots of kid-related activities.


Elsewhere on the Doors Open Hamilton trail, we took a tour through Stinson School Lofts (well, the construction site, but its quite an impressive building) as well as 281 Herkimer St, built in 1919 (currently the offices of Marsales Real Estate, but once the Bank of Hamilton), complete with vaults still in place and an ancient bullet hole in the window!




In amongst all of this Doors Open fun, we managed to squeeze in a couple of visits to studios on the West Hamilton Artists Tour, not dissimilar from the art crawl, but held in the daytime and a bit quieter.




We, unfortunately, didn't make it to Jane's Walk in Hamilton, but I would be interested to hear how it went, as well as which Doors Open Hamilton sites were your faves!