Quiet capital has local charm
It wasn’t until Erin Silver’s second visit that she fell in love with ‘city of contrasts’
HALIFAX— I didn’t appreciate Halifax the first time around.
I visited with my mom and happened to be 10 weeks pregnant at the time. I remember walking around the quiet little city on a muggy August afternoon, our hair frizzy from humidity, and saying to my mom, “Is that it?”
But we did our best to have fun. We drove to Peggy’s Cove and took the requisite photos by the windy, rocky shore. One evening, we ordered a seafood tower at a quaint restaurant on the outskirts of town. I ate a jumbo scallop and ran to the washroom to throw up, worried that a potential trace of salmonella might harm my fetus. That pretty much summed up my impression of Halifax . . . until my most recent visit.
On my trip back this August, I was able to see the city with completely new eyes. I returned alone for two weeks to start my low-residency MFA in creative nonfiction at University of King’s College. I lived in a dorm for the first time in my life and rented a bike at the Dalhousie University cycling shop to shorten my daily commute between classes — and two of my new favourite local spots, Coburg Coffee (for almond-milk lattes), and Pete’s, a specialty grocery store similar to Whole Foods.
As I rode through the streets, Pete’s shopping bags hanging from my bike handles, I fell in love with a city of contrasts: there’s old Confederationera pubs and new-age coffee shops; sailboats resting in the harbour and a surf culture I didn’t know existed; and dive blues bars just blocks away from trendy nightclubs.
Suddenly, I was having an adventure in what I had assumed would be the least likely place. Many of my experiences were culinary. At the Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar, I was jolted awake by an espresso called the Sea of Fire, containing Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and capers. My classmates and I ate fresh Nova Scotia oysters and shared a seafood tower. (This time I didn’t throw up!) We feasted on lobster tacos along with lobster rolls, poutine, and fish and chips served in newspaper cones. We enjoyed a meal on a picnic bench by the harbour, seagulls floating over our heads. Even the sushi, from an off-the-beaten-path restaurant called Wasabi House, tasted fresher and more delicious than anything at home.
One night, at a restaurant called the Press Gang, we had margarita shots with oysters at the bottom. I also tried another drink there called Scarface, complete with “The world is yours” written in bitters on top of foamy egg whites.
And since we were drinking, we also made sure to enjoy the local craft beer.
One morning, when the kayak rental shop at the harbour was closed, my friend Laura and I ended up doing an impromptu beer tasting at Garrison Brewery. We felt like undergraduates rather than responsible mothers and writers, giggly and tipsy by 10 a.m. — my kids had barely arrived at summer camp in Toronto!
Beyond eating, there was so much more to see and do. One windy Saturday, Laura and I went hiking at Duncan’s Cove with Sandy, a fellow writer and Halifax native. The scenery was so picturesque — like walking through a Group of Seven painting. We even saw seals in the ocean. Sandy packed a picnic for us and we sat down on a boulder mid-hike to eat cheese and crackers and local smoked fish.
It turns out that in addition to planning beautiful hikes, Sandy is also a musician and knows everything there is to know about Halifax’s storied music scene. So many famous musicians got their start in Halifax — everyone from Denny Doherty from the Mamas & the Papas in the ’60s and the international rock band April Wine in the ’70s to rap star Classified. Sandy himself has had a gig in nearly every bar and restaurant in downtown Halifax. As we bar hopped one evening, it felt like every doorman, restaurateur and patron stopped him to say hello.
“How do you know everyone?” I asked, mystified.
“Halifax is a small town,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Next year, my class and I will spend another two weeks in Halifax to complete our program. I’m going to try fly fishing, kayaking and bike back to my favourite local hangouts for oysters, sushi, lobster, and of course, beer. Possibly at 10 a.m. Erin Silver is a Toronto writer.