Patio season starts at Hess Village

A few weeks ago, we were greeted with a particularly sunny Friday afternoon. It was the first warm, sunny Friday of the season, so naturally, our minds drifted to patios.

Now, back in our former Toronto neighbourhood, we knew the patio options like the backs of our hands. No debate, we just headed up the street to one of three or so fave places. Hamilton is a different story - here we were, in the throes of this nice afternoon/evening, and no idea where to go to sit and enjoy a drink outside.

After some brief inquiries on Twitter, we found out that Hess Village was the place to go. Hess Village? The only thing I'd ever heard about this particular part of town was from my friend who went to McMaster for undergrad (you can see where this is going). Essentially, the only time she ever left campus was to party in Hess Village.

Well, that was not exactly the scene I was looking for on that particular day (or really ever these days!) but we headed off to Hess Village anyway, not really knowing what to expect.

To our surprise and delight, Hess Village (only about a block or two in size) was busy but not rowdy, and ideal. We settled on the Gown & Gavel patio, and sat down for a great dinner and drinks out in the sun. (This was also apparently voted best patio!)

Keep in mind that this was May (school was out!) I gather that September-April can be quite different in this area....

Hess Village is an interesting street - lots of eating/drinking options, obviously a desirable area for pubs/clubs and some other businesses as well. Our first thought was that a pedestrianized Hess Village (even one that is only pedestrianized on weekends) would be really cool - especially with the addition of street musicians or performers on busy evenings, for example.

I'm sure we'll be spending a few more warm, sunny afternoons there between now and August (but I'll be honest and say we likely won't be heading to Hess during the school year!)

We've also heard about a few other great patios to visit in the area - what's your fave summer patio in Hamilton?

Dundas, the rail trail and other exploits

One of the first things we'd heard about, before we even moved to Hamilton, was how pretty Dundas is - and the rail trail in particular. This was back in January, so given the temperature, we filed this away in our minds for another, warmer time. That time came up in May.

On a particularly nice day, we decided it was time to find out what this rail trail was all about. I don't think we quite realized exactly how massive it was. In doing a bit of research on the trail before heading out (basically to find out where to park), we discovered that it is 32km in length, and stretches all the way from Hamilton to Brantford.

We had just come from the gym, so decided that it might be wise to tackle only a small part of the trail that day, just a km or two - but that was enough to prove to us that this is a great way to spend a day, or even an hour. The part of the trail we were on was wide enough for people and bikes alike, surrounded by trees, farmers fields and even a house or two (as an aside, how cool would it be to live on the rail trail!)

How awesome to be able to get into nature so close to Hamilton, and only come across a few people along the path.

The only complaint I have about the rail trail (at least the part we were on) was the lack of shade, not ideal on a super sunny day, but that's just my opinion.

After we were done exploring the country around Dundas, we headed into the town itself. I don't really know what we were expecting, but we were instantly impressed by the charm of Dundas' main street - cafes, pubs, shops, basically what we consider to be an ideal, walkable old main street - touristy, yet still functional for those who live there. We've definitely got a few places earmarked for our return trip.

We heard there's a buskerfest in Dundas this weekend - a perfect opportunity to head back! I'll share my thoughts on this later!

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?

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!

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!

Searching for sushi in Hamilton

As I've said before, hubby and I are far from being restaurant critics - but we do know a good meal/restaurant when we see one. One of our fave genres of food (other than the pre-requisite Southern BBQ) is sushi...as such, we are always on the lookout for a good sushi place to frequent in The Hammer.

In Toronto, we lived on a street with two sushi restaurants, literally right next to each other. (Yes, we were spoiled). And they were both fabulous. As such, any new sushi place we try in Hamilton has a lot to live up to.

Our first sushi experience in The Hammer ended up being the first week we were here. The oven/stove in our place broke (ugh) and we had to eat - we looked up sushi places on the net and found Sapporo - an all you can eat sushi extravaganza on Main Street. Incidentally, I had never been to all-I-could-eat sushi in my life, but have always been intrigued by the concept.

We decided to give it a try. Rather than being the buffet-style I expected, you can literally order anything and everything you desire from the menu, with no limits (I assume). Yes. Anything and EVERYTHING you want.

The only real problem is that while the restaurant may not have limits, I certainly do - you get full FAST. In spite of this, I still feel we got our money's worth - this is the only sushi place I've ever seen where I've been able to try all kinds of different sushi, sashimi, etc...for one set price. (Even the sushi places with the conveyer belts charge you per item!)

The parking at Sapporo was less than desirable, but we were willing to work with that. Also, the second time we went to Sapporo (a random Wednesday night), the place was PACKED (I think they had a Groupon-type offer on recently, but i concur...) I rarely consider a full restaurant to be a disadvantage, but rather a sign of quality/trendiness (or perhaps just good value). At the same time, waiting for a table at 8pm on a Wednesday night is annoying.

Other great Hamilton sushi places suggested to us include August 8,
Kasa Sushi, Spring Sushi, Koi Sushi and Atami Sushi. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some eating to do. (Incidentally, most of the sushi places in Hamilton seem to be all-you-can-eat. I'm loosening my belt as we speak!)

Feel free to leave your thoughts on fave sushi spots in Hamilton in the comments below :)

Its coffee time in The Hammer, Part 2

My coffee tour of Hamilton continues. Although the last time I wrote about this I had scarcely ventured outside of the Locke Street Starbucks (which I enjoy, by the way), I am now slightly more versed on the java options available in The Hammer.

One of our most recent destinations was the Mulberry Street Coffee House - which hubby and I visited one Sunday afternoon after a particularly long open-house visiting session. It is housed in a beautiful building, with photography exhibited on the walls, eclectic, not your run of the mill chain and people were sitting and chatting, enjoying the atmosphere on a laid-back afternoon. We ordered and sat down to do the same.

I will caveat my comments about our trip to Mulberry with a bit of honesty. While we really did enjoy it, we did feel that perhaps we didn't exactly fit in here - it reminded us a lot of some of the artsy coffee houses in Toronto and us being a) not in our 20s anymore and b) not artists/photographers/crafty people and c) not overtly eclectic, we felt that we may have stuck out as being a bit plain and boring! lol. :) Having said that, I'm sure we will go back. It seems like a great addition to the James St. N neighbourhood. To move away from the atmosphere for a second, we enjoyed our coffee, but found the food to be a tad on the expensive side here as well.

Perhaps my favourite new coffee find was Locke St Bakery & Bagel. I decided to give this place a go one afternoon when I was looking to get some writing done outside of the house. It turned out to be a wonderful place to sit and get work done - the coffee & tea were great (and the cookies), the staff are extremely friendly, and they have wi-fi! (also, after the lunch rush finishes, its not too busy).

I've also been to P.A.M.'s in Jackson Square - the coffee was good, but I didn't stay long enough to get any work done there, so can't comment too much on the atmosphere.

Of course, none of these places are walking distance from where we're living at the moment. It does seem that this may not be a concern for much longer (and not just because we're looking to move soon!) I hear on Twitter that a coffee house is on its way to Ottawa Street this summer!