Toronto. Montreal. Vancouver and Quebec City — when it comes to Canada, its best-known cities have been thoroughly discovered.
But there is a far more rural, small-town and distinctive side to our neighbor to the north — its farther-flung Maritime provinces. French-inflected New Brunswick, colorful Nova Scotia and stark, otherworldly Newfoundland are entire worlds unto themselves, each with a slip-back-in-time flavor.
Just a few hours away by airplane, the Maritimes are relatively easy to reach and filled with monumental architecture, eye-popping icebergs and pristine wildlife. They make for an easy Gotham escape over and over again.
Geography, ethnicity, economics: These are the factors that traditionally define city districts. But for Halifax, the 1917 Halifax Explosion nearly leveled an entire quarter of the city, paving the way for the city’s current incarnation.
The blast resulted from a collision between the French-flagged SS Mont-Blanc and Norwegian-flagged SS Imo — both in service during World War I. Laden with explosives, the Mont-Blanc collided with the Imo, resulting in an inferno that killed 2,000, injured 9,000 more and destroyed more than 1 square mile in size, most of it along the city’s North End. More than a century later, the Halifax Explosion ranks as the world’s largest man-made accident.
The big bang sent this once vibrant manufacturing district into a period of economic and cultural decline. But over the last few decades, the North End has regained a sense of vibrancy, particularly within the historic Hydrostone District completed between the World Wars. Galleries, restaurants and eco-minded retail complexes such as the fashion-meets-art-fused Creative Crossing are giving the North End a truly global, cosmopolitan edge.
In between are the North End’s tell-tale row houses, all elegantly laid out in their pastel-painted glory.
Full article: https://nypost.com/2024/09/30/lifestyle/exploring-canadas-rural-atlantic-coast/
