Your city is amazing!

[SaskOttaLoo]

Hi Haligonians,

I wanted to quickly write having just returned from an amazing one-week vacation in and around Halifax. You have an amazing city! If I wait too long to write this I never will, so will keep it short.

The amount to do there was really surprising - we decided to cancel our trip to CBI and instead stay in and around Halifax. The boardwalk blew us away - perfect for both kids and adults. Great to see that it seemed like a meeting place that drew people in. Also inspiring that a Haligonian explained it was not at all similar when he was a kid. Halifax generally felt like such a livable place.

Also loved the various local foods (East Coast bagels and garlic fingers are great). Gio and a few spots in Lunenberg were highlights. One surprise was how difficult it was for us to put our hands on some good smoked salmon. The local breakfast spots didn't serve it and we eventually had to go to the Atlantic Superstore for some very mediocre frozen stuff - I had imagined it would be a lot more widespread. So maybe there's an opportunity for a local entrepreneur to start doing some fish smoking!

Finally, the trip to Wolfville to visit vineyards was a particular highlight. Luckett Vineyards and Lightfoot & Wolfville were my two favourites, and in general the quality of wine was really, really good. The prices for local wine both at the vineyards & in restaurants was surprisingly affordable, and NS should really be getting attention for more than its sparkling whites.

Anyway, all to say that from the vantage point of someone who has lived in SK, ON, QB and the US, I really don't think there's enough recognition of what a great spot NS is. We had been in Martha's Vineyard the week prior, and of the two NS was our preference. We are definitely planning on returning, hopefully next summer, and I'll be spreading the word in the meantime. This may be a bit overboard, but we are also planning to move back to Canada in a few years, and Mtl had always been at the top of our list. But who knows? The place really grew on us!

[IanWatson]

Thank you very much for your kind words and perspective on this city/province. It really is a wonderful place, but all too often Haligonians like to be negative about it. It's good to be reminded that things here are pretty darn good. I'm sorry you didn't find enjoyable smoked salmon!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by SaskOttaLoo

Hi Haligonians,

I wanted to quickly write having just returned from an amazing one-week vacation in and around Halifax. You have an amazing city! If I wait too long to write this I never will, so will keep it short.

The amount to do there was really surprising - we decided to cancel our trip to CBI and instead stay in and around Halifax. The boardwalk blew us away - perfect for both kids and adults. Great to see that it seemed like a meeting place that drew people in. Also inspiring that a Haligonian explained it was not at all similar when he was a kid. Halifax generally felt like such a livable place.

Also loved the various local foods (East Coast bagels and garlic fingers are great). Gio and a few spots in Lunenberg were highlights. One surprise was how difficult it was for us to put our hands on some good smoked salmon. The local breakfast spots didn't serve it and we eventually had to go to the Atlantic Superstore for some very mediocre frozen stuff - I had imagined it would be a lot more widespread. So maybe there's an opportunity for a local entrepreneur to start doing some fish smoking!

Finally, the trip to Wolfville to visit vineyards was a particular highlight. Luckett Vineyards and Lightfoot & Wolfville were my two favourites, and in general the quality of wine was really, really good. The prices for local wine both at the vineyards & in restaurants was surprisingly affordable, and NS should really be getting attention for more than its sparkling whites.

Anyway, all to say that from the vantage point of someone who has lived in SK, ON, QB and the US, I really don't think there's enough recognition of what a great spot NS is. We had been in Martha's Vineyard the week prior, and of the two NS was our preference. We are definitely planning on returning, hopefully next summer, and I'll be spreading the word in the meantime. This may be a bit overboard, but we are also planning to move back to Canada in a few years, and Mtl had always been at the top of our list. But who knows? The place really grew on us!

Great post! Thank you!

I echo your sentiments but I may be a little biased as I've lived here my entire life.

I have traveled quite a bit, though, and have come to similar conclusions in comparing Halifax to other cities.

Regarding the smoked salmon, I do see it quite a bit in appetizer menus, but not so much as breakfast fare. Perhaps there is an opportunity in there somewhere.

I also agree regarding local wines. Having sampled wines in the Niagara region, the Okanagan valley, as well as the Napa region, (but not Europe or Australia yet, unfortunately) I think that our local wines can hold their own quite well. In fact our terroir and climate affords the opportunity to produce very unique wines that have characteristics not available from the other locations. Our winemakers are capable of producing very high quality wines that also have some uniqueness, and I feel that this will become more appreciated in the future once it becomes more widely known.

All in all, it's just nice to read such unsolicited praise from somebody who has enjoyed our fair city. Thanks again!!

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by SaskOttaLoo

Hi Haligonians,
... One surprise was how difficult it was for us to put our hands on some good smoked salmon. The local breakfast spots didn't serve it and we eventually had to go to the Atlantic Superstore for some very mediocre frozen stuff - I had imagined it would be a lot more widespread. So maybe there's an opportunity for a local entrepreneur to start doing some fish smoking!
...

I'm not a lover of smoked salmon, but I understand that the standard-bearer is J. Willy Krauch & Sons, which almost shut down recently, until the sons picked it back up. Not IN Halifax, but in Saulnierville... they say they sell at Sobeys, so perhaps you just picked the wrong big-box grocer to visit?

Not smoked, but gravlax that I personally think is amazing is the salmon prepared by the chef at Epicurious Morsels, in the Hydrostone, in the north end of the city... made me a salmon lover, and he does it himself. Worth a trip next time you're in town, in my opinion.

[hoser111]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I'm not a lover of smoked salmon, but I understand that the standard-bearer is J. Willy Krauch & Sons, which almost shut down recently, until the sons picked it back up. Not IN Halifax, but in Saulnierville... they say they sell at Sobeys, so perhaps you just picked the wrong big-box grocer to visit?

Not smoked, but gravlax that I personally think is amazing is the salmon prepared by the chef at Epicurious Morsels, in the Hydrostone, in the north end of the city... made me a salmon lover, and he does it himself. Worth a trip next time you're in town, in my opinion.

Actually, it was Comeau's Sea Foods that picked up Krauch's after they closed and kept it going. The packaged stuff is indeed meh. I cure and cold smoke my own(sugars/salt/dill/lemongrass & cracked pepper + applewood, oak or cherrywood smoke) and it beats the packaged/frozen stuff hands down.

[someone123]

East Coast seafood is not as salmon-oriented as it is on the West Coast, although there is Atlantic salmon too.

I agree that the Halifax area is pretty special. I like going back to visit and following the updates there, even though I live in BC now. The fact that I partly grew up there is no doubt part of why it interests me, but I don't think I'd maintain the same level of interest in a place that didn't have as much going for it. There's nowhere else in Canada that has the same mix of natural setting, history, and culture, and most similar places elsewhere in the world (e.g. in Massachusetts as mentioned above) are much more expensive and are overdeveloped now. I think the Lower Mainland is nice too but houses cost many times more here and buildings from 1940 are considered old. There's no equivalent here of the middle class family that can still buy a modest townhouse in a historic urban neighbourhood (which is also 5 minutes from the ocean, 45 minutes away from wine country, etc.).

[Colin May]

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."
Resides in Guangzhou and believes Nova Scotia should have a presence in the city to promote Nova Scotia products in commercial space exclusive to Nova Scotia.

[MonctonRad]

Guangzhou has over 14 million people. Halifax must seem like a fishing village by comparison.

I like the size of Halifax. Once a city gets over one million, it gets too big for me. Halifax is just about right.........

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."
Resides in Guangzhou and believes Nova Scotia should have a presence in the city to promote Nova Scotia products in commercial space exclusive to Nova Scotia.

Interesting perspective, but goes to prove every place is not for everyone. It's great that your child has found their happy place - more power to them!

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Interesting perspective, but goes to prove every place is not for everyone. It's great that your child has found their happy place - more power to them!

Formerly known as Canton and has fabulous older buildings from the time when Europeans were operating trading houses. Has had the good sense to retain older buildings.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."
Resides in Guangzhou and believes Nova Scotia should have a presence in the city to promote Nova Scotia products in commercial space exclusive to Nova Scotia.

Well, your kid is definitely not wrong about the latter! An opportunity perhaps.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."

She sounds absolutely charming. Obviously takes after her old man.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."
Resides in Guangzhou and believes Nova Scotia should have a presence in the city to promote Nova Scotia products in commercial space exclusive to Nova Scotia.

Compared to Guanghzhou, maybe. The city's median age is almost identical to Canada's, however, and lower than Vancouver's. And that doesn't account for a significant student shadow population. Say what you want about Halifax, it isn't, by Canadian standards, a city of old people.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Say what you want about Halifax, it isn't, by Canadian standards, a city of old people.

[DigitalNinja]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Child #2 is home for a 30 day visit and then returns to China. Been away for several years and does not plan to live here. Fluent in Mandarin.
Quote : " Oh Halifax....Too many old people. And so many overweight people. The place is dead."
Resides in Guangzhou and believes Nova Scotia should have a presence in the city to promote Nova Scotia products in commercial space exclusive to Nova Scotia.

Ironic you mention that! I'm living in South Korea right now in an area just outside of Seoul.
Just a few blocks away from me is a large seafood store called "Nova Scotia Lobster" I was quite surprised to see it as I'm still a 30 minute subway ride from the more international areas of Seoul.
My wife is from Korea but we are both excited to return to Halifax. Although there are things I like living in an area with 25 million people we both believe that Halifax offers a happier life for us than here.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by SaskOttaLoo

Hi Haligonians,

I wanted to quickly write having just returned from an amazing one-week vacation in and around Halifax. You have an amazing city! If I wait too long to write this I never will, so will keep it short.

The amount to do there was really surprising - we decided to cancel our trip to CBI and instead stay in and around Halifax. The boardwalk blew us away - perfect for both kids and adults. Great to see that it seemed like a meeting place that drew people in. Also inspiring that a Haligonian explained it was not at all similar when he was a kid. Halifax generally felt like such a livable place.

Also loved the various local foods (East Coast bagels and garlic fingers are great). Gio and a few spots in Lunenberg were highlights. One surprise was how difficult it was for us to put our hands on some good smoked salmon. The local breakfast spots didn't serve it and we eventually had to go to the Atlantic Superstore for some very mediocre frozen stuff - I had imagined it would be a lot more widespread. So maybe there's an opportunity for a local entrepreneur to start doing some fish smoking!

Finally, the trip to Wolfville to visit vineyards was a particular highlight. Luckett Vineyards and Lightfoot & Wolfville were my two favourites, and in general the quality of wine was really, really good. The prices for local wine both at the vineyards & in restaurants was surprisingly affordable, and NS should really be getting attention for more than its sparkling whites.

Anyway, all to say that from the vantage point of someone who has lived in SK, ON, QB and the US, I really don't think there's enough recognition of what a great spot NS is. We had been in Martha's Vineyard the week prior, and of the two NS was our preference. We are definitely planning on returning, hopefully next summer, and I'll be spreading the word in the meantime. This may be a bit overboard, but we are also planning to move back to Canada in a few years, and Mtl had always been at the top of our list. But who knows? The place really grew on us!

I've lived in all the places you have... and NS comes out near the top for North America.

We're all about lobster though, so you'd have to look for salmon like that... but you can get it outside of Halifax.

[ILoveHalifax]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

I've lived in all the places you have... and NS comes out near the top for North America.

We're all about lobster though, so you'd have to look for salmon like that... but you can get it outside of Halifax.

Years ago while living in South Florida I was telling some little Jewish ladies I was from Halifax and when they found out it was in Nova Scotia they started telling me that's where Nova comes form their favorite lox. I didn't know what they were talking about - we were all about lobster but not smoked salmon

[SaskOttaLoo]

Originally Posted by someone123

East Coast seafood is not as salmon-oriented as it is on the West Coast, although there is Atlantic salmon too.

My wife's grandma grew up in Long Island and has a fantastic, unforgettable accent at the age of 94. She has lots of interesting stories about Canada showing up in pop culture when she was young that I've never heard about - such as an RCMP song that she can still sing. But what had me expecting a lot of smoked salmon in the first place was the fact that she refers to it as "Nova". Which I'd never heard of, but began to assume came from Nova Scotia (what else could it be?). And even now in the US there are places that I've seen it referred to as such. Does anyone have the backstory on this? Seems like it could be an interesting one.

edit: I didn't read the previous comment before posting this - so I'm not the only one!

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by SaskOttaLoo

My wife's grandma grew up in Long Island and has a fantastic, unforgettable accent at the age of 94. She has lots of interesting stories about Canada showing up in pop culture when she was young that I've never heard about - such as an RCMP song that she can still sing. But what had me expecting a lot of smoked salmon in the first place was the fact that she refers to it as "Nova". Which I'd never heard of, but began to assume came from Nova Scotia (what else could it be?). And even now in the US there are places that I've seen it referred to as such. Does anyone have the backstory on this? Seems like it could be an interesting one.

I would guess more is exported than consumed in the province. The post above yours matches the description of "nova".

It is definitely available here, but its probably found fresh on the south shore?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Hmmm... interesting. According to wikipedia:

Nova or Nova Scotia salmon, sometimes called Nova lox, is cured with a milder brine and then cold-smoked. The name dates from a time when much of the salmon in New York City came from Nova Scotia. Today, however, the name refers to the milder brining, as compared to regular lox (or belly lox), and the fish may come from other waters or even be raised on farms.

Source