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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!
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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!!