Recent reviews Saint John
[smilepolite, 21/03/2008] The Saint John Boardwalk comes to life in the summer months. It is the site of the only Buskers festival in the province, and it is also a popular area for summer games and amusement rides. Local vendors and out-of-province craftspeople set up tables in the Boardwalk areas during certain periods of the summer. Dates for all boardwalk events can be found on their website.
The north end of the boardwalk offers direct access to the Harbour Passage, which is a fairly new system of walkways and bike trails, featuring many lookouts and rest areas. The passage allows visitors to take a scenic
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[smilepolite, 16/03/2008] If you're spending any amount of time in uptown Saint John, you need to check out the city market. It's the hub of the city's uptown culture. Buy locally grown produce, get a cup of coffee from Java Moose, rub elbows with the people responsible for keeping the uptown vibrant.
When you enter the market via the Charlotte Street entrance you'll immediately notice that the market slopes downhill. King Street is the shortest, steepest main street in Canada, and the City Market follows the natural grade of the land. Another thing you will notice is the ceiling of the market. It was built to
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[smilepolite, 16/03/2008] I've been to many events at the Imerial Theatre, but one stands out in my memory as I sit down to write this review. John Ritter opened for Sarah Harmer in her 2004 tour. At some point during his set, he said, "This is like playing a show in a giant wedding cake."
Currently a National Historic Site, the Imperial was designed by an American architect and opened in the fall of 1913. The style of architecture was a modern take on the Italian Renaissance. The theatre was used for vaudeville performances and for film showings in those early years. It became a cinema in the 1920s. Between t
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[smilepolite, 15/03/2008] The Reversing Falls are one of the most popular attractions in the city of Saint John. Some tourists go nuts for them, others can't see what all the fuss is about. This split in opinion can be seen in many of the reviews found online. I lived in Saint John for many years and I've never been very good at explaining the phenomenon of the Reversing Falls to others. Here goes nothing.
The reversal of the falls is more of a reversal of a river, which is a reversal that causes a huge area of intense rapids and roiling water. The reversal is made possible by the ferocious tides of the Bay of F
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[smilepolite, 23/07/2007] King's Square is one of the most prominent and historically rich features of the city of Saint John. It is designed so that, if looking at it from above, it clearly resembles a Union Jack. This design was approved by city officials in 1848 in an effort to display city-wide loyalty to the Crown.
The bandstand that is featured in the centre of the square -- the King Edward VII Memorial Bandstand -- is one of only two of it's kind in North America. It was given to the people of Saint John in 1909 by the Carlton Cornet Band. presented the King Edward VII Memorial Bandstand in King Square to
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[smilepolite, 16/07/2007] There are a number of Chipman Hill Suites around town; we stayed at one that was located south on Sydney Street. Absolutely beautiful full sized apartment with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a dining room, and a sitting room. Beautiful Victorian architecture and period furniture pieces. Whoever decorated our suite had excellent taste and a wonderful sense of style. This is a perfect place to stay if you are going to be in town for a week or more and are traveling with your family or a number of colleagues who don't mind staying together; I assure you that each bedroom provid
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[smilepolite, 16/07/2007] This hotel is exceedingly lovely. Perfect location, wonderful room, I would stay there every time. Very clean and elegant; they put out some complimentary chocolate covered strawberries for us in our room (which was a huge room with a spectacular view, I might add). Beautiful breakfast buffet and plenty of amenities, such as a spa, classic pub, exercise room, and several full sized restaurants. This is the ideal place to stay if you want to stay in a consistently lovely full sized hotel that is located in the heart of Saint John. A++.
