Ahh, city life. Can it get any better than this?
Well, yeah. A better bus system is the One Change That Would Make St. John’s A Better Place To Live, says you. You’d also really like to stop dumping sewage into the harbour, the city’s official poop soup/Claim To Shame. Accordingly, the harbour clean-up efforts got an enthusiastic nod as the Best Effort To Improve The City.
Thanks to the monumental efforts of a few heroic individuals this year, we’re all a little more local food-saavy, with the urban gardening/farmer’s market-ing movement topping the Best Local Trend Category. Meanwhile, local organic farmer Mark Wilson dove head-first into this year’s mayoral race in the municipal elections, throwing everyone’s expectations and the status quo for a bit of a loop. Though he’s not mayor, he’s your number one Person Who Should Be Mayor But Isn’t.
Best Local Organization Stella Burry Community Services opened up the doors to their new place with the help of none other than Chaahles, Prince of Wales. I’m sure he and his sleek, black entourage were honoured to brave our roads, including the longest, most ridiculous, Sketchiest Crosswalk ever along Queen’s Road by the War Memorial. After all, he got to listen to umpteen speeches from our Best Local Hero Danny Williams, one of which even involved a mystifying bit about… toilet paper? (Did anyone else but me see that?)
Anyways, may God himself bless two-time Best Prof winner Michael Temelini of Memorial’s Political Science Department, and while He’s at it, may He also bless our Sauciest Local Marilyn Cooper. Not to be out-sauced, Doris Anita Douché had hoardes of admirers clutching their hearts and whispering “Jesus Lord” as she sashayed her way to a Best Drag Queen victory (have you seen her fruit hat?). For even more sauce, head down to Folly and check out the Best Washroom in town.
Bannerman Park not only hosts the Folk Festival, this year’s Best Local Event, but it’s the Best Place to Swim Outside. Incidentally, it also rivals Best Corner, Water and George Streets, as the best place to have a giggle at matchstick-legged guys in skinny jeans, which swept the Worst New Trend category for the millionth year in a row.
But if the city life gets to be too much, you can always duck into The Rooms, this year’s Best Building, and gaze out over the town from behind one of its crazy window-walls. Or you can head to Quidi Vidi, the Best Place To Feel Like You’re Not in St. John’s, and sit by the water. A hike around Signal Hill, though a bit hair-raising by that bit with the chain in the rock and the dicey ledge—that’s gotta be the part that won it the Best Cheap Thrill title—is also good for a bit of scenery. But the most efficient way to escape is to, well, escape. Head to Ferryland, the Best Day Trip for yet another year, and have a picnic by the lighthouse. It’s all good.
- Sarah Smellie
Photo by Mark Bennett
December 28th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Not so much into the night life, but a walk along Water Street is always most enjoyable. There is no place like O’Reilly’s and The Yellow Belly when it comes to hospitality with good service and music, even on Sunday Afternoon’s. I joined a few Journalist friend’s from Australia at O’Reilly’s who still remind me about the afternoon
they enjoyed on Water Street this past summer.
There is no lifestyle like the traditional hospitality back home.
Frank Blackwood
Newfoundland Writer
Dec. 28, 2009
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December 28th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I always enjoy the city life around St. John’s, but the rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador have much to offer with its many community festivals. When you meet tourists from all walks of life and from everywhere around the globe, they say they look for peace of mind and not the crampiness around St. John’s, especially Water Street. If there was efficent parking, this would bring more tourists to our capital city who would later escape to Rural Newfoundland and Labrador fishing villages like Leading Tickles, Musgrave Harbour,Lumsden and the Southwest Coast.
Not forgetting, St’John’s has its own unique, historical, traditional class.
Frank Blackwood
Newfoundland Writer.
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