I had an early morning appointment downtown today, and snapped these shots afterwards. Okay, the first picture was on the way. With all the plowed snow and clear paths, it’s kind of like walking through a hedge maze, and I thought it looked cool. 

Enjoy!

On Cogswell Street by the Commons. 

The Clock Tower. 

Grand Parade. 

Grand Parade. 

St. Paul’s Church, Argyle Street. 

And of course, I couldn’t resist walking down Argyle Street, past my favourite snowcovered signs. 

Then down onto Barrington Street to catch the bus. My daily exercise quota is 15 minutes, and that was the walk to my appointment. 

One of my favourite buildings. I’m going to be devastated* when a business finally moves into the building. 

How are you digging out of the snow?

____

*Slight exaggeration. 

Normally on a snowy afternoon, I like to lay in bed reading or watching a movie (or FRIENDS); this afternoon I decided to go skating at the Emera Oval on the Halifax Common. 

When I was little, there was a duck pond in my hometown that everyone would skate on. This was before they built the arena, before they redeveloped the duck pond and fenced it off.

I remember dark nights under orange street lights and rough ice and snow falling. 

So it makes me ridiculously happy to know that we have a permanent outdoor skating oval in Halifax now (even though I don’t use it as often as I should considering my apartment’s proximity, and my need for physical activity). 

Robie Street, plowed. I let my camera dangle from my wrist to get this while I was walking. I’m just surprised it turned out this good. 

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Do you go skating in the winter? 

Earlier this week hardly any of the houses in my neighbourhood were decorated for Halloween, so I decided to take a walk this evening to see if that changed. A few houses were decorated, but the lack of jack o’lanterns disturbs me.

I’ll take another walk on Halloween night to make sure at least someone has one lit.

This house was decorated last year, too, but it was only with the tombstones. 

Now there are plastic body parts in their shrubbery.

Guys, Halaween is onley 6 5 days away!

I don’t know if this is supposed to be a skull with arrow crossbones, or something voodoo, but I appreciate the originality. 

Then I walked to the Commons, because I haven’t been there in at least a month and something might’ve changed (it didn’t).

So now I’m home and I’ve got a lame busy night ahead: redecorating, reading, and watching 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Tomorrow is City Harvest in Halifax, head’s up to all Haligonian bloggers out there!

Now that summer’s over, it’s time to look ahead to fall. Early darkness, Halloween, Christmas festivities, hot chocolate, crisp cool air…

It’s also time to find out if I achieved all of my summer goals. I wrote a list of 19 goals back in May after a trip to the Nova Scotia Visitor’s Information Centre to grab brochures, pamphlets, and tourism magazines.

Let’s see what I did: 

1. Try Julien’s Patisserie (5517 Young Street, Hydrostone Market)

One delicious checkmark at an unhealthy brunch with my mother and aunt, Laura (pictured is the Paris-Brest pastry).

2. Try Bistro Le Coq (1584 Argyle Street)

Another delicious, Parisian check. I tried the croque-monsieur and frites. I’m planning to have birthday brunch here (hurry up, November!)

3. Read a book on a sunny afternoon at Citadel Hill or on the Commons

Check for both the Commons and Citadel Hill. I read The Night Circus on a sunny afternoon at the Commons, enjoying peanut butter cookies and Italian soda from Second Cup.

4. Go to the Farmer’s Market on a Saturday Morning (Brewery Market)

As soon as I discovered Le French Fixe Patisserie was opening a store, I did some research and found that they had a stall at the Brewery Market on Saturday mornings. What followed was the most delicious macarons I’ve ever had, and a mouthwatering cinnamon bun from The German Bakery and Garden Cafe. 

5. Walk along Quinpool Road with my camera

6. Go to the Costume Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History

7. Go to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

8. Go to the Summer of Johnny film festival

Not only did I go, I volunteered.

9. Go to the Canada Day festivities

When I wrote this list, I planned to be in Halifax for Canada Day. However, I won’t argue about who I ended up spending Canada Day with instead.

10. Go to the Buskers Festival

For whatever reasons, in the six years I’ve been in Halifax, this is the first time I’ve seen the Buskers. I loved all the performances, but the human statues were pretty awesome, too.

11. Go to the World Peace Pavilion

This gem is over in the Darmouth Ferry Park, and houses rocks and other pieces from various countries. Pictured is a piece of the Great Wall of China. I definitely recommend going to see this.

12. Go to Dee Dee’s Ice Cream

Considering Dee Dee’s is the best ice cream in Halifax, I couldn’t skip ice cream dates. I tried a bunch of different flavours, but I think shaker lemon is my favourite.

13. Ride on the ferry and take pictures

The Halifax cityscape is beautiful, and the water (with the smell of salt water wafting) adds to it.

14. Go to the Tall Ships festival

Crowded, but wonderful.

Unachieved:

1. Go to the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame

2. Go to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (no exhibits tickled my fancy)

3. Go to a performance of Shakespeare by the Sea

4. Walk through Point Pleasant Park

5. Go to Cow’s Ice Cream

Today was almost a write off: I woke up to throbbing pain under my thumbnail, checked WebMD, and one panicked phone call to 811 later, I was on my way to outpatients thinking I had a heart valve infection (yes, I’m one of those people). My pulse was racing so fast that I didn’t even finish getting triaged — they pulled me for an emergency EKG and gave me a private room to calm down in. Long story short: I’m fine, but next time I go to the hospital, I know how to avoid long wait times.

After sleeping all afternoon, I knew I couldn’t waste the night; I decided to take my camera to Citadel Hill for some sunset shots. 

You can’t get to Citadel Hill without walking through the Commons. Well, I mean, you can if you’re in the other direction, but why avoid them when you can walk through them? I’m counting down the days until the city puts the ice back in the skating oval.

Walking up Citadel Hill. 

Georges Island in the distance. My goal next summer is to go on Georges Island. Who cares that it’s full of snakes? I’ve got enough pictures of the place…

Argyle Street — one of my most favourite streets in Halifax. Look at how gorgeous the storefronts are!

Sunset hiding behind the apartment building close to my house.

See that path? It’s pretty steep. And once, my brother and I walked down it in a snowpocalypse. One of the most terrifying moments of my life.

Walking past the tennis courts and I saw something reflective in a tree. So I turned around and found a hidden bottle of Jameson. Hard to tell what else is stashed in trees here in Halifax…

A brisk walk through the Halifax Commons

then a walk along Cunard Street, Duncan Street, and Chebucto Lane to admire the graffiti.

This idea came from a prompt to summarize the past six months of your life, but I’ve adapted it to fit the year. Kind of like a premature The Year that Was… because this year has seriously rocked.

January

Skating at the Emera Oval on the Halifax Common. Outdoor skating is always a good idea. Unless it’s raining, but I digress. 

February

Snowy morning walk on Brunswick Street. Some mornings you just have to drag your heels when you’re walking to school (and there’s a bus strike). This was one of those mornings. I walked down to the waterfront, along the waterfront, and then back up. It was a good, rejuvenating morning.

March

Walking down Citadel Hill shortly after getting an insta-headache from being on top of the Hill as the noon cannon went off. If you want an eagle-eye view of the downtown core, stand on top of Citadel Hill — you’ll feel like a king (or queen). 

April

Titanic 3D — as someone who never got the chance to see Titanic in theatres the first time around (believe me, I haven’t let my parents forget that one); as someone who has broken every VHS and DVD copy I’ve ever owned; as someone who has waited with bated breath since James Cameron announced this re-release last year; it. was. awesome. 

May

I finally ate at a ’50s diner, Steve’s Diner in Riverview, New Brunswick. You can’t go to a ’50s diner without getting a milkshake or a float, and I got a float. And played with the jukebox. And admired the decor (Marilyn, Elvis, James Dean). And made plans to move in. Inserted myself into a Happy Days plot.

June

Diamond Jubilee Concert in the Public Gardens. As a staunch monarchist (and unabashed Wills and Kate admirer), I watched all of the Jubilee celebrations on TV, and took part in as many events in Halifax as possible. At this event, The Royal St. George’s Society of Halifax was handing out Jubilee flags and pins — I have both. This was a fun, hot afternoon (resulting in my first, and only, sunburn of the summer).

July

The Tall Ships. This was a fun, jam-packed weekend (it’s never taken so long to walk 10 feet before). Having grown up on an island, I find I’m starting to appreciate  the water more and more. I love the smell of salt water. I love walking along the waterfront at all times of day. I love watching the boats. I find when I’m blue, I’m happiest when I’m on the waterfront. 

August

I’m cheating, but August was a seriously awesome month and it was hard to choose what was better: a hot air balloon ride or seeing Breakfast at Tiffany’s in theatres. On the one hand, it’s a hot air balloon ride; on the other hand, it’s Audrey Hepburn. 

___

How has your year been so far? 

This morning Liz and I were up and at the Common for 6:50 a.m. for this: 

It’s a total accident that I found a hot air balloon event in Halifax. My aunt pinned a hot air balloon picture on Pinterest, and I saw it and thought, “I wonder if there are any places in Nova Scotia that do hot air balloon rides?”

Then I found a Kijiji ad (totally sketchy, but luckily it had a legit link to an outside source) for Remax Reality’s charity event this week. Free hot air balloon rides on the Commons for Phoenix Youth Programs. 

Luckily we were the second ones in line. 

As we were walking down a side street, we saw the balloon deflated and the basket lying on the grass, and we looked at each other like, “Wow. That is a small hot air balloon. Is it even going to fit the two of us?”

Joke’s on us. 

Did I mention it was tilted the entire time? That was fun. The balloonist (yes, he’s a professional hot air ballooner) told us something about how it’s because we are the wind and the balloon wants to move, but I kind of spaced out because we were in the hot air balloon and it sounded too much like a physics lesson.

Then he joked that it was also a trampoline, and started jumping. It did feel like a trampoline, but not because it was bouncy — because of the weightlessness.

So it didn’t really go up that high — no Up!-style adventures for us — but it was still a fun experience.

Up inside the balloon.

Our view, which was limited to the Commons and the surrounding streets. Maybe if it had’ve been sunnier we would’ve seen further. But still, not a view you get often.

The ground from where we were. No crowds at 7 a.m., which was great.

The basket.

And shots from back on the ground. 

The couple behind us enjoying their ride.

The Atlantica Hotel and (what I’m pretty sure is) the building that holds the Remax agency.

Leaving the Commons. 

Buh-bye balloon!

1. Tall Ships

2. Reading on the Commons on a sunny afternoon

3. Lots and lots of books

4. Summer of Johnny! Hello volunteering-slash-seeing awesome Johnny Depp movies!

5. The Farmer’s Market

6. Eating macarons on the Waterfront on a bright Saturday morning

7. Watching Casablanca at the Oxford Theatre as part of the Oxford 75^th Anniversary celebrations

8. Tall Ships

9. Macarons at Gourmandises Avenue at the Seaport Farmer’s Market

10. Watching Pirates of the Caribbean on the Waterfront for the arrFresco filmFesto

11. Tall Ships flotilla

12. Tall Ships

13. Bishop’s Landing on a sunny afternoon

14. Canada Day fireworks in Clark’s Harbour, NS

15. Aboard the HMS Bounty

16. Doggus