Favourite café – Wired Monk. Great location off the regular tourist trap, at Morris and Hollis. The owners and staff are very welcoming and helpful. Food is great. Go early for baked goods fresh out of the oven. Coffee – very good – and I’m hard to please in that area. Grab a paper, get a window seat and watch the world go by.
Favourite restaurant – Talay Thai. Best Thai I’ve ever had – ever. I ate there two nights in a row. A friend who recommended it said, “even better than Thailand”. I had the cashew chicken.
Favourite beach – Rissers Beach – Lots of room for your beach mats even on a hot Sunday afternoon. Clean water, white sand. Toilets! Be careful with the sand around your camera, especially if it's breezy as the sand is so light and unobstructed, it gets everywhere.
Favourite scenery – Peggy’s Cove - iconic, just go. You can’t help but take great photos. There is the tiny town with lobster traps and orange row boats strategically placed in the cove, as well as the lighthouse sitting atop the large mound of granite which leads to the churning sea below. Have the gingerbread dessert at the Sou’wester restaurant on your way out.
The town of Lunenburg is a close second for scenery, but most of the villages and farms on the south shore are colourful and very well taken care of, so make for great photos. Lunenburg also had the best side-of-the-road fish and chips shack. The haddock was fresh and tasty and melted in my mouth. I could have eaten there every day. The Bluenose II is based out of Lunenburg, so there is a good chance you’ll see it too.
Favourite way to see Halifax – from a tall ship like the Silva – but go in the morning so the sun is shining on the city – otherwise it’s back lit and harder to photograph. A friend recommended the Harbour Hopper, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go through town on the “green monster” with the tour guide screeching into the loud speaker. I’m sure kids would love it though.
Next favourite way to see Halifax – on foot. Great city for walking.
Favourite scenic walk – The Boardwalk. Lots of tourists, but also lots of locals flogging their wares and talents. Grab your morning coffee at the Wired Monk and walk two blocks east to watch the sun rise from the boardwalk at the bottom of Morris Street. Also, walk along Spring Garden Road and stop in at the Old Burying Ground at St. Paul's Cemetery at the corner of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road. The other end of Spring Garden Road is the Public Gardens, which is also beautiful.
Favourite historical site – Pier 21, though the Halifax Citadel came highly recommended. The views from up there are fantastic. Out of town – visit the SwissAir Memorial, a stone's throw from Peggy's Cove. Sombre. The day I went it was slightly foggy and that added to the mood.
Favourite Halifax street for taking photos – Argyle Street - between Blower and Sackville. It has the most interesting storefronts: The Economy Shoe Shop, which is a pub on a very grande scale, contrasted by the "skinny" Seahorse Tavern, on one side, and Biscuit General Store on the other. They are all in a row on the east side of the street. Go in the afternoon so the sun is shining on the façades.
I will add some more Halifax photos soon. Just wanted to get the list up before I forget everything!
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