Road Trip, Day 11: Halifax

DAY 11: AT A GLANCE
Starting Point: Halifax, Nova Scotia
End Point: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Starting mileage: 189,715
Ending mileage: 189,715 (driving-free day!)
Daily total (STEPS): 17,788
Trip total (miles): 1520

Our first full day in Halifax! A few days ago, we were bundled up in layers of fleece and vests, rain jackets, and waterproof hiking shoes. But summer decided to come to Nova Scotia after all—and with it, a heat warning for the Maritimes! Instead of doing outdoor sightseeing today, at the height of this heat wave, we decided to take care of the indoor activities, when the heat would be the strongest. So off we went to Starbucks a few blocks from our hotel, The Prince George, and then continued on down to the waterfront.

Initially, our plan was to hit the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market, visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, have lunch, visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and maybe even the art gallery. We were able to do everything but the Immigration Museum; Halifax has some incredible sights and museums, and, unfortunately, we couldn’t fit them all in and do each justice. Ah, decisions.

For a full-size map, click here.

First stop: the Farmer’s Market. The market solidified my initial impression that Halifax is like San Francisco and Boston, if San Francisco and Boston had a baby—a baby that was super friendly and clean. All three cities have a great waterfront, are pretty compact (and not sprawling urban centers), and have a ton of eating (and drinking) establishments. The farmer’s market reminded me a lot of San Francicso’s Ferry Building Marketplace and its weekend farmer’s market. We got the lay of the land and then spoke to a fantastic staff member who told us that Saturday’s market would really be the one to go to—tons more vendors spread out over two floors and two buildings and cinnamon rolls to die for. She had me at cinnamon rolls. We would return tomorrow! We ventured down a few steps to Pier 21, where we checked out the outdoor exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Immigration—the train and plaques. We also stopped over across the street to Garrison Brewing for a couple of root beers. SO good.

As it was nearing noon, we decided to grab lunch before going to the Maritime museum. Look up any list of “best restaurants” in Halifax, and one is sure to make all the lists: The Bicycle Thief, located on the waterfront. Describing itself as “North American Food—Italian Soul,” the restaurant absolutely lives up to the hype; plus, its menu provided a nice change of pace. G ordered the seared steak sandwich (“served medium rare, with sautéed onions and mushrooms, open-face atop toasted garlic focaccia”) and sea salted frites. I ordered my absolute favorite Italian comfort food that reminds me of the dish I loved as a kid, growing up next-door to my Italian grandmother and great-aunt: gnocchi. This dish, handmade gnocchi all’amatriciana included pancetta, red onions, slow-simmered San Marzano tomato, and Pecorino. Both were absolutely fantastic, and we’re so glad we had the opportunity to enjoy a great meal there. YUM.

Now, on to the museum. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada. Having visited a maritime museum in Lunenburg, I was expecting something a little similar; while it was similar, the Halifax museum has SO much to take in, including special exhibits dedicated to the Halifax Explosion of 1917 to the role Nova Scotia (and Halifax, in particular) played after the Titanic sank in 1912. There are tons (TONS) of model ships on display, and a very cool exhibit, The Sea in Her Blood, focusing on 17 Maritime women whose lives are intertwined with the sea. We probably spent two hours, and I could have spent even more—it was well worth the price of admission ($18.10CAD for the two of us, after our AAA discount).

There’s a lot to take in at the museum, and I have to say that the exhibit on the RMS Titanic is incredible. Sure, we probably all know the general story: The unsinkable ship. Maiden voyage. Hits iceberg. Sinks. 1500 perish. Most of us have seen the 1997 Oscar winner that catapulted DiCaprio into stardom and had us all imitating his triumphant arms-wide-open embrace of the sea (we’ve all done that, right??) and singing Celine Dion at the tops of our lungs. The exhibit includes artifacts retrieved from the sunken ship (which wasn’t found until 1985!), including a balustrade from the forward grand staircase, a cabinet (the only intact piece of cabinetry known to survive the sinking), and the fragment of a life jacket reportedly worn by American millionaire John Jacob Astor, a mortuary bag, a baby’s leather shoes, and a deck chair from the ship. More than 150 of the dead are buried in Halifax, and we planned to visit that site on our way out of town Sunday. So much history in this province…and so many lives lost to the sea…

After the Maritime Museum, we opted to visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, just a block up from the waterfront. This museum is a bit pricier than the others ($24CAD total), but, again, worth it. The main attraction is the exhibit of Maude Lewis’ folk art and her tiny painted cottage, which is located within the museum itself. Lewis (1903-1970) was a Nova Scotian folk artist and basically, a Nova Scotia treasure. According to the gallery’s website:

Those who stopped after seeing her roadside sign, "Paintings for sale", found a quiet woman with a delightful smile. Her pleasure didn't come from the pride of having done a painting, but the creative act itself and the enjoyment others seemed to get from her work.

Maude’s life wasn’t easy, yet her paintings are full of joy. She was born without most of her chin and was smaller than other children; later, she battled juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She lost both of her parents within a few years of each other. She married, and she and her husband lived in a small cottage (which she painted—inside and out) that had neither indoor plumbing nor electricity. I didn’t know a whole lot about Maude Lewis, but now I can’t wait to learn more about her—and to check out the 2016 movie based on her life, Maudie.

After museum hopping, we visited Propeller Brewing Company for a few root beers (I might actually prefer the root beer from Garrison Brewing Co., now that I’ve had both). We were going to grab a bit to eat a few doors down at The Foggy Goggle (I liked the name), but the restaurant was a sauna, and neither of us could think about eating in the non-AC space. Ugh. I had ordered a refreshing drink called The Kelford—fresh grapefruit, lemon, and tonic—so I paid for that and we were on way back to our hotel. We weren’t super hungry, and I spotted a pizza place just behind our hotel, Freeman’s Little New York, that offered a special of 6-inch pizzas and salads. They were perfect and hit the spot.

Our final adventure of the night just might have been the best. We wandered down to Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC), basically the Canadian equivalent of REI, the outdoor co-op. We wandered around, G bought a towel (he had forgotten to pack his), and I, a T-shirt. At checkout (after becoming a lifetime MEC member for only $5!), I chatted with the cashier, who asked where we were traveling from (EVERYONE asked that!), and I told her that we were headed to Cape Breton after Halifax. She had grown up there and asked if I could wait a few minutes; after cashing other folks out, she proceeded to draw us a map with a bunch of places to visit from a local’s perspective. SO. FREAKIN. AWESOME. Huge shout-out to Hayley at MEC in Halfax for going above and beyond—we’re even more excited for Cape Breton now!

Oh my gosh, I love Canadians.

We left MEC and headed back to the hotel, rounding out more than 17,000 steps for the day! And on the way back, as dusk was beginning to fall (the sun doesn’t set here until after 9 p.m.!), I stopped for a few quick shots of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and Halifax City Hall from the Grand Parade. So much to see in this city, and we barely scratched the surface. Tomorrow, Day 2 in Halifax!