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Halifax
Local Halifax Time and Temperature
range year-round
Halifax, the capital of the province, is the largest city in Nova Scotia
by far. About 300,000
people, a third of the province's population, live in the metropolitan
area. We are celebrating
our 250th birthday this year.
The city's parks are numerous, boasting eight major arboreal splendors,
and are well-kept
and safe. The downtown park on Spring Garden Road is a botanical wonder,
and is frequented
by tourists and Haligonians alike. Point Pleasant Park, on the tip of
the peninsula and located
next to prime real estate, is a wooded retreat. It hugs the coast and
has acres of trees, trails,
beaches and armament ruins. This is the setting for Shakespeare by the
Sea.
Citadel Hill—you may reach the top by foot or motor vehicle—offers
a panorama of the city,
day or night, and inspires the soul to reflect as a view of the harbour,
deep and expansive,
scrapes the horizon. Also along Spring Garden Road, the major commercial
street, are cafes,
restaurants, shops of all sizes and ilk, an indoor mall, a theatre and
the public library. A
seven-minute stroll from the library is the harbour and wharf, replete
with more shops and
eateries. Tours of the bay, cruises, fishing and whale sighting expeditions
are featured. Did
we mention we also have a gambling casino?
Historical Halifax, the first city to receive notice of the Titanic's
distress, became the base
of rescue and salvage operations. The city has several cemeteries and
other sites which
became makeshift morgues or were otherwise branded with the tears and
toil of the
disaster. Tours of these sites may be scheduled. The Maritime Museum
also has an
exhibition of this most unsinkable of ships, including artifacts.
National historic sites in Halifax abound as we were lucky to have been
a gateway to
the New World. Besides Citadel Hill, other fortifications include Fort
McNab,
Georges Island, Prince of Wales Tower and York Redoubt.
To enjoy Halifax, you should explore it on foot. Although Halifax is
a small city, parking
in the downtown core is a nightmare. (One of our regular guests is from
New York City
and he laughs when I recommend that guests take the bus instead of driving.)
If you choose
a bus, the wait is brief, 10 minutes during the day and 15 minutes in
the evening. The bus is
not long in coming in any event.
During the summer, many events entice and attract both the locals and
visitors.
Canada Day Celebrations
International Buskers
International Tattoo
Jazz Festival
Shakespeare by the Sea
Club NRG is a gay bar with dancing. Telephone: 902-422-4368. Details
forthcoming.
The Eagle, a pub for gay and bisexual men, is located at 2104 Gottingen
Street. Go upstairs.
In good weather, the patio is open. No cover. Hours: Monday- Saturday,
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon-2:00 a.m. Telephone: 902-425-6976.
E-Mail: eagle_halifax@html.com
Pinneau's Cafe on Blowers Street is a gay restaurant.
Reflections is a gay bar, cabaret and dance club. Located at 5184 Sackville
Street, its
clientele is mostly gay male with a smathering of lesbians, but it depends
on the night
and the event. It is wheelchair accessible. Hours: Monday-Saturday,
noon-3:30 a.m.
and Sunday, 4 p.m.-3:30 a.m.
The Apollo Bath House is located at 1547 Barrington Street between Salter
Street
and Blowers Street. It is open from 7p.m. to 12 midnight 6 days a week
and most
holidays; it is closed Sundays. Rooms are $14.50 & $16.00 and lockers
are $12.00;
towels included; large dry heat sauna; TV room (no videos); reading
room. It has been
in operation for 26 years in the same spot and by the same owner. Telephone:
902-423-6549.
Halifax Web Site
Nova Scotia Web Site
The 350 page Doers and Dreamers Guide, for provincial tourist
information, is available free
for the asking. Order it online.
Oh, don't be shy in asking about your gay or lesbian interests in such
matters as the provincial
legislation on human rights (non-discrimination based on sexual orientation),
tourist attractions
for gays and lesbians, and about gay- and lesbian-friendly businesses
in Nova Scotia. If we
don't ask, we are invisible.
home
Quiet and discreet accommodations with
old-fashioned Nova Scotia hospitality.
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