Quote:
Originally Posted by Drybrain
I would actually place Charlottetown and Fredericton above Saint John. SJ is larger, and looks a lot more impressive, but in terms of urban offerings on the ground, it's actually got less going on. As mentioned above, though, it's moving in the right direction and has improved in the past few years. It still, it remains for me one of those cities that's more about its future potential than its present reality.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flar
At first I was thinking more in terms of the built form, but I would agree on the vibrancy front. I was blown away by the old buildings when I first drove into Saint John, but it reminded me a lot of Hamilton in terms of its current state of development.
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When did the two of you last visit? If it's been more than a few years you might be surprised by how far things have progressed, at least prior to covid forcing event organizers to adapt to the pandemic or go on hiatus. I don't want to turn this thread into a pissing match between small cities on who's the most vibrant but below are a few highlights of what Saint John has to offer from an arts/culture/sport/nightlife perspective. I should add that the city accomplishes this without the large student/postsecondary base Fredericton has or the large tourist base that Charlottetown enjoys.
- The Uptown has always had a very strong independent restaurant and bar scene, with multiple nightlife hotspots within the historic core. The clubbing scene is admittedly a bit subdued, no doubt due to the lack of a major student population. The Uptown restaurant sector organizes several special culinary events a year, with this year's
Burger Week just about to start.
Burger Week participants:
- As alluded to previously, The
Saint John City Market is the oldest continuing farmer's market in Canada and today serves both locals and tourists.
City Market interior:
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- A healthy number of independent commercial art galleries scattered throughout the Uptown as well as public galleries at the
Saint John Arts Centre, Saint John Free Public Library and the New Brunswick Museum. The Uptown Business Improvement Association would organize regular gallery hops in pre-pandemic times that were consistently well-attended by the public.
Gallery Hop promo:
- The
New Brunswick Museum deserves an item in its own right as a major cultural institution in the province, covering natural history, cultural history and fine arts.
New Brunswick Museum:
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- A well-developed performing arts scene anchored by the
Saint John Theatre Company and the beautifully restored
Imperial Theatre. The city hosts an annual
Fringe Festival. There are plans in the works to repurpose and expand the historic Saint John County Courthouse into another performance venue and theatre school.
Imperial Theatre:
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Courthouse project:
- Major junior hockey -
Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL), playing at TD Station, which also hosts larger touring concerts and events.
TD Station:
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- Major cultural events and installations like
Third Shift and the
Area 506 Festival, which draw large numbers of people locally and further afield. A full calendar of events and programming on the
Market Square Boardwalk throughout the warmer months, including an annual Buskers festival.
Third Shift:
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Area 506:
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Market Square Boardwalk:
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And this is just what I can think of off the top of my head late in the evening.
Like I said above, my intent here is not to jostle for position in some contrived SSP "vibrancy" ranking, but to assert that the city has plenty to offer residents and visitors
right now (pandemic notwithstanding). The view of Uptown Saint John as a sleepy collection of underutilized brick buildings with not much going on is a view that's getting increasingly out of date.