During the coffee hour in the basement of the church after the service, I was chatting with a couple of women and asked them how long they had lived in Halifax. They were very, very quick to respond: "Oh we don't live in Halifax - we live in Dartmouth!" Right. I got it right away - the two communities are very distinct from each other, and they each are very proud to claim their own space. It was a good learning for me!
The two communities are across the Harbour from each other. When my friends were here, we took the 10 minute ferry ride to the Woodside Terminal, and then wandered our way along the harbour walkway to the other Terminal - Alderney. Here is a map of the 3.2 km walk:
The Halifax Harbour front is most definitely geared to tourists - especially to the ones who arrive on the cruise ships. While I have loved wandering down there, and it is still a favorite place for me to go and simply sit to watch the world go by, I have also been enjoying getting to see a different side of life in Dartmouth. When Colleen and Julie and I spent our afternoon in Dartmouth, it was very hot - and after our walk from one terminal to the other, we were a wee bit thirsty. So we stopped at the first patio lounge we came to - it was called Whiskey's! Here we are on the patio:
As it turned out, we were sitting in a spot that had quite a story to it. I found these words on the website for Whiskey's Bar:
Who we are
We are the First and
Oldest bar in Dartmouth.
Little Story
In the 50’s this building was a
restaurant and dance hall known as the “White Lantern” In the 90’s the current
owners restored the restaurant’s exterior to its original form. Whiskey’s and
Revana has been used in three feature movies: “The Christmas Shoes” with Rob
Lowe “Reversible Errors” with Tom Selleck (The “Jackson Aires Attorney at Law”
sign from the movie is still displayed at Whiskey’s!) “Trailer Park Boys: The
Movie”
This morning I went back to Dartmouth to volunteer at the Food Bank that is run out of Stairs United Church. I took the bus from my place in Halifax to within walking distance of the church - I got on the bus at 7:15 a.m. and was at the church by 8:00. The bus ride alone took me into a very different world - at one point there was not an inch of open space - bodies were packed in very close to one another. I just really hoped no one had any emergencies along the way!
The last time I was at the food bank I worked primarily in this space with these two women:
Frances, the woman in the blue striped T-shirt, is the manager of the Food Bank - and Helen has also been volunteering since they opened about 15 years ago (or so). This time Frances decided that I could try a different job, and she had me go to the table where the clients come to pick up their orders. They are given a number when they arrive, they are interviewed to sort out what it is they need, and then various products are put into bags for them (produce, canned goods, etc.). It is a very organized system, and is very dependent on the various donations that come in from individuals and businesses in the area. Today was the day that the income assistance cheques had been received by many of the usual clients, so the line-up for the food-bank was small - I think there were about 35 people that came through. Usually it is closer to 100. I felt very privileged to be able to hand people their food and to wish them well for their day. Many of the volunteers at the food bank have been doing this work for many years, and they seem to know many of the clients who come through the door. More than one volunteer has told me that they, as volunteers, likely get more out of doing this than the clients get from receiving the donations of food.
After I leave Stairs United, I often walk back to the Ferry Terminal. Somehow Dartmouth has more of a rural feeling to it - likely because I am only seeing a small portion of it between the Ferry and the church. It definitely feels less like a constant tourist attraction - although there are lots of sites for tourists to enjoy. One of the things that I love about many of the buildings is that they have such bright cheery colors - often seen primarily in the choice of their doors, but it seems to brighten the whole house. And the greenery sometimes even finds it's way onto the walls of the buildings themselves! Here are a couple of the buildings along my walking route:
There is a park along the way that I didn't spend much time at, but it was good to see a green space that looked cared for - and that was offering an invitation to sit and enjoy the view:
I had heard about these islands at both Pier 21, and at the Maritime Museum, but I found a descriptive plaque along my walking route that was quite informative - it was good to get a view of these islands from the Dartmouth side of the Harbour. One is George's Island, and one is Macnab's Island. In the picture, the smaller one on the right is George's Island.
Macnab's island (larger one on the left) was named and owned by the Macnab family who arrived from Scotland in 1789. Eventually the British established fortifications on the island to guard the City from Naval attacks.
In 1750 the British established defense posts on George's Island to guard the Harbour. No ship was allowed to pass the Island after dark, or to leave the Harbour without first going to the Island to present a pass to the Warden.
It was in 1752 that the first Ferry began to carry people between Dartmouth and Halifax. At that time, the ships were powered by sails and oars, and the trip took about 35 minutes. Now, the trip takes about 10 minutes.
There are two bridges between the two cities as well.
The bridge closest to us in this picture is the "old bridge" - the Macdonald Bridge. It was opened in April of 1955. Right now it is undergoing major construction, which they are calling the "Big Lift". The bridge is open for regular traffic during the day, but is closed every evening and all weekend in order that the suspension portion can be replaced. The only other bridge to have undergone such major structural change is the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver. The reason for this project is to extend the life of the bridge - although it will also result in the bridge being raised 2.1 meters. Huge undertaking that goes far beyond my imagination!!
The "new bridge" is the MacKay Bridge (further away in the picture) which was built in July of 1970. It is the only bridge that allows trucks over 7055 lbs to cross it.
In the average workday, there are 104,000 crossings over the two bridges - plus there are the two ferry crossings - to Woodside or to Alderney terminals. There is a lot of commuting between the two cities!
It is strange to look out at those islands that were named in the 1700's - what an immensely different world it is here today in 2016! As a visitor in this area, I am very glad to be able to walk awhile in both Halifax and Dartmouth - to appreciate the gifts and the struggles of both places. May I have the grace to listen carefully and to honor the truth and the tradition of all that I encounter! Although I didn't see the plaque inviting me to sit wherever I wanted, I did feel touched today to be riding on the Viola Desmond Ferry - named after a woman who knew what it was to cross boundaries so that we could once again find our connection as fellow human beings:
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