5 on Friday: See My City Link-up

Good morning, and happy Friday!! This week was a chilly one in Halifax, but might warm up a bit on the weekend. We're only 2 weeks away from Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like that here!!!

I saw a link up hosted by Jess this week to share 5 things about your city, so I decided to post about Halifax today for 5 on Friday!! For those who don't know, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, has a population of ~380,000 people and is located on Canada's east coast. It is the largest city in the Maritime provinces of Canada, and the provincial capital of Nova Scotia.

I didn't grow up in Halifax, but Brian did, and he has lived here most of his life. We visited Halifax countless times as children, however, because my mom is from Nova Scotia. I went to University about 2 hours away in a very small university town, and then I moved to Halifax in 2007 to do my Master's at a university here. Considering that Nova Scotia only has about a million people total, the province also has 10 major universities/colleges that attract students from all over the world and other parts of Canada.

1) The Harbour and the water everywhere

Halifax has a huge natural harbour that conducts a lot of shipping and trade. In the summer/fall there are many cruise ships that visit daily. There are two large bridges that connect Halifax to Dartmouth (they used to be separate cities but are all the same municipality now).

View of Halifax from Dartmouth

A cruise ship arriving in the Harbour

Sunset over the MacDonald bridge

Fireworks off the MacDonald Bridge (source)

The Harbour is also home to this awesome guy:

Theodore Tugboat at Christmas time!!

Halifax also has many beaches nearby and many natural lakes for swimming in the summer or skating in the winter. Here's the view off our back deck (this morning), where you can see a popular beach, Rainbow Haven.

2) The live music scene

A classic Halifax song:


Many of the bars and pubs downtown have live music every day, or at least a few days a week. There are also Highland Games held in the summer and a Royal Canadian Military Tattoo with countless pipe bands in July. The live music scene also usually involves some delicious adult beverages, and there are many festivals and outdoor events with beer gardens in the summer.

My favourite Irish pub downtown (source)

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A friend's pipe band at the Halifax Highland games a few years ago

3) Citadel Hill

Citadel Hill is a National Historic site with employees/re-enactors in period-appropriate costumes. They do demonstrations and have educational activities. It is a great place to visit to learn more about Halifax in the 1700s-1800s. Here's the view from Citadel Hill:

And the aerial view:

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4) Delicious seafood

There are many places to get fresh fish and seafood in Halifax, from lobster fishermen to food trucks to fancy restaurants. I always highly recommend trying seafood chowder (not the same as clam chowder) from a restaurant downtown...it is SO delicious :) Molly also loves looking at the lobsters in the grocery store here...I think that she thinks they are pets ;)

A popular place to buy lobster (Source)

5) Fantastic Parks

There are many parks to enjoy in the city and on the outskirts. Point Pleasant Park is right on the water, and I used to spend time there almost every day when I lived downtown. They have a large trail system so it's great for kids and for runners. Here are some views from Point Pleasant Park:

Heather Road!!!

There is also a great little park downtown that is only open Spring-Fall with beautiful flower arrangements (think of a very miniature Central Park!!!) It's called Public Gardens and it is a relaxing place to spend an afternoon.

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Halifax is a great place to raise kids and a fun place to grow up (according to my family and my husband) ;) We love it here and probably won't be leaving too soon!!!

What do you love about your city?! 

Linking up here, here and here today.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead on Saturday night/Sunday morning!!