I Heart Hamilton Tour: MARGARET ATWOOD - November 22, 2011
I really like Margaret Atwood’s work, and am sorry I missed this. At least the ladies from ihearthamilton were able to enjoy!
Margaret Atwood Hamilton Central Library 55 York Boulevard
It’s not every day you get to be in the presence of a literary icon. As an English major graduate and having a lifelong love of literature in general, I was beyond thrilled to get the opportunity to attend Margaret Atwood’s…
Source: ihearthamilton
Cops cover the Twitter beat
This is an interesting story and shows that the Hamilton Police Services understand some of the major changes in communications that have occurred over the last few years. I wonder what sorts of policies surround the use of social media accounts by police officers? Potential problems abound - for instance, although common sense dictates that one would not tweet an individual police officier for emergency assistance, what would happen if someone did just that and the tweet went unanswered?
Still, I look forward to watching the city’s police incorporate new forms of technology into the great work that they already do.
Walkability? Is that even a word?
Apparently.
At tonight’s Hamilton Youth Advisory Committee we discussed walkability which, according to Wikipedia, is “a measure of how friendly an area is to walking.”
It’s a long story, and the details are here, but City representatives are now seeking feedback on the state of walkability in Hamilton. Specifically for our committee, from young people.
Here is the gist of the comments I made:
- Western culture has not changed enough to warrant huge sums of money invested in pedestrian-friendly street features/bike lanes, etc. that may or may not be used
- Young people aren’t necessarily sold on the environmental benefits to walking/cycling, but they are apt to respond to the financial benefits (i.e. saving gas money, not paying car insurance, etc.)
- Planning must not focus solely on pedestrian/cycling routes but also the end points: there is no sense having a bicycle lane to one’s place of work if that workplace doesn’t have a shower and secure bike storage (I mentioned the student residence at the old CNIB building on Main West as an example)
- City staff must go to young people for their input as opposed to waiting for youths to come to them (by visiting their schools, campuses and groups/associations)
What do you think? Agree with me? Take issue with anything I said? Have something to add? What do you think of being a pedestrian/cyclist in Hamilton? Leave a comment or get in touch with me via email or any of my social networks and I’ll forward your comments on to the committee and the City.
A downtown surprise
Having recently moved downtown, my girlfriend and I thought we’d take a walk through the area to really get a feel for what was around us. Like many young, suburban, mountain-dwellers we had been raised in fear of the downtown core, influenced by parents who saw the area as run-down and full of less-than-desirables. While that’s not always an inaccurate description, what we found on our walk was completely unexpected.
Our route was simple: starting from about James and Hunter we walked north, past the infamous King and James, the Farmers’ Market (or where it usually is), past the Armouries and so on. Just as we decided that we had better turn around we found ourselves stumbling upon a mass of people and a small market.
Much to our surprise, we had come across one of the many James Street art crawls. To take advantage of the increased foot traffic (and boy was there increased foot traffic!) vendors from the Makers’ Market, a market for handmade goods mostly made from recycled/recovered materials, had set up shop in their usual spot, the courtyard of the beautiful Christ’s Church Cathedral.
Now, I’m not one for artsy, chin scratching haute couture, and I’m not huge into the make-your-own-stuff-out-of-garbage movement, but I’m also not into violence and poverty in the city’s downtown core. I’d much rather see art galleries and trendy artisans setting up shop than pimps and crack dealers. Expecting to see the latter, we were pleasantly surprised to find the former.
Hamilton’s downtown core, and particularly the Jamesville area, is undergoing a fascinating transformation. I highly recommend checking it out. From the art galleries to the restaurants and shops, Jamesville seems to offer something new every few steps.
Have you been? Any hidden gems in the downtown area? Post a comment!
