We have decided we are going to move to downtown Hamilton. Some day.
We had a lovely night’s sleep and woke up to full sunshine. From there it was coffee, blueberry pancakes, and sitting in the cockpit watching the junior sailor camp kids running around the yacht club lawn, the birds perched on the dock cleats staring at us, twitching their heads and ruffling their feathers, sailboats of all sizes, makes, and configurations leaving the marina on a light but consistent breeze, the glittering sun sparkles jazzing up the water surface, and the RHYC, Canadian, and British flags fluttering from the solemn and serious flag pole.
We walked the waterfront, passing the Harbour West Marina, the Leander Boat Club, the Macassa Bay Yacht Club, all the way to Bayfront Park then up a forested path that led to a residential neighbourhood and eventually James Street. We stopped for coffee and a tosta mista at Ola Bakery & Pastry (our favourite Portuguese café), then the Portuguese store where I picked up two varieties of herbal tea, packets of spices, and blood sausage to supplement tomorrow’s breakfast. From here we continued to the Hamilton Farmers’ Market, passing incredible murals and public art pieces along the way, then into the Jackson Square mall where we lingered in the Nations Fresh Foods grocery store, gobsmacked at the massive variety and low cost of vegetables (including fresh durian, whose smell welcome-wallops you at the entrance), the huge selection of fresh fish and shellfish (yes, they have fresh conch), the walls of spices, the weird meats (tongues, intestines, stomachs, feet, heads, plus all the other boring stuff) and such a massive selection of Asian products you cannot get anywhere else. We picked up some wine for dinner then sashayed back to the Farmers’ Market where we sat down for two pupusas, loaded with curtido and salsa – delicious.
We returned to the boat with a bit of time to relax before our friends Dave and Kira and their friend Jenny arrived for a cockpit picnic. After a couple of drinks and a fine meal we drove to the Staircase Studio Theater for a Hamilton Fringe festival performance by another of Dave and Kira’s friends named Tor Lukasic-Foss. The performance, called The Yodelling Ranger was a mix of music and storytelling and was excellent.
After the show we stopped to visit a small art gallery then our friends dropped us off on James Street where we found an outdoor patio at a Mexican restaurant and had a nightcap as we watched people of all shapes and sizes passing by on a beautiful Friday evening.
This is why we love downtown Hamilton. Art, music, theatre, restaurants, bars, cafes, parks, public transit, and a lovely waterfront. What more could you ask for?
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