Hot in the City

[Deleted]

During a walk in the summer of my local city - Fredericton.

It's been a hot hot day to day. I spent the day in my local city, Fredericton. I took some photos, ones that I had been meaning to take for a long time, but never quite had the time before.

Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the York Sunbury Museum, and The Playhouse—a performing arts venue.

The city hosts the annual Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, attracting regional and international jazz, blues, rock, and world artists.


Some background and history of City of Fredericton.

The area of the present-day City of Fredericton was first used for seasonal farming by the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet peoples. The first European contact was by the French in the late 17th century, who granted the land to Joshua J Mahoney. In 1692, he built a fort (Fort Nashwaak) on the north side of the Saint John River, at the mouth of the Nashwaak River. For a period, Fort Nashwaak served as the capital of the French colony of Acadia.

It has in fact changed hands quite a few times, at one time or another is was under the rule of the British, the French and even the Americans made it their own. Now it is Canadian with a very French influence to it. It is the only be-lingual province in Canada. It has and has had a big military presence, as you can see from the barracks that stand right in the centre of town.

It's a very pretty tree lined city. Pleasant to visit and live in equally. The most peaceful city I have so far come across. The people are friendly and open minded, and always willing to tell you all you would like to know about the place. As you can tell, I love Fredericton!

[Deleted]

Summer brings out the green and the blue. Green trees of many sorts, green grass, blue sky and the wonderful blue of the St. John river. The St. John river divides the city in two, the locals call it the North side and the South Side. The South side is newer and the hub of the business world, the North side is older, but with new sub-divisions appearing everywhere.

Here are some pictures of a park that overlooks the St. John river, many people walk or jog or just sit and relax on one of the many benches, enjoying the view:

[Deleted]

The houses in the down town send you back to another era. So elegant and picturesque:

[Deleted]

Statues and monuments to war heroes are abundant in this area. Dedicated to Canadians and to those who served from overseas.

[Deleted]

So I walked on, here is a picture of a typical Fredericton down town street:




Lights to illuminate the various monuments at night time:




Many places of worship in the City. This one is actually a cathedral, and yes, people do go here on Sundays to pray still.







Past people of the church buried right in the church grounds:

[Deleted]

I walk on:




I find this man entertaining people with his puppet. I give him some money and ask him if I can take a picture. He agrees and tells me that he is used to people taking his picture:




Across the street I see the Science Centre, this used to be a jail house at one point in time:



The sign says:

[Deleted]

The smell of barbecued hot dogs leads me to this hive of activity:



Another church:




And which faith is this one?:

[Deleted]

I keep walking, I'm going towards the busier part of down town now, although you'd never guess would you?







As you can see all official (and some non official) signs are bi-lingual:








I pass a cemetery:








I see more places of worship down the road:



More of a close up:







A funeral home, not far from the cemetery:



The sign says:




Yet another church. People used to attend these much more frequently then they do now, but the buildings still stand. Some are used for weddings, others for funerals or baptisms.

[Deleted]

Just to give you a feel of the down town area:







On the right you see some large empty parking places. These will be taken up by the city buses. This is the main station for them to stop and you can catch any bus you like from here, they all go to different parts of town. Some to the university, some to the newer commercial parts of town, some to the North side across the river and some to the outskirts of town, where you can find the newer housing developments or the quieter streets.





A large book shop. A great place to find a good book to read, if that's what you like to do:




Reflections always intrigue me:







A little further one, a place to sit outside and have some lunch? Do you notice the poster of the Mona Lisa?




The barracks still stand:










Yes, this IS a Mercedes Benz. It's in their small car range and is called the 'Smart' car. Fine unless you have long legs.

[Deleted]

The 'Arts' are really big in Fredericton. We have our own playhouse, various treaters, both for live performances as well as movies. We get some big acts that pass our way here, most recently the Mama Mia show. The very big stars i.e. The rolling Stone, McCartney, Celine Dion and many others usually play at Magnetic Hill in Moncton, which is a town just a couple of hours drive away.

[Deleted]

And so I've done a circle. I walked down one street and then back up on another. And I'm back to the park where I started. I see a bridge that I want to cross in the distance:


















Speed boat on the St. John river:

[Deleted]

I'm drawn toward the bridge, and on the way I see more notices that explain further about the area and the trails:










As you can see this trail can be followed for many miles!






The Fredericton Railway Bridge is not for vehicles at all. It's there for the purpose of crossing back and forth from the North to the South side of town, but on foot or by bicycle:
















A photo or two from the bridge itself:










Told you so!




I hope you enjoyed my tour across the down town of my pretty city.

[bjd]

It looks as though it could be in Ontario!

What is the population of Fredericton, Deyana? It doesn't look very big, although I suppose it's spread out geographically like so many Canadian cities.

[fumobici]

Ace report. Looks like a lovely place, I want to ride around on a bicycle exploring further. Maybe not 377km though.

[bixaorellana]

Wow -- first thing I looked at today on anyport. Absolutely beautiful and interesting report.

The St. Margaret bridge looks pretty old. Did it have an earlier use for cars or trains?

Bjd says it looks like Ontario. As in many pictures of Canada, I'm struck by how much many things look like the US, which I guess isn't surprising. Still, that's a lot of beauty in one city.

Is it always that quiet, with little traffic, or was that just your route?

[Deleted]

Excellent report, Deyana. I spent a night in Fredericton once (after driving up from Montréal along the Saint Lawrence, ferrying over to the Gaspé Peninsula and then down into Nouveau Brunswick and into New England. Your photos of the houses around town correspond exactly to my memory of the city.

I would like to say, however, that a Smart has a ton of leg room. I rent them all them time. What they do not have is storage space. Even after just a trip to the hypermarket, I have problems storing my purchases.

[mich64]

I have often heard how beautiful Fredericton was but have never had the opportunity to see so many views of the city. What a lovely place to live Deyana.

I hope to soon be able to get out and take some photos of the little city I live in. The leaves are finally coming out and I will soon be planting.

Cheers,
Mich

[Deleted]

"The leaves are finally coming out." Mich, is your part of Ontario north of the Arctic Circle?

[Deleted]

The bridge that crosses over the river is actually called the 'Fredericton Railway Bridge', sorry for the mistake, I've corrected that now.

bjd, Fredericton is not a very big city really, especially when you consider that it is the capital of province. In the 2006 census, the population of the city of Fredericton was 50,535, and the population of Greater Fredericton was 85,688. It is the third largest city in New Brunswick, after Saint John and Moncton, making it the only provincial capital in the country to not be at least its province's second largest city. It's quite spread out, we have a South side and the North side, with the St. John river dividing the two.


fumobici, it's an excellent City to do some bike riding. The roads and side walks are made in a way that make it very easy for walkers and bike riders alike. the 377 km bike trail is an interesting route, my son (who is a keen biker), has shown some interest in doing this trail and even beyond. The Trans Canada Trail goes on for over 18,000 Kilometers! And it's not finished yet, when completed it will be the longest recreational trail in the world. I can see the attraction and the challenge of doing this route. Here is a bit more about it:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Canada_Trail


Bixa, well spotted, yes the bridge used to be a part of the railroad at one time. But now it's used only for walking and biking. The railways used to be a big part of the way things were run here in NB in the past, but nowadays only some areas of the railroad system is still operational and only used for cargo, not passengers, as it once was. I always think this is a bit of a waste, I would like to see it open up for commuters and people again. I find that many of the towns here in Southern Canada to be much like those just over the border in the US. Sometimes it's only when you go further afield that you notice a difference to any extent. Fredericton is not a very busy city, the area that I photographed is always like that, quiet and laid back. If you go up to the more commercial side of town (prospect street), it is somewhat busier for sure.

Kerouac, I've never been inside a Smart Car before, but was guessing that the leg room would be somewhat squished! It's good that it does have some good leg room, otherwise it would be near enough impossible to drive. What were your first impressions of Nouveau Brunswick when you visited here? The whole of the New England area is so pretty, especially in the Fall with all the trees turning so many different shades.

mich, please do take some photos of your city, I'd love to see them. Just to give you an idea of the more residential area in another part of Fredericton, here is a thread that I did previously of a walk I took with my son to the Odell Park:

anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=canada&thread=4065&page=1#78422

[mich64]

No Kerouac, although sometimes it feels like it. We are just about 3 hours north of Toronto where the leaves are blowing in the wind and the flowers are blooming in the warmer temperatures. We are about 2-3 weeks behind them. We do seem to get an extended fall season though, sometimes still swimming in the lake in mid September. Not as lucky as you all there.
Cheers,
Mich