Alexandersmap

    Tag: Halifax

    • Halifax Christmas Tree

      If you live in Boston or Halifax you likely know Boston’s Christmas tree is an annual gift from Halifax. Since 1971 Halifax has sent a tree to Boston. Fifty years of tree giving. This isn’t inconsequential. The cost of transporting a tree 700 miles to Boston surely add up. So why make the commitment at all? The story behind that tradition is lesser known.

      In 1917, at the height of World War One, a French ship named the SS Mont Blanc was loaded with munitions and set out from Halifax Harbor for Europe. The ship would never leave Halifax. She collided with another ship in the narrows and caught on fire. When the fire reached the munitions there was a massive explosion that wiped out part of Halifax, killing over 2000 people and injuring another 9000. At the time it was the largest manmade explosion in history. And it occurred in a heavily populated area.

      When Boston’s Mayor Curley heard about the tragedy, he immediately sent a group of doctors and nurses to aid Halifax with medical supplies. Boston’s response was actually significantly faster that Ottawa’s. The team of doctors and nurses spent Christmas 1917 in Halifax, decorating Christmas trees in the hospitals. The bond between Halifax and Boston was forever fused.

      The connection between the two cities goes beyond Christmas trees: Halifax broadcasts Boston’s WCVB and also has a large following of Red Sox and Patriots fans as the games are broadcast there. And then there’s family connections. Since the Port of Halifax was the Ellis Island of Canada, many New Englanders are descendants of immigrants who came through Nova Scotia. The bond is indeed deep.

      In 1971, within the lifetimes of many of the people who lived through that tragedy, Halifax began donating a tree every year. I bet there were several survivors of the explosion who shed a few tears the day that first tree was shipped to Boston. Boston remembered as well, and the tree serves as a reminder of the common bond between the two cities. Today is the lighting of the Christmas tree in Boston, and we turn our eyes north to our friends in Halifax.

      The pandemic has closed borders, blocking access to people and places we took for granted. With the border closed even the Christmas tree took a unique route to Boston in 2020: It was shipped from Halifax to Portland, Maine and then driven down the rest of the way. Many of us look forward to having the borders open again so that we may once again see our friends and kin up north.

    • The Joyful Pursuit of Fish and Chips

      How did I get on this track? Surely I’d have been better off looking for the best kale salad? But I’m in search of the best fried food. I know where it started. I blame Halifax. I’ve had exceptional fish & chips, and I keep chasing it in restaurants around the northern Atlantic Ocean trying to find the best in an evasive, sometimes frustrating mission.

      The very best I’ve ever had was a lunch special at The Five Fishermen Restaurant in Halifax. It was super fresh with a crisp, light batter and chips seasoned just right, all presented beautifully on a modest plating. It was an epiphany, and I haven’t had a better one yet in Canada, New England, New York, London or Scotland. Are there equal or better fish & chips in those places? Probably, but I haven’t found it yet.

      Now to be fair, The Five Fisherman is a fine dining experience with a menu to be savored, and I was the right audience for that dish. Pubs and most restaurants that serve fish & chips aren’t focused on the delivery of a world class dish, they’re simply feeding the masses. So I don’t bash the places that don’t do it well, I just don’t mention them at all. I’ve had truly awful fish and chips only once, in the shadow of the London Eye, at a tourist trap. Soggy, greasy and full of bones. I had one bit and threw away the rest. Shameful waste of food, and a fish that died in vain. I had no business ordering anything in that place so the fault lies squarely with me.

      But as you might expect, that was the exception in London. The city has some excellent fish & chips places in every corner. Pub food bliss with large servings of fish overflowing the dish, mounted on a healthy pile of chips (“next to” is the preferred serving, thank you). The only thing stopping me from ordering it everywhere was a natural desire to eat a bit of everything, but I give a respectful nod to the UK for the consistently great fish & chips. Shame my last experience having it there before leaving was that tourist trap place. Circumstances being what they were it was what it was…

      As I’ve hinted, the best fish & chips offers fresh, flaky white fish (Cod, please) in a light, crispy batter, served with a reasonable pile of crisp fried potatoes sliced just right. A side of fresh coleslaw is welcome. Tartar sauce, lemon and ketchup should be strictly optional, not required to get through your meal. When I see a piece of fish presented with a slice of lemon already sitting on the fish I think “not fresh fish”, and when the fish is thrown on top of the chips I think, “soggy chips”. Yes, it’s a basic, working-class dish, but presentation still matters.

      I’ve written close to 500 words on the modest topic of fish & chips. Candidly, I could go on much longer on the topic. Ultimately, my search continues for a better fish & chips dish. Like any experience, once you’ve had something truly exceptional most things afterwards won’t measure up. But there’s joy in the pursuit.

    • Evacuation Day

      March 17th is of course St. Patrick’s Day, and Boston celebrates this day as well as anyone with the parade in South Boston and taverns overflowing with Irish and Irish-for-the-day revelers.  But Boston has another reason to celebrate the day that is unique to the city.  On March 17, 1776 Boston’s long siege ended as the British evacuated the city and sailed to Halifax.  Boston has marked this date forever since as Evacuation Day, and it remains a city holiday to this day.

      The siege may have continued on indefinitely had Colonel Henry Knox not pulled off the Herculean task of hauling cannon from Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point to Dorchester Heights.  The British had the naval strength to continue controlling the harbor, meaning the siege was an inconvenience but the loyalists and British in Boston wouldn’t starve.  It was only when they saw the cannon on Dorchester Heights that they realized the dangerous position that put them in and chose to pull out.

      There are many people who roll their eyes at Evacuation Day as a city holiday.  They surmise, perhaps correctly, that it’s an excuse to have a day off for the drinking, parade and extracurricular activity of St. Patrick’s Day.  But if you’re a history buff it’s a great day to celebrate.

      Today is Evacuation Day at home as well, as both kids head back to college.  This is bittersweet of course, but ultimately a necessary rite of passage as they both move deeper into adulthood.  My hope is that they get safely back to school before the drunks hit the road after a long day of celebratory drinking.

    • Halifax & Boston

      Halifax & Boston

      The connection between Halifax and Boston is similar to a sibling relationship.  Boston receives their Christmas tree from Halifax every year as a thank you for Boston’s role in supporting Halifax after the December 6, 1917 explosion that killed almost 2000 people.  Boston’s medical ships arrived well before the Canadian government reacted, and Halifax has been forever grateful.

      Halifax and Boston were sister cities of the British expansion into North America, and there was strong sentiment to invade Halifax and bring it into the American colonies during the Revolutionary War.  That it remained British-controlled created some separation, but eventually the cities proximity and cross pollination of people moving from one to the other brought them closer.
      Halifax receives the Boston feeds of a couple of news channels and follow all of the major Boston sports teams, making them more familiar with Boston than Boston is with Halifax, but the bond is strong both ways.  Part of my family came through Halifax as well, so I’ve always thought of it as a home away from home.  It’s been over a year since I’ve been in Halifax, and I think I need to remedy that soon.  Nova Scotia keeps calling to me.  I need to return the call.

    • Halifax Citadel

      Overlooking Halifax and the harbor beyond it is the Citadel.  Situated high up on a hill, the star-shaped fort has sweeping fields of fire for the soldiers who manned it.  Both rifle fire and the cannon designed to swivel to provide a wide arc of fire on any ship daring to challenge from the harbor would have been deadly.  The hill from the water to the walls of the Citadel is steep, and until the city was built up it offered little in the way of shelter for anyone crazy enough to attack it.  No army ever did.

      This fort (officially “Fort George”) was rebuilt several times as threats emerged, first from the French, then from the upstart Americans.  When Benedict Arnold sailed with his army from Newburyport to Maine for the long march through the wilderness to Quebec, the British thought they were sailing for Halifax.  This would have been a devastating blow to the British had they won, but on the flip side, the army could easily have been decimated in an attack, which would have been equally devastating for the Continental Army.

      I’ve visited the Citadel each time I’ve been to Halifax.  The climb up the hill is a workout, especially if you’re starting from the waterfront.  The views from the top aren’t what they used to be – after all Halifax is a city of skyscrapers that obscure parts of the waterfront.  But the view, and perspective you receive, is worth the workout.  While there was never a shot fired at the Citadel, it was a great deterrent and a reassuring presence high up on the hill for residents of Halifax and for the sailors anchored in the harbor.

      For the soldiers stationed here during the wars with the French and Americans it was a reprieve from the dangers of the front lines.  This may have led some to be a bit casual about their duty.  In an effort to resolve the tardiness of the troops who manned the fort,  Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent commissioned the Halifax Clock Tower in 1800.  It was completed and began keeping time in 1803 and continues to mark the passage of time on this hill overlooking the city.

      When you’re standing on the top of the hill looking out on the city and the harbor beyond, you can see the site of the Halifax explosion to your left, Pier 21 to your right, and some great bars and restaurants in between.  Halifax is a fun town; a great walking city with a lot of history.  As a guy from Boston I can appreciate that.

       

    • Pier 21

      Pier 21

      People in the United States look to Ellis Island as the port of entry for many of the immigrants to our country.  In Canada, Halifax was that port, and Pier 21 was where people were either welcomed or turned away.  I visited Pier 21 on a rain-soaked day a year ago.  Like Ellis Island its a museum now.  A place to visit, learn and reflect.  For me it was a welcome reprieve from the sideways rain and on that day I almost had the place to myself.  I’d also arrived at the end of the day and entry is free in the last hour, so I took advantage of the opportunity.

      Ellis Island was the major entry point for immigrants to North America, taking in over 12 million people from 1892 and 1954.  By comparison, Halifax was active between 1928 and 1971 and took in about 1 million immigrants through Pier 21.  Quebec City and Vancouver were also entry points for immigrants to Canada, spreading the load between these three eased the burden on Halifax.  Pier 21 is the only site still in existence today.

      Walking around the Pier 21 museum essentially alone on that rainy day it was easy to immerse yourself in the stories of the immigrants who came through this point of entry.  I’m generally more sympathetic to the plight of immigrants than most, and hearing stories about desperate immigrants who were turned away angers me.  The most famous example of course is the HS St Louis, with over 907 refugees fleeing the Nazis, being turned away from the United States, this port in Halifax, Canada and Cuba before having to return to Europe.  254 of those refugees died in the Holocaust.  Canadian President Justin Trudeau announced this week that Canada would formally apologize for that act.  Certainly I believe everyone should know about the plight of the HS St Louis before they blithely turn a blind eye on the latest generation of refugees.

      I’ve heard about ancestors who came through Halifax and have wanted to spend a little time researching it, but I keep putting it off.  As a history buff I’m not sure why I wouldn’t dive deeper into my own family history.  Maybe that’s a good goal for the remainder of 2018.  Certainly another excuse to get to Halifax is always welcome.  Travel has a way of opening your eyes to the rest of the world.  And the world could use a little more empathy today.