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The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
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There is nothing ever going on in this city. I am a Toronto native and I am missing the big city so badly right now. I look through the coast and can never find anything to do, accept for ghost walks. This city is taking the life out of me, can you help, because your magazine isn’t.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2008.
34 Comments
Haligonians can’t really take comments about their city, honest comments. It’s true, halifax has nothing to offer but expensive clubs, food, clothing, rent, power, gas, drinks, cars, you name it! It’s more expensive in here than anywhere else, and there’s absolutely nothing to do. Every weekend we pretty much sit at home trying to figure out what we would like to do aside from going drinking and shit-faced downtown. Guess what, nothing to do but go downtown and get shit-faced! Bowling maybe, if you wanna associate with some shady people! Glow in the dark mini golf, can’t remember how many time’s i’ve done that. Live theatre, I highly doubt there’s any great talents in here. I remember going to a play once in dartmouth, I have to admit it was actually good. How we heard about it, one of my girlfriend’s instructors. Honestly, we have the worst advertisement ever. The only thing, and really only thing, we have going for us, is the waterfront in the summer time. Later on this year, you won’t be able to go for drives because it will cost you an arm and a leg to drive, it already costs me $60 to fill up a 4-cyl hatch back! I agree with original post, Halifax has nothing to offer! Not even good employment, if it had that, i can understand, it doesn’t!!!!
Hey, Coyotex. In the last seven days, I have seen two excellent live music acts. I have been to the theater. I have gone mountain biking on some excellent trails right behind BLBP. I have taken a dance class. And I have seen a really cool photography exhibit at a gallery. And the only thing that cost more than ten bucks was the theater. When anyone tries to give you people suggestions of things to do, you stick your fingers in your ears and chant nothingtodonothingtodonothingtodo.
Some people need to be constantly exposed to “new” experiences to be happy while others appreciate turning the familiar into something special. I’ll take familiar Halifax over experience-of-the-week Toronto anyday. And try going outdoors if there is nothing else to do…make your own entertainment. Nature is free….
Honestly Coyotex, after reading your recent posts on a variety of topics, you sound like nothing more than a negative whiner. Do you ever have anything positive to say, ever?Here are a few things that are taking place in HRM over the next few days:3rd Annual Health FairBluenose International Marathon (but let me guess, you’re just going to bitch about the traffic snarls this causes)Spring Cleanse & Detoxification WorkshopBegginer Flaminco ClassCreative Hip Hop ClassPottery Drop In Nova Scotia Open Chess TournamentRockingstone Barrens Trail HikeTattoo ConventionMardi Gras Theme PartyWood Window WorkshopBollywood Dance ClassFestival IngenuAnd that’s just a small sampling. Is there nothing there that appeals to you? What exactly are you looking to do? Have you ever thought about organizing your own event/group/class?
MIles, I think I might disagree with you. I don’t think these people want to do anything new. I think they want to do exactly the same things they did in Toronto or wherever. And when those familiar activites are not available, they bleat “nothing to do!” They’re not interested in new experiences.
you cant be serious miranda. I just broke it down how people from there can see this place. Everything you did, they could do, and go to a different venue to do it, on a different night of the week.Just because your going out patterns suit you and your needs, you cant expect someone from another area that has ten times the options you do, doing the similar thing, to be satisfied. Funny, if you think that what you did was interesting, i have news for you, many of us would be bored as shit. Then again, i wouldnt expect you to enjoy some of the stuff that i would do. That being the case, to say that someone from ontario is wrong, makes you sorta arrogant.
and miranda, if you have been to toronto, there isnt a lot of things here that you cant do there. And if you can do them here, and you do them once, that is plenty enough for many people. An example, that thing on the citadel hill, we saw that one time, and when we came back the next year, it was the same view on the hill, nothing changed. As a kid, this city was fun for about a week.
If there isn’t anyhing that suits a person’s needs, what is stopping them from taking the initiative and starting it up themselves? It’s a lot more productive than being a whiner.And if you can’t find ANYTHING to do in this city, maybe you’re just way too hard to please.
Homie,You probably don’t even know how much you sound like a ‘typical ontarian’. You fuckers always come over here, usually for things like our nationally acclaimed schools or our world famous culture, only to complain! what the hell did you come here for!? the only reason there is nothing to do is because you little brats think that the only thing worth doing is seeing mega stars or sports teams in too large arenas, shutting the door in people’s faces in the subway, or spending time with the same friends you have had for 20 years in even more expensive bistros and shitty malls. Ontario has no culture of their own and constantly critize provinces that celebrate their differences instead of bragging about the only thing they can think of to brag about: their sick dirty lakes. You may have lots to ‘do’ in ontario, but your province sucks and your people are jaded and arrogant. you’re fucking annoying and NS’s don’t much like your attitude. You folks have a rep.
Comparing Halifax and Toronto is like comparing apples to oranges…One is a city with a rough population of 1 million another has a population of what 375,000 with all of HRM considered? Of COURSE Toronto is going to have twice as many venues and options, because there us a demand for that requirement. People bashing Ontario have to realize that while they are overcrowded and there’s a high concentration of self-entitlement…they do have some pretty shrewd politicians that fight for their constituents…unlike here in NS where they only cater to themselves and their cronies.
Christopher once again your arrogance is only exceeded by your ignorance… Try a population of 2.5 mil for Toronto and double that for the GTA. Maybe you should trade in your 1951 World Almanac for something a little more current…And Coyotex you pile of excrement, I thought I told you to STFU or GTFO… And in response to your comment that there is no good employment in Halifax,,, Did you ever stop to think its not the employers… Its not Hfx… its YOU… Asshole.. Its YOU..
You know, coming from Ontario, I would say there are plenty of things to do, it just depends on what you’re into.The music scene however, is pretty weak. There are only a few venues, and a lot of acts don’t bother traveling out to the Park as it’s too far out of the way. I’m not talking about mega bands, just smaller ones. And the only place that regularly gets good djs is Reflections. So if you expected a major metropolitan city from the Park, you’re SOL.Not a bad thing, just how it is.And allycat, that’s exactly the kind of attitude that gives NSs a bad rep. Ontario is a huge province, which is 20 times as big as NS, and spans from the southern most part of the country to near the artic circle. If you think it’s all about Toronto, you should pull your head out of your parochial ass. ‘Typical’ Ontarian is a bit of a broad statement.
alleycat. is reading your forte?I said i am not complaining you knob. I am simply stating there is more to do. And as for no culture of thier own? You are correct. They exude something this province doesnt, multiculturalism. There is a handful of greek restaraunts, a scoop of chinese restuarunts, the odd east indian place to eat, the odd authentic japanese or korean place, little to no african cuisine.wait wait,your nationally acclaimed schools? umm in what medicine? law? political science? Come on, please shut it. Every school has one area better than most in the nation. If you havent been reading lately, halifax has been trying its might to lure the same stars here for its citizens. Look at your post. You didnt have a single positive thing to say, and you are calling others arrogant and what not? I didnt knock this place and the lack of shit to do. I appreciate the lack of it. Its garbage like your post that makes people wanna talk shit about this province and the snobs and morons it holds. Every province has them……. are you representing?
Oh so sorry FLOYD that it’s 4 TIMES the population and not twice…ohhh fucking string me up! You are such a fucking moron, the point is still valid, you can’t compare a MAJOR center with a barely even minor one. It’s like comparing a Porsche against an ecco…they are both cars and have four wheels and have headlights…but there is plenty more that’s different and considerably better in the Porsche than what’s in the Ecco. So shove YOUR arrogance up your ass and maybe pontificate on what arrogant and ignorant mean, you pedantic twit.
Did you mean Echo? LOL Just gettin u goin, Chris!Let er rip, baby!
ghost walks? i wanna go.. where did you see this at?if you dont like it here…. then leave..simple
A quick perusal of the Coast’s entertainment listings shows this ghost walk you refer to as the only thing going on in Halifax on page 7. Page Seven. Out of twenty two pages of entertainment listings. On any given night of the week in this city, you can can see a vast array of art, from photography exhibits to performance art. There are studios where you can drop in and try your hand at pottery. You can see various dance performances, and you can participate in drop in dance classes in african tribal, flamenco, square dance, and more. You have a selection of theater productions. If you’re interested in politics or environmental issues or human rights, there is always some lecture going on. And of course, there is no shortage of live music. You can take in anything from a church choir to folk to hip hop to the symphony.The array of “things to do” in halifax is so vast it boggles the mind, and most of it is cheap or free. If you can’t find something to do, Chaput, it must be because there’s not much going on up your ass. Pull your head out of it.
go the fuck home to Onterrible then.
its funny, coming from ontario…. i like that there isnt shit to do here. You can do this city in a couple of weeks then it becomes monotonous. Pleasant place to come if you led a hectic life. This slow assed speed of things here is terrific. Same bars pass around the same boring bands. Hardly any concerts here because the arena is awful. Same old BuskerFest each year, no real amusement parks nearby. I love it. Makes me appreciate Toronto and all the shit there i took for granted when i was there. It makes going back to Ontario fun. I already know what i would like to do from the past, and dont have to go to things i wont enhoy. It maximizes my fun time when i go back to Toronto. Its funny when people tell people to go back to Ontario and they knock it. Its funny because people that come from here, tend to be intimidated and say shit like “people are so rude there”. That is sorta funny when they go places like downtown to the Eaton Center, one of the busiest intersections in canada for pedestrian traffic and are upset that no one stopped because they aseked for directions. If people realized that stopping there, is like stopping in the middle of a highway to answer a phone call. What people dont realize is that you just have to adjust to the speed of the society there. Much like those that come here have to adjust to the lack of speed here. There is no point in knocking it, because if you dont understand the term….. when in rome…..
I think the OP just needs a hobby. Maybe Homie does too.
Fuck off back to Tronna ya wank.Its true though, Halifax is smalltime. Thats why I enjoy shopping and eating in Montreal but it sure is nice to leave it behind when you’re done.
What exactly are these people looking for, who say there is “nothing to do”? I don’t understand. We don’t get many big concerts here. We don’t have any roller coasters. There’s no opera. But I can’t think of anything else we lack. Last week I did something fun every evening. Everytime someone says to me, “there’s nothing to do”, I reply, “well, I’m doing such-and-such tonight. Wanna come with?” And they usually say, “Oh. Yeah. Maybe I will.” And then they don’t. If your idea of fun is limited to standing in a crowd of twenty thousand people watching ants jump around on a stage half a mile away, then riding around on a roller coaster until you throw up, then I guess maybe Halifax isn’t really the best place for you. But if you enjoy live music, theater, performance, art, activism, outdoor activities, history, or any number of other things, then there is lots to do.
Miranda, there is all that stuff you mentioned, but the selection isnt close to what OP is used to. Lets just say you wanted to go to a packed club on any given night. The population just isnt there to sustain packed clubs each night here. On weekends, you only have maybe 3-4 clubs to choose from. After a year, same old faces. Ontarians arent used to that. If you want to go see a major production, you have many theaters to chose from, here, you dont. You get what ever the neptune has on. On any given night, you could see any of 25 different plays within an hour drive of toronto.If you wanted to go to see live jazz, you have over 20 you could hit within a 20 minute drive of downtown. You might see it as something to do here, but it gets tired quick if you are a person that gets out. I Niche jazz bar, but i am going to hear the same rotation of musicians that come each year, and see the same people there. That is pretty much my selection for that type of venue in this city. Again, i am not complaining, as i like the slow pace. I am not knocking this place for the lack of shit to do
Ever hear the phrase “make the best of it”…well try it. I can’t help but think that you wouldn’t be happy anywhere for long…why did you leave Ontario in the first place?
Yeah Christopher, I think you missed the point…If you want to say Toronto is bigger than Halifax, therefore you should would expect more venues in Toronto than Halifax, then just say that and leave it at that…But if you want to rely on facts and figures to support your comments, then at least try to be somewhere close, not way the fuck out there…Because when you say that Toronto is twice the size of Halifax therefore it should have twice the number of venues, it makes you look pretty stupid and ill-informed… I guess if you’ve never been way out to Toronto, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate that its more than TEN times the size of Halifax… I don’t care about spelling or grammar or some of that other crap that other posters here whine about… But come on.. get your facts straight or shut the fuck up…
Jennie, Thanks for pointing out a couple of things:Mardi Gras Theme Party and Festival IngenuI’ve never heard of either here in this city and i’ve been here for 15 years, i’ve read the coast to do section several times, but i’ve never read or heard about those events at all. There’s nothing negative about saying halifax has nothing to offer. It’s true, a lot of poeple would agree to that, a lot of people who are not from here. People who have lived their lives here and never travelled, and from the sound of it, seems like the majority here, love it here and find plenty to do simply because they have no idea what they’re missing. They haven’t experienced what other cities have to offer. I’ve traveled the world, and i have friend who live in different parts of the world now, who i met here, and a lot of them are saying life in halifax was like a big nightmare to them, they pretty much blocked out a lot of experiences. They can’t all be negative. I love them to death, they’re my friends, they’re no where near negative, they’re amazingly positive people, i visited them last summer and had sooooo much fun, like parasailing, hiking, huge theme parks, seeing beautiful places, and not attending window making workshop, pottery drop in, and what have you. I agree my taste of fun is different from your taste of fun. what you mentioned in your post is available in every city i’ve visited, we’re mainly posted about what halifax lacks that’s actually fun to us, people who enjoy other things than the ones you’ve posted. As I mentioned earlier, it’s ILLEGAL to do a lot of stuff here. Funny that’s it’s LEGAL to do the same things in other provinces and countries. Doesn’t that strike you as a bit odd? You don’t need a jet ski license or a scooter license in other parts of canada, certainly no where outside canada requires any of that, yet we continue to regular thing to a choking point here in halifax. You never stopped to think that well.. may I should really explore and question that. I’d like to be able to operate a business where i rent scooters and segways to the public and just have fun in the summer on the waterfront. Guess what, it’s so regulated beyond regulation that my clients must have some sort of license for them to be able to rent such things. Do you not find that a little irritating? Does that really give you the impression that Halifax has a lot to offer. If other provinces have that to offer, that’s more than what halifax will ever offer!When people post such comments on a BITCH section, people come here and bitch, simply because it’s a BITCH section. You will notice some negativity in there, but it’s only negative if you want it to be. I personally think that this is a good post simply because it might hit a string and some politicians say, well,, yaaa.. maybe our city sucks and we do regulated to death.If your country side and capital city have the same things to offer, there’s obviously something wrong!
Also i forgot to ask, Mardi Gras Theme Party and Festival Ingenu, how do I find more information about those things? From last i heard, Mardi Gras was banned in halifax due to a stabbing that happened 8 years ago I think. I have no idea what Festical Ingenu is?!
Oh ya, one more thing, Halifax suck Floyd, it really does dude, no good employment! Honestly, I mean i know you love your job at Tim’s and making $5 an hour, i’m not really into that tho!:)
Coyotex, you are the one complaining, not me…The idea of such a well travelled person as yourself coming to Halifax with all that it DOESN’T have to offer, staying here for 15 years and still whining about it, just doesn’t make sense…
coyotex:it is funny that you think a politician is going to read the bitch section of the coast, let alone an online bitch.
Actually shawk, if you read back when there was an OP about tickets for the hockey championships, i personally called 5 of them, and told them i was puttin thier names here on the coast. 3 checked and called me back and thanked me for representing their efforts in a positive light as opposed to the smear that is always printed in the media
Jennie, I see. No information about Mardi Gras Theme Party and Festival Ingenu. So really they just don’t exist do they.
Sorry Coyotex, I was away from my computer all weekend and didn’t see your reply. I found the listings for both the Festival Ingenu and the Mardi Gras party on this very website. All you have to do is click on the Events Calandar, then click on the particular day you’re interested in. I didn’t make these events up.
go back to toronto and quit complaining. or just get some friends – but that must be hard for you. STUCK UP TORONTO PREP