It’s the oldest incorporated city in Canada

Saint John, New Brunswick, is my hometown. I was born and grew up there amidst the beautiful Victorian architecture, brick and stone houses, big old trees in the sidewalks and stunning churches.

I don’t live there now, but I drove into the city yesterday to have lunch with a friend. The beautiful uptown area was a disaster.

There were two huge cruise ships in port spilling thousands of tourists onto the streets and what do they get to see? Construction and torn-up roads and sidewalks at every turn.

I took a walk through the old City Market – the oldest continuously running market of its type in Canada. Again, the architecture is amazing and the roof resembles an inverted ship’s hull – a tribute to the city’s sea faring history.

It was filled with visitors shopping for unique souvenirs and some snacks to take back to their ships.

Some artists were busy sketching and painting scenes under the watchful eyes of the visitors.

Coming out of the upper end of the market onto Charlotte Street I thought I’d turn right and head toward Princess and then on to my lunch date. Wrong.

I had to stumble through construction on completely torn-up streets over to Kings Square. It was a beautiful day and the tourists were enjoying walking through the square, learning a bit of history from the various statues, gazing at the bandstand and gardens, and wondering aloud how they’d find their way back to the dock and their ship.

The reason for their unease was obvious.

I heard one, who could clearly see the ship at the foot of King Street, pondering “How do we get there from here?”

Once I left the square and found my way down Charlotte to Princess Street it was time for a break and a nice cappuccino at #CatapultCoffee&Studio.

Saint John is a beautiful city with interesting streets, shops, churches, architecture and history to explore, especially on a lovely day like yesterday. But, the visitors certainly had my sympathy. I grew up there, worked in the uptown area, and knew my way around. Still, navigating my way back out of the city to the highway to come home was, without a doubt, a challenge. It’s a great place to walk, especially on a warm late-summer afternoon. Normally.

Hopefully all will turn out well.