You could relive parts of my childhood.

Do you know the day of the week yet?

BAK

Hi BAK,

I was thinking Saturday, but nothing's firm yet.

It turns out, looking at a stack of calendars, that my childhood was half a decade ago.

And it was only summers I spent in Moncton, going down there with my mother to spend July and August with my grandparents.

Lots of my favorite things to do were for kids -- I stopped going there in the summers after I was 15. The summer I was 15 I spent as a wedding and newspaper photographer there, working for the two English newspapers, and the French regional daily paper, too.

But anyway...

Walkable from the station, if it hasn't moved in fifty years...

The Moncton Market is downtown, revitalized, but with a history going back to when my grnadmother I I would get on the bus and go down Saturday mornings.

The Bore -- this is amazing, once you set your expectations. We start with a wide, chocolate brown, muddy, former river that looks like a creek, when the tide is out. And then there's a wall of water that arrives, all across the mud flats, and suddenly the river is back, full width.

My old house -- I'm really curious if this park of town has gone to seed, or if it is still nice.

It's at 210 Cameron Street, and Cameron Street runs straight up, more or less north, from the railway station parking lot.

It's five blocks to the old house.

What makes this perhaps interesting for you is that opposite the house is Victoria Park, a city block with a bandstand, gardens, a fountain... it would give you an idea of what an oasis is like in Moncton. It resembles the park you get to after walking past the BYOB restaurants on the car-free street east of Park and north of Sherbrooke in Monteal.

My favorite restaurant in Moncton is apparently gone. It was called Cy's, and we went there for special treats. Always lobster for me. I think there's a hotel there now.

I'll try to think up more things to do.

BAK

BAK

Two things I've learned about you in this post. 1. With your postings over the years, it's funny, I imagined you as Torontonian through and through... interesting you have a Moncton connection. 2. A half-DECADE ago since your childhood? With all your advice on Toronto, I never would have thought you were only eighteen .

Anyhow, if the Bore is timed with my five hours there, I'll definitely be sure to watch the arrival of water... sounds more interesting than I thought... definitely not something I see every day! I also like the idea of a park in Moncton like Carre St. Louis here in MTL, so I may just have to check Victoria Park out. I'll be sure to say "hi" to your house . Looks like I'll be there the right day for the market too!

Thanks for all your suggestions. They've been swell (especially the Tidal Bore suggestion *ha ha slaps knee*).

I was initially surprised you got 4 responses to this... but I'm less surprised now.

Definitely see the tidal bore, and you can tell months in advance whether it will fall in your window of opportunity. If not, then don't bother.

I dare say that society is even beginning to overrun Moncton, but hopefully that might enhance your 5 hours rather than detract from it.

I'm confused, apparently. But the half-century does seem to have run by in only half a decade.

I certainly can remember a lot about Moncton from long ago.

There will be far fewer people in the park in Moncton than in Monteal.

BAK

I go to Moncton just a couple of times a year, but have a few favorites -

Vegeterian: try Calactus, very original and well-liked
Local beers: the Pump House on Main St.
Bistro style (light fare): Café Maelstrom (www.cafemaelstrom.com) and Café Robinson in the cultural centre next door

Haven't been to the fancier restaurants, but heard a lot of good comments about Little Louis' Oyster Bar in Dieppe (I think that might be too far to walk though) and Château à Pape - you'd have to check if they are open at lunch time though.

Definitely go to the Bore Park. Don't keep your expectations too high - just enjoy the walking trail, etc.

If you're there on a Saturday before 1 p.m., don't miss one of the markets! The one closest to you is on Main St. (http://www.marchemonctonmarket.ca), but if you walked all the way to the Bore Park, an extra 5-10 mns walk will take you to the Dieppe Market (www.marchedieppemarket.com)

Enjoy!

Thank you ventdest for these suggestions! Calactus looks very tempting, and if I'm on Saturday as I'm planning, I definitely will check out the markets and the Bore Park.

Best wishes, Daniel

Two things I remember about NB. The tidal bore which was only about 2-3ft high but marched across that river like a little soldier. And, the Bay of Fundy with it's 40ft tides, amazing! Daniel, I wish you had the time to stick around and witness this outstanding event.

I wasn't intending it, but perhaps an overnight in Moncton might be in order if the Tidal Bore doesn't coincide with that Saturday 11am-5pm window... Thanks for putting that thought into my head, cd.

Well IF you stay overnight, rent a car and take the trip to HOPEWELL CAPE !!!!


The tidal bore in Moncton isn't exactly exciting, yet your mind won't totally allow you to believe that a river turns around and flows UPstream until you've stood/sat there beside it and watched it happen on a set schedule (all naturally).

Hopewell Cape would definitely give you the 'wow' factor... although seeing it at both high AND low tide gives the full effect. (if you go once, you go at/near LOW tide, and then go down and explore the beach/tide flats)

And IF you know that you're going to be there in JUNE, surely you could figure out ahead of time when the tidal bore will happen on those Saturdays, and *know* long before you make your plans.

Here is week number 1 in June:

http://www.lau.chs-shc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/tide-shc.cgi?queryType=showFrameset&zone=30&language=english&region=5&stnnum=175

(use the dial at left at that linked page, to see others)

oops, you'll have to set the dial yourself... and cover the 30 days in June (or at least all of the Saturdays).

Daniel, if you have the time, I agree with NorthwestMale to rent a car and witness these tides. We did not kayak but viewed the tide when in from above and then walked the ground when out. Long lasting memories. http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/English/index.htm

Thanks Northwest Male for the Tidal Bore site indicating the times... Fascinating how there's always that 40-minute lag... makes me curious about the science of it (yeah I know moon, gravitational forces, but a bit more the physics of it). Looks like June 26th is 11:00am, minutes before I would arrive from the Charlottetown bus; if I push it to July 3rd though it would be perfect, around 3:50 pm it says... hmmmm. I'd get market and tides and no overnight as originally intended.

Since I don't drive, unfortunately Hopewell Rocks will have to be for another time...but thanks for the suggestion .

Best wishes, Daniel

A quick extra question since a number of you folks have been to Moncton.

So, Moncton is a bilingual city, with the % of francophones somewhere between that of Ottawa and Montreal. I'm a bilingual Montreal anglophone... what is more natural downtown, addressing people walking into a store first in English or French?

In downtown Moncton, is it kind of like downtown Montreal (anything-goes), the rest of Montreal (very neighbourhood-dependent) or more like Ottawa, where it's highly likely they're anglophones (and very possibly unilingual) and one would assume & interact in English, or more like Trois-Rivieres, where one would interact in French first?

Thanks again, Daniel

I'm betting that English is always safe, and in places that have a "French" look to them -- some fashion stores or restaurants, etc., but probably not a branch of Future Shop -- French would be fine int he practical sense, and perhaps equally fine in the sense of being hospitable, friendly, etc.

When I was there, the French population was under-equalled, and concentrated in Dieppe, and the French-language university was the local hospital.

Lots of us are now starting to wait for a trip report from you.

Have a good time.

BAK

I have a creep on the main street who owes me several thousand dollars. Go there , do something nasty to him and I will give you $500. Doubles if you collect or get even nastier. Read up on scalping techniques and get in touch with me.

p.s. On collecting my debt - you did mention "kill." Was that serious or just a little funny moment on your part?

Hi Daniel,

If you are vegetarian, you NEED to go to restaurant Calactus and try the Big Mark burger.

It's really good!

If you are taking the train to Montreal and want to overnight in Moncton, it will be two overnights - the train runs every second or third day (three times a week).

Ooops, not quite right, sorry about that, got it mixed up with the Canadian. The Ocean runs every day except Tuesday.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I've decided to overnight in Moncton (arriving late from Charlottetown) the night of June 25th at a B&B called Bonaccord House. My general plan for the next day (Saturday) will be: get up & have breakfast, wend my way toward the Tidal Bore Park to see the tides that morning, passing by the Moncton Market on the way. Walk then to the Marche Dieppe (which a Moncton acquaintance has mentioned is the more francophone area and I'm curious to interact with the population en francais), late lunch at Calactus, stroll over to Victoria Park. Check out of hotel & catch train to MTL. That's the plan I pieced together anyway that I felt would give me a bit of sense of what Moncton's all about (without renting a car), but leave room for flexibility and spontaneity. Any glaring omissions will be welcomed...

BTW I was talking to a francophone Monctoner acquaintance of mine and she amused me with some Moncton expressions... I liked "J'aime bien ton skirt, mais j'aime pas la way qu'a hang". Cute...in French, plenty of anglicisms have crept in here in Montreal, but not quite like this...

Thanks again for all your thoughts and advice. Daniel

A couple things to point out from a previous post.. Little louie's oyster bar is in Moncton (probably too far to walk) and not in Dieppe. Also the restaurant mentioned Chateau au Pape is not open , to my knownledge, as it burned down this winter.

There is an historic house downtown called The Thomas William House. You might be interested in seeing this if you are interested in old houses.
Here is a description of the house.
Thomas Williams House was occupied by the Williams family from its construction in 1883 until 1981, which in part accounts for its remarkable state of preservation. The house is a fine example of Second Empire architecture, with much of its interior decor intact. During the Second World War it briefly became a boarding house for soldiers. It came under the jurisdiction of the city in 1983 and was designated a heritage property in 1996.

You might also be interested in strolling to the Capitol Theatre. This theatre has been restored to its previous splendor from the 1920's. Description..You need to see this theatre to appreciate it! Restored to its original 1922 elegance, the Capitol Theatre is one of only 8 such theatres in Canada. The Capitol Theatre is an 800 seat, 1920s-era vaudeville house on Main Street that serves as the nucleus for cultural entertainment for the city.

The Moncton Museum may interest you also, as well as the Free Meeting house. It is here on this property that some of the oldest tombstones are still standing from some of Moncton's first families. This is a reasonable walk from downtown, and pretty close if you are staying at Bonnacord House.

Also in summertime downtown Main street (where the bus station is ) is great for walking and looking at some of the older buildings, and a lot of the eating establishments have sidewalk cafe style outdoor eating. Great for people watching as well as having a cold one and some good food.

Those are just some suggestions that might interest you. As for the language and which is most popular, both are equally available, although typically most in Moncton will greet you first in English, but then quickly change to whatever you wish. Your choice .

Enjoy your stay!

Beba,

Thanks for the suggestions in central Moncton... you remind me to put the Free Meeting House back on my list of things I intended to do during my brief stay, and the other options you mention certainly pique my curiosity.

Best wishes, Daniel

Just a quick thank you to all who advised me as I enjoyed my time in Moncton. Beba, of course BAK, TomPeters, NorthwestMale, cd: I hit a lot of your suggestions from Calactus Cafe, Free Meeting House/Moncton Museum, the tides (thanks to that website!) at the Tidal Bore, Moncton Market.

This trip has been a revelation for me, that New Brunswick is a fascinating province, unique with tons of character: way under-rated! I think I may be falling in love with New Brunswick (surtout la culture acadienne!)!

DANIEL

Glad you enjoyed Moncton and some of its offerings! For some reason people seem to think New Brunswick is just a pass through province for people on their way to the Island or Nova Scotia. But of course if they actually stop they will find that we have lots to offer. Glad you made the effort to investigate a little further. I hope the weather co operated for you too.