Getting to Know Halifax: Point Pleasant Park
Posted on June 15, 2010 • 4 minutes • 806 words
Okay, so I’ve been living in Halifax for what seems like only a few months, but has really been closer to like 7 months, all of which have been the cold wintery types that don’t make you want to do much but stay in and avoid the cold. To this day there is still a bunch of places and things I know nothing about. So after breaking down and buying a bike, and with the weather progressively getting hotter, I now have the means and the will to explore a little further than the pubs, clubs, and grocery stores. The weather was hovering around 25 degrees celcius all weekend, I needed to get out of my cramped apartment, and was itchin’ to see something new. After getting lost a couple times and nearly dieing as I struggled up every hill, I finally managed to find it. Point Pleasant Park. One might wonder, how Pleasant is this Park? Well, as a matter of fact, I can proudly vouch for the name, this park is all sorts of pleasant. As soon as you walk through the first couple hundred feet of the footpaths, you begin to forget how close you really are to downtown Halifax, to the hustle and bustle of life in a metropolitan city. The first thing I noticed upon walking into the park was the fragrance of the woods and flowers, combined with the chirping sounds of birds and the occasional blast of warm air, I began to wonder how in the hell this park had escaped me for this long. After making a quick stop at Blackrock Beach, I was fortunate enough to catch one of the massive cargo ships leaving the Halifax Harbour. This was by far one of the coolest things I’d seen that day, however it was clear that myself and the cute asian girl standing a few feet away were the only ones who thought so, on account of us being the only two people snapping pictures and starring at this massive piece of machinery gracefully float back out to sea. After hiking further through the park I began to find a whole bunch of WWI and WWII memorials. It was a surreal sight seeing people bathing in the sun just a few feet from this massive 25 foot Cross with the names of hundreds of men and women etched in it. Unsure of whether this was disrespectful or not, I made sure to pay a few minutes of attention to the memorial before grabbing a piece of grass and laying starfish as I watched the clouds go by. Once my imagination gave out and the clouds began to simply look like clouds again, I hiked further into the park. After coming across a “You are here” sign, I began to realize how little of this park I had seen so far, despite spending almost 2 hours in it already. Turns out this monstrous park I was just meandering through is a total of 186 acres. So I decided to make use of what little energy I had left to see a little more of it. The canons only a few hundred feet from me, seemed like the next stop. Hiking turned into walking, which then turned into “Holy crap I’m out of shape”. Thankfully I found the right trail that lead to somewhere I could rest. Price of Wales Tower. From far away it didn’t look like much, but as I got closer it became apparent how well made this thing was.  As I snapped some pictures, I did a quick 360 to see if I was getting in the way of somebody else’s picture. Turned out I was the only one in this part of the park. This gave me plenty of time to walk around this big brick tower and read all the signs before carrying on. Turns out this giant brick tub-stopper was built in 1794 through to 1799 as a means to protect the Halifax against seaborne attack  from the Northwest Arm. It must have worked, because Halifax still exists today. Thank you Tower. As I finished the last of my water, I realized how incredibly hungry I was. I never argue with my stomach, so I decided to call it quits for the day. Point Pleasant Park was a great place to spend a hot spring day, and is well worth more than just a quick stroll through. You can’t beat the price (Free), and if you’re a history buff, I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you. If you’re a nature lover, the wooded areas and scenic vistas will make you right at home, and for those just in need of a quiet place to unwind, theres a good hundred acres or so for you to find a spot of your own. [mappress]
