Saint John- An introduction

The city of Saint John is perched on hilltops along a harbour overlooking the Bay of Fundy. The largest municipality in New Brunswick (Metro Moncton does have a higher population), Saint John is unmistakably an industrial town, and you're likely to notice the predominance of mills and refineries before you even enter the city proper. Saint John is a good base for exploring the Fundy region, and convenient stop-over when driving to or from Maine, but don't discount the city's own charms and attractions when planning your trip. Saint John's links to industry have created, as is often the case, a strong sense of community in the small city, particularly when it comes to neighbourhood affiliations, and have left a fair bit of nice architecture in the downtown core. Getting your bearings: Saint John is built at the mouth of the Saint John River, where it empties into the Bay of Fundy. The city spans either side of the river, which is crossed by two bridges- the Reversing Falls Bridge, and the Saint John Harbour Bridge. The city's South, North, and East sides lie on one side of the river, while the West side lies on the other. New Brunswick Highway 1 (known as the Thruway in Saint John, and the McKay in the Kennebecasis Valley) cuts through the city on a bit of a diagonal, crossing the river at the Harbour Bridge, which links the city centre (known as Uptown or the South Side) and the West Side/Lancaster area. Visitors arriving from Moncton (and other places in that direction) will enter the city by way of the Kennebecasis Valley, or KV, region, and the towns of Quispamsis and Rothesay, on Hwy 1. They will pass the the East Side, North Side and South Sides before crossing the bridge. Visitors arriving from Maine and Fredericton enter the city at the West Side, before crossing the Harbour Bridge towards the city centre. This route follows Hwy 1;travelers coming from Fredericton on Route 7 will join Hwy 1 in the city's west end. If you're looking for attractions whilst in the Port City, check out the various posts detailing Saint John Neighbourhoods. As a quick reference the city's main attractions can be found in the following pages: Saint John Market-Uptown New Brunswick Museum-Uptown Reversing falls-West Side Irving Nature Park-West Side Rockwood Park-North Side Don't forget to check out the surrounding area as well-posts on the KV and Fund Coastal Drive are on their way soon. Saint Martin's is another very popular coastal spot near the city (unfortunately I've yet to stop there, so there won't be a post about it yet). Looking for restaurants? My favourite picks are mentioned in the posts detailing the different neighbourhoods and attractions.