Saint John- Uptown and South End

The South End,is Saint John's city centre. Locals (and informed visitors such as yourself!) don't refer to the area as downtown, but rather Uptown. The area is perched on a hill overlooking the mouth of the river, and can be found by following the Saint John Centre signs from the Thruway. If you're on a cruise, this is where your ship will dock. Below, find a list of what you should check out while Uptown, and a few hints and tips as well. Saint John City Market: The City Market is hands down Saint John's best known landmark.One of the downsides with travelling for work is that attractions such as the market are never open when I'm free, and thus, alas, I can't give any advice personally about the market. What I do know is that it's located on Germain Street, between King and Union, and is rumored to have fresh food and produce. New Brunswick Museum: The NB Museum is located in a small shopping complex along the Market Square Boardwalk. Although this is another attraction I've yet to visit, I encourage all visitors to take the time to explore it. If I've learned anything from my travels, it's that getting to know the story of a place and its peoples is a prerequisite to getting the most out of your experience. If you want to understand the context behind what you're seeing and doing, the New Brunswick Museum is a great place to start. Market Square Boardwalk: The Boardwalk hugs the harbour near Market Square Mall (not to be confused with the City Market, which is a few blocks away). Work has recently been done to make the area more enjoyable for visitors, and you can also often find ample parking here. Architecture: I love the architecture of Saint John's South End. A stroll down Union Street and Prince William Street, or a drive through the various residential streets in the area provides the perfect opportunity to appreciate it. Restaurants: You'll find reviews of Sense of Tokyo Sushi, and Taste of Egypt restaurants here on my blog. Relish also has a location near the City Market. I can also highly recommend Big Tide Brewing Company- a local microbrewery with some of the best beer battered fish and chips I've ever had. Visitors in the area during the day would be remiss not to grab some lunch at the City Market. Best Views: The best view of uptown area and the port is undoubtedly from the Harbour Bridge. If you're looking for a spot from which you can take photos a little easier than a highway, check out the Lower West Side below the bridge, or the Reversing Falls.

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.