Tag Archives: George Bailey

Travel

Visit Our Friends to the South in Buffalo & Take In July 4 Celebrations

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The Obelisk- MacKinley Monument near Buffalo City Hall

If you’re looking for a spur-of-the-moment day trip from Niagara, Canada side, I have the answer for you.

A visit to downtown Buffalo can be your answer. It’s about an hour away nestled on the American side of the Peace Bridge and it’s a place still oozing with charm. The older downtown area offers a step-back-in-time experience. Forget the Chicken wings; the historic buildings here make a statement about style and sophistication.

July Fourth Fireworks Galore!

There are many places to catch amazing fireworks displays in and around the city core.

Canalside Fireworks, Fourth of July, Fireworks in Buffalo NY
Canalside Fireworks, Fourth of July, Fireworks in Buffalo NY

Cool Architecture and Art Deco Stylings

Fantastic architecture abounds in Buffalo- here is Buffalo City Hall, a fine example of Art Deco styling

Old City Hall
Start your day of exploring with a visit to Buffalo’s Art Deco City Hall. It dominates everything in the downtown area. Built during the early 1930’s (at the height of the great depression) this is a must see. The building is open free of charge Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Take the elevator to the 22tnd floor, and then walk the stairway to the observation area. You’ll feel like you’re on top of the Empire State building in New York City. You’re rewarded with an awe inspiring view of the city, Niagara River and nearby Fort Erie. Free tours of City Hall are offered Monday to Friday at noon. Just meet in the lobby and a volunteer will put you through your paces as he or she walks and talks about the history of this Buffalo charmer. I was convinced, I was in a time warp. Docent (an American term which usually refers to a historic tour guide),

The term docent is an “Americanistic term” but has roots in the Germanic language

Rick Smyth, a retired teacher explained the meaning behind the many murals and statues that adorn the inside of the building. He said, “They tell about the friendship between Canada and the United States that has extended since the end of the War of 1812″.
Niagara Square
Outside City Hall is Niagara Square .Dominating the square is a monument built to honour the memory of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901) who was assassinated in Buffalo at the Pan American Exposition in 1901. If you love old architectural buildings and their history you’ve hit the jackpot. Take your pick, the perimeter of the square beckons you. All of these century old buildings have stories to tell. Escorted walking tours can be arranged at www.buffalotours.org or 716-852-3300.
Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square is three blocks to the east of City Hall. It’s a park in the centre of the downtown. The block, which was once square, is lined by many of the city’s tallest buildings including the Liberty Building, and Rand Building. The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (www.buffalolib.org) is an interesting place to explore. You can a get a first hand glimpse of the manuscripts of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. by Samuel L. Clemens, better know by his non de plume, Mark Twain lived in Buffalo between 1869 and 1871. The library is open daily at 8:30 am, except Sunday, free of charge. This block is surrounded by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s Metro Rail light rail rapid transit, which runs about 12 blocks above-ground along Main Street in what is called the Free Fare Zone. Try it you’ll love it. The ride really is free.
Live Theatre
You’d be hard-pressed to leave this area without visiting one of the many historical theatres that offers touring Broadway shows, concerts, opera, dance and classic film series. Shea’s Performing Arts Center (www.sheas.org) on Main Street, built in the style of 1926 European Opera House, has an outstanding line-up of live entertainment. Greats like George Burns and Frank Sinatra have performed here in the past.

Find a tall building downtown (like the City Hall building) for a great panoramic look of the skyline.

Where to Eat
When the hunger pains start to come on I recommend the Spot Coffee Restaurant (www.spotcoffee.com) at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Streets. This independently owned coffee shop is more authentic than places like Starbucks. They have good reasonably priced food and plenty of it. Uneven floors, wood tables and exposed brick make this the perfect neighbourhood eatery. They open at 7 am and close at 11 pm. It’s where I like to hang out during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade takes place this year on Sunday, March 18 and begins at 2pm.
Downtown Parking
Street parking is reasonable here. Be sure to carry lots of American 25 cent coins to feed the $1 an hour meters. Lot parking is about $8.00 for the day.
For More Information TELL ’em The Silo sent ya ;>
www.visitbuffaloniagara.com or 1-800-283-3256.

For the Silo, George Bailey.

Travel

The Many Cultural Charms Of Buenos Aires Argentina

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Obelisk in Buenos Aires
George at the obelisk…

Feel Cooler Than You Really Are. If you want to learn to dance the tango the place to be is Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is a city that expresses its passion and national pride through their music, soccer, dancing, horses, and writing earning it the title of “City of Cool”.

Buenos Aires, (English meaning Fair Winds) Argentina.
With a population of 2.7 million people this capital city of Argentina is a place oozing with charm and things to do. From the moment you begin wandering downtown streets you know it’s going to be interesting. It’s a place to be cool even if you aren’t. Okay, let’s make it clear, I’m not cool, but for some unknown reason I started to feel this way when I mingled with the Argentineans. They spoke, what sounded like to me, an exotic language (Castilian Spanish), and looked and dressed like they were right out of the pages of Vogue magazine. It’s a city that never sleeps, populated by residents obsessed with fashion and image. Slim is beautiful is an established and largely uncontested fact.

Curvy architecture emphasizes the ‘tango’ speed and ‘coffee’ streamlining of Buenos Aires culture

Architecture
The downtown architecture is quite different from the rest of Latin America. It is strongly influenced by European styles with more than the half of the city buildings being French style. Countless museums, historical buildings, shopping centres, and hotels are yours to discover. And if you do get the urge to learn to tango there are plenty of tango-dancing schools (known as academias) throughout the city.

Bueons Aires is also known as a “city of buildings”

The Tango
Tango music was born in the suburbs, notably in the brothels of poorer suburbs. Its raw sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920’s and then all over the world. There are loads of places with free tango shows in restaurant-bars such as Gitanos, where you can also try the national drink. I found it more like herbal tea than anything and its drunk out of a pot-like container through a metal straw. Even though it was foul-tasting, Argentineans say, it’s more addictive than coffee. To each their own.

Walking and Safety
When you walk in any largely populated area don’t be silly and carry an expensive camera slung over your shoulder and don’t ever wear an expensive watch that sets you apart from the crowd. It’s like saying rob-me, rob-me. Use common senses; err on the side of caution. I hid my camera in a plastic shopping bag. Always cross street at crosswalk. I’ll say it one more time to be sure it sinks in…Always walk at crosswalks and don’t begin until all vehicles have come to a stop.

Streets are busy but have marked crosswalks and are well laid out

Recoleta Cemetery
Don’t pass up the chance to visit to the Recoleta Cemetery established in 1822. It’s the final resting place for Argentina’s wealthiest and most famous families and people. The mausoleums are fairly small, befitting the size of the cemetery in an urban setting, and it’s common for many members, and generations even, of the same family occupying one mausoleum. One grave that I did seek out was that of Eva Peron who was the wife of Juan Peron, 3 time president of Argentina. Both are idolized for their efforts to eliminate poverty and to bring dignity to the labour movement. Because of this they were despised by the oligarchy of Argentina’s wealthy and powerful. I found it strange and a bit sad that her neighbours in death are those that despised her in life. Her husband is buried in another cemetery in the city.

Mausoleum at the Recoleta Cemetery

Art and Craft Museums
These museums are all the rage here, with the top attraction being the Malba, which is dedicated to Latin American modern art, the Museo National de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and Recoleta’s Cultural Centre.  You’ll find the general atmosphere in most of these places is more snooty than sincere. If art and crafts is not your thing, you’ll want to bypass all of these places and scout out somewhere to eat or sit on the grass in Plaza Francia. It’s easy to while away a few hours people-watching. I did both.

Where ever you travel, remember to take time to meet the local people. You will learn much about the culture of a place by watching and talking with citizenry.

The Obelisk
Another must see is to join the gaggle of tourists (and pigeons) that flock to the Plaza de Mayo. This is the site for some of the country’s most important historical occasions, including the revolution in 1810 which led Argentina gaining independence from Spain .If your legs are willing, take a stroll along Avenida Corrientes. When you get to the junction with Avenida 9 de Julio, which claims to be the world’s widest road where you can’t miss the famous Obelisk monument. For goodness’ sake use the pedestrian crossing if you don’t want to die! It’s the cities icon and the place the very spot where the Argentina flag was raised for the first time.       For the Silo, George Bailey. 

Vintage

Worthy Road Trips Part 2 New York State

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In my last Silo travel column, I featured five of my favorite travel destinations in Ontario within 250 kilometres of Niagara. Here’s another five, but this time “on the other side of the ditch”.  First, I’d suggest if you travel into the United States frequently like I do apply for a NEXUS pass (www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus). This pass is available to Canadian and U.S. citizens and costs around $50.00. It allows you and every other occupant in your car that has the pass to quickly cross over the border and return. It’s saved me hours of waiting at the border. Also be sure to carry health insurance for travel outside of Ontario.

[The nexus card will save you time at US Canada border crossing but part of the application process involves finger-printing and the completed card uses the same controversial RFID technology used across parts of the US Mexico border CP]

Now let’s get down to business…….and in no particular order ;>
Ellicottville, N.Y.
(120 kilometres from the Canada/U.S. border)
This is a place I go to two or three times a year because there’s always something happening. They have 11 festivals spread throughout the year. Ellicottville has a compact pretty-as-a picture postcard downtown. It’s void of big-box retailing. There are plenty of historic brick and wooden buildings that have been re-born as unique, quirky, crayon-coloured stores and restaurants www.ellicottvilleny.com or 1-800-349-9099

Ellicottville NY- top- late Summer bottom- mid Winter

Randolph, N.Y.
(140 kilometres)
Not far from Ellicottville you’ll find the tiny village of Randolph. This village and the outlying countryside are deliciously peaceful. You’ll find a large thriving population of Amish families. As you drive the back roads, you’ll pass numerous styles of Amish horse and buggies. Loose your camera for this part of the trip. The Amish don’t like to be photographed. We spent all day visiting and speaking with these fine people who operate numerous businesses along, “The Amish Trail” that are open to the,” English”. Some of the places we visited specialized in toy making, farming, jams, pies, cheese making, quilting, pillows, and rugging. Forget your credit card. The Amish only accept cash and they’re closed on Sundays.
www.NYAmishTrail.com or 1-800-331-0543

Stay cabins along the Amish Trail in Randolph

Hammondsport N.Y.
(250 kilometres)
I was originally trying to find Watkins Glen when I got lost and stumbled upon Hammondsport N.Y. What a hidden gem it turned out to be. This small community is nestled at the southern end of Lake Kueka and set in a protected valley in New York State’s Finger Lakes region. You can’t be in a hurry here. An old-fashioned town square anchors the village. Historic buildings snuggle side-by-side around its perimeter. The star attraction here is pristine Lake Kueka. There are also well maintained homes on the tree-lined streets date back to the 1800’s.Just on the outskirts of town is the Glenn H. Curtis Museum. It pays tribute to Glenn Curtis a pilot who took the first preannounced flight in America on July 4, 1908.In January of this year Budget travel voted Hammondsport the, “Coolest Small Town in America”. Well, so much for my hidden gem.
www.hammondsport.org

Heritage architecture and vintage ooze at Maloney’s Pub in Hammondsport

Medina, N.Y.
(69 kilometres)
I have known some great breakfast joints in the past but Rudy’s Diner (closed Sundays) found in this friendly village along the old Erie Canal is one of the best. Just about everything here is made from scratch and reasonably priced in this converted 1940’s Sinclair Gas Station.
This town founded in the 1820’s echoes of the nineteenth century. Check out these things. Their beautifully restored downtown is very walkable. Don’t pass up seeing the Oak Orchard River Gorge and Medina Falls. It’s hard to find so ask a local. On the outskirts of town is the Culvert Road Tunnel. It’s the only arched roadway running under the Erie Canal. This narrow tunnel is like going through the eye of a needle! One must, is a visit to the Medina Railroad Museum (closed Mondays and major holidays).If you have kids they’ll love it and so will you. Tell owner Marty that George and The Silo sent you.
www.medina-ny.com

So there you have it. Enjoy the remaining bit of Summer holidays and remember September and October are beautiful months. For the Silo, George Bailey.

Travel

Five Summer Road Trips

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Ahhh, the Summer road trip. Time for cooler packing, map folding (or GPS charging) and a car tune up. Does anyone drive a station wagon anymore?

Within the past 12 years I have traveled to and written about over two hundred travel destinations, many within a few hours drive of Niagara. That said, I ‘m often asked what are my favorites. Well, I’ve finally taken the time to think back and jot them down. Before I begin, I should say that I have learned to love the journey just as much as the destination. My primary route to get to a place, when possible, is usually the back way, not the highway, preferably with lots of twists and spectacular scenery. I don’t sweat about getting lost; I’ve found some of my most interesting adventures that way. Another thing that makes for a pleasant journey is to travel on the arm of someone you love. The following are the Coles Notes version of some of my favorite trips.

A yummy car. Memories of old old spice (you know the white bottle?), adidas shorts, sweatbands, the Cars on 8-track and road trips….lots of road trips. #thepastwasablast

Port Rowan, Ontario (138 kilometers)
When you discover this lovely community that hugs the northern shoreline of Lake Erie you’ll be charmed. Nothing shouts. When we walked their tiny main street, which consisted of restored century old stores, we could feel the past. At one end was one of the prettiest habors in Ontario. The whole world slows down when we walked the mature tree-lined side streets where we found historic turn-of-the-century homes that called out to be photographed. If you decide to stay over there are plenty of cozy Bed and Breakfast places to choose from.
Stratford, Ontario (159 kilometers from Thorold- the center of Niagara)
This is a jewel of a city located on the Avon River surrounded by a plethora of affordable eateries, restored Victorian homes on streets lined with majestic mature trees. We fell in love with their walkable downtown filled with plenty of unique shops and a majestic 12–sided red brick building with Queen Anne features built in 1898-99 that serves as their City Hall. The place was buzzing with life. Stratford Tourism offers two free escorted walking tours, a Downtown Historic Tour and a River Walk Heritage Tour.
And of course, there’s the Stratford Festival which serves up top-notch live theater. This season’s calendar opened in mid-April with the musical 42nd St.
This is the home of teen idol Justin Beiber and your teenagers can get a free map from the tourist folks outlining his favorrite places.
www.visitstratford.ca or 1-800-561-7926

The author George Bailey: “I’m often asked what are my favourite [travel destinations] withina few hours drive of Niagara. Well, I’ve finally taken the time to think back and jot them down.”
Elora, Ontario (126 kilometers)
This lovely 177 year-old village is a place that will grow on you the minute you arrive. It’s located on the Grand River where the Elora Gorge begins. Check out the magnificent waterfall and the high rock known as The Tooth of Time, behind the Elora Mill Inn.
We continued to explore the shops, boutiques and restaurant found on Mill and Metcalfe Streets. One unique shop is The Village Olive Grove. It’s one of the few stores in Canada that sells (and allows you to sample) exceptional olive oils and vinegars. One site not to miss is the reflection in the Grand River of the back of the downtown stores.
www.elorafergus.travel or 519-846-0971.

[If you are planning a long road trip with a dash of night driving- remember to fully rest up and stop driving when you are feeling tired CP]

We have to agree with luckysod04 on this…but check out TOSH.0 parallel parking a Mini Cooper LOL

Lindsay, Ontario (229 kilometers)Lindsay is the gateway to the Kawartha Lakes tourist region. It’s pretty as a picture. One of the main features is Kent Street, the town’s wide main street. It looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. The first to fall under the lens of my camera was the renovated 1893 Academy Theatre at one end of town. Lindsay’s renovated City Hall and Firehall also weren’t too shabby to photograph.
Their Saturday morning Farmer’s Market proved to be a real farmer’s market. It was filled with real farmers who sold produce they have grown on family owned farms for centuries. www.explorekawarthalakes.com or 1-866-397-6673

Aylmer, Ontario (187 kilometers)
Like many of my trips, you have to look beyond what’s found in the tourism publications to experience a community. It’s more than the location of the Ontario Police College. It has a large farming community. Take a ride along the back roads where you will share the road with an industrious Amish community who travel by horse and buggy and operate farms without most modern-day luxuries. Aylmer’s indoor/outdoor Farmer’s Market held on a Tuesday is top-notch. Check out the nearby quaint village of Sparta where you’ll come upon examples of restored period homes dating back to 1825.Don’t miss visiting the Winter Wheat attraction set in a five-acre forest of towering pines.
http://www.aylmer.ca/. or 1-519-773-3164.

for the Silo by George Bailey  wonderful.life@sympatico.ca

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Click to view on I-tunes
Culture

Here’s a few reasons why one of the prettiest villages in Ontario is Elora.

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In Elora, life unravels a bit slower

It’s worth saying again: One of the prettiest villages in Ontario is Elora. It’s so nice very time I visit this village of 5, 500 I want to move here. A lot of people have done just that. Elora is a place that grows on you from the minute you arrive. Over dinner at a local favourite eatery, The Shepherd’s PubI struck up a conversation with Nadine McEwen and Stan Winegard who told me they moved here about two and a half years ago from Timmons. Stan said, “It’s a real pretty place and a very welcoming community with an active artistic community. Since Nadine is a sculptor, it fits perfectly into our life style”. Even the owners of this authentic British pub had moved to Elora from Guelph just a few months ago. Throughout the weekend I bumped into others who made the move. Well now, let me think more about this moving thing.

Known for its unique limestone architecture, Elora was founded in 1832 by Captain William Gilkison, a British officer recently returned from India.

Shopping
Elora is an artists’ community specializing in handcrafted and one-of-kind items. The two main streets to stroll are Mills and Metcalfe.
One stand out worth finding on Mill Street, near The Shepherd’s Pub, is The Village Olive Grove (it was the free olive oil tastings sign outside the store that first caught my eye). I met one of the owners, David Medeiros (He’s from Toronto). Medeiros believes their shop is the only one in Canada selling exceptional olive oils and vinegars from around the world.  A few other shops that caught my eye were; Sante’s it’s a natural grocery store with organic and fair-trade foods and gifts. A Weed Bit Natural features hemp products and organic clothing. Jammed Lovely is filled with unique one of a kind gift items. Sweet Trash has clothing and accessories from the 1920’s and onwards. At Grand Gourmet KitchenwareI had to have some of the items explained to me as to what they were. You can tell how much time I spend in the kitchen.

The Village Olive Grove occassionally has free olive oil tastings.

Culinary Walking Tour
If you arrive on a Saturday sign up at the Village Olive Grove for the $10.00 walking tour between 1 and 3 pm. During the tour, you’ll sample specially created dishes from eight restaurants while learning about the history and architecture of the area.

One of the prettiest villages in Ontario-

Holiday Happenings
-Santa Claus Parade, Saturday, November 26 and Parade of Lights begin at 6pm.There’s another parade in nearby Fergus on December 3rd at 1:30 pm.
-Starlight Shopping November 24-25 until 9pm.
-Elora Centre for the Arts Show and Sale, December 8-22.
-The annual Elora Festivals Singers’ Christmas Concert series in December is an annual rite of winter.

The Elora Gorge
Here’s the gorge part. Elora is located on the Grand River where the Elora Gorge begins. The gorge has a waterfall that forms behind the Elora Innand continues for 4 kilometres. The Elora Inn is currently closed for renovations. In the middle of the falls is the, “Tooth of Time”. This is a huge rock that has become the symbol of the village of Elora.

The Elora gorge on the Grand River has a waterfall that forms behind the Elora Inn and continues for 4kms.

Where to Stay
I picked the Tynavon Bed and Breakfast (Tynavon means House by-the-River in Scots Gaelic) to be home for the weekend. This quaint circa 1856 home at 84 Mill Street is a short walk from downtown. It has a gracious verandah overlooking the Grand River. Expect to pay around $125.00 a night for one of the best sleeps you’ll ever have and a scrumptious breakfast. (Silo Direct Link to Tynavon Bed and Breakfastor 1-866-334-3305).

Welcoming gate post- the Tynavon B and B

Here’s the goat part.
When you force yourself to leave Elora take a 10 minute trip on Highway 6 north to Arthur, Ontario. That’s where you’ll find River’s Edge Goat Dairy.(Silo Direct Link to Goat Milk Products Website or 1-800-209-7330) at 8102 Wellington Road 109, Arthur. If you have children with you they’ll love it. Chances are you’ll find owners Katie Kormet or Will Makxam tending to their herd of 120 mature does. The farm produces, with hard work, milk as well as cheese, yogurt and even soap.

Will told me- “We are a small goat dairy, and we process all of our own milk but we also raise the male goats for meat. In general, we tell our frequent customers, if our chain is down, come on in we are open. However, if our chain is up, we are unavailable  but not necessarily closed or away. Not only are we artisan cheese makers, we are farmstead cheese makers. Not many farmers who do it all. We feed and milk  our animals and make cheese on the farm. We are a provincially licensed dairy plant, like all other commercial dairy plants in the province. Our advantage: we use the freshest milk and process it into milk yogurt or cheese sooner than  our competitors.

Visitors are welcome to visit the farm (no charge) and you might see the goats being milked. River’s Edge Goat Dairy hours of operation vary. Katie said, “Call us ahead of time to see if we’ll be home”.

Delicious goat dairy products

For More information
Elora and Fergus Tourism Silo Direct Link to Elora and Furgus Tourism Website or 519-846-9841.GPS users can punch in 9 Mill street East, Elora.

Travel and tourism writer, Silo contributor George Bailey

Written and photographed By George Bailey Niagara Falls,Ontario  e-mail: wonderful.life@sympatico.ca.

Culture

Paris (Ontario!) for the Holidays

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That’s Paris, Ontario. This lovely town of about 12,000 is an easy hour and a half hour drive from Niagara. It was amalgamated in 1999 to the County of Brant but the locals don’t like to admit to it. It’s named for the nearby deposits of gypsum used to make plaster of Paris. It is referred to as, “the cobblestone capital of Canada” because of the towns large number of aged cobblestone homes.

An example of one of the historical cobblestone homes found in Paris.

When I arrived a few weeks ago to do Christmas shopping, I found a vibrant downtown tucked away in a wide valley. It was sheltered from big-box retailing and I soon learned chronic 21st century hurry-up ism wasn’t here either. The place reminded me of earlier times when I would walk the downtown of my own hometown. The pace was slow. It reinforced in my mind, how nice the world can be.
Parking is free along Grand River Street, the Main Street, and there’s lots of interesting stores to explore.

Always looking for a “sweet deal” I stumbled upon Chocolate Sensations Silo Direct Link to Chocoloate Sensations Website Like so many other shops in town, this delightful aromatic place is family owned by John and Sarah Chalmers. John said, “This business began as a humble home-based hobby in a family kitchen over 20 years ago. Today we do a thriving on site business and a large volume of catalogue sales”. Once inside chocolate enthusiasts will think they have died and went to chocolate heaven. I recommend before you leave take home some Christmas, Candy Cane Bark. Come on, you can afford to take out the belt a notch, after all it’s Christmas.

Sarah and John Chalmers inside their Chocolate Sensations shop.

Next door is a “cheesy place”. The Three Blind Mice Cheese Company Silo Direct Link to Three Blind Mice Cheese Company WebsiteOkay, I promise no more cheesy stuff. The owner, Lindsay Dawdy with an ear to ear smile said, “We only opened in June of this year and so far it’s been a runaway success. So much so, we’ve opened another store in Elora”. Believe it or not, this is a fun place. Step inside and see what I mean. Ask Lindsay to push the reset button on her 1951 Juke Box and you can hear one of your golden-oldies. Sticky Toffee and Wensleydale with Cranberry are the featured cheeses for the holidays.

Lindsay Dawdy, owner of Three Blind Mice Cheese Factory shows us one of her unusual cheeses
The Three Blind Mice Cheese Company storefront

Down the road is the John N Hall House of Quality Linens. This is an old-fashioned dry goods store. Their heavy front doors are the same ones customer’s have been pushing since the 1860’s. If you’re looking for a ladies embroided white cotton nightgown or fleece or flannelette blankets you’ve arrived.

The Brown Dog Coffee Shoppe Silo Direct Link to The Brown Dog Coffee Shoppe Website at 63 Grand River St. N. was so popular with the locals there must have been something to it. And there was.

For starters, everything is made from scratch and from what I observed servers worked at spoiling their customers. They roast their own coffee and they specialize in nostalgic hard to find sandwiches like the classic Monte Cristo. The Apple Waldorf Salad platter is a crowd pleaser. I loved their Deep Dish Corn Meal Crust Quiche and hand crafted Hot Apple Fritters. The apples were prepared in front of me using an 1800’s hand operated peeler. I washed the meal down with chocolate milk delivered to my table in an old-fashioned dairy bottle. In the warmer months you can eat on the second floor outdoor patio that overlooks the Grand River that flows through town.

I stopped in 'at the dog' for a meal washed down with chocolate milk delivered in a retro glass bottle

Before you leave Paris walk to the end of the town to the Williams Street Bridge and take a photograph of the back of these historic buildings that house these shops. It will be a keeper.

As I headed home I came across a group of people who were unloading Balsam Firs to be sold at their annual Christmas tree sale for St. James Anglican Church. It was a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. One of the parishioners Steve Howes, who had lived in the town for 45 years told me, “This is a small town with a lot of heart. People still treat each other with respect. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else”. That sums this town up nicely.

Christmas tree sale in support of St. James Anglican Church

How to get There
From Niagara take the QEW to Highway 403 towards Brantford. Cut off onto Highway 2 to Paris. GPS users can punch in 89 Grand River Street. North, Paris.

Since 1850 Ontario Parisians have been warmly welcoming visitors

Written and Photographed by George Bailey. George is a writer who has a unique way of finding ‘hidden gems’ and sharing his experience in words and pictures.