Submitted by Linda Benson
What an absolutely beautiful day it was, this Tuesday. A friend suggested we meet up at the Williams Pub café for breakfast. Sitting outside on their patio, listening to the birds, looking out at the beautiful, glistening water, I felt a sense of serenity and pride. Well, I use the word “serenity” with lightness, after all there was construction all around us, but to my mind, this was beauty in and of itself. My friend and I marveled at what has been constructed, and, accomplished in a few short months. As we spoke about the future of our harbour, we could only speculate what is to come. To me, this resurrection of our harbour is truly spectacular! I am excited to see the finished effect.
We took a long leisurely walk around the area from Pier 8 to Pier 4. We spoke to many of the construction workers, to site supervisors and to the garden crew from City hall. Everyone was of the same mind; this is going to be pure beauty. Oh I know there will be the naysayers, especially those who have to live beside all the construction, the dust and grime, not to mention the noise. For you, I hope this is a temporary way of life, and you will just as in awe and amazed by the future outcome of this area. There was a small kiddy park open, with some swings and other equipment, and it seemed to be quite busy during my visit. The promenade from Williams to the Haida is now open and it looks worlds apart from the previous walk way, which is lovely to see.
I did mention in one of my last stories, I believe it will be good for Williams Café to have some healthy competition, and I still feel this way. I hope there will be a few open-air cafes, lots of patios and park like seating areas, for us to congregate and enjoy a meal, a snack or a light beverage with one another.
I spoke to a group of young people who were beautifying the area with plants and flower beds. Two of the young men, Josh, from McMaster University and Logan from Mohawk college, seemed excited to be doing Spring/Summer work with the City of Hamilton. What a great idea for the city to hire students from various colleges. I wish this program had been around when my son was at university, an amazing collaboration.
We sat for a while, outside the former Chamber of Commerce, admiring all the docked boats and simply enjoying the sunshine and scenery. Honestly, I couldn’t stop marveling at all the changes to the harbor.
On our walk, we came across a structure, some sort of tower I believe, and attached to it was the biggest bird’s nest I have ever seen. At first, I thought it was part of a sculpture, but then we saw, and heard, the chirping of the birds from within. Have you seen it? How wonderful these birds are, to weave such intricacies.
