Raise the Hammer

I spent a few days in London back in June. It was my first proper visit and the similarities are certainly there. London seems to have kept the streetwalls together a lot better than Hamilton. Most of the surface lots are actually in BEHIND the buildings that front to the street. You know, like a proper city. The general populace downtown definitely has that "student" feel, especially in that area around "Jim Bob Ray's". I did find a pretty good Poutinerie there was I thought Hamilton should have downtown. Our best comparison is a crappy New York Fries in Jackson Square which recently overhauled their poutine menu.

Transit seems passable but I'd dare say the HSR in Hamilton is more convenient at people moving. They have a nice stop announcement system on the buses though, somewhat better than ours.

I think the thing that really struck me is that London has a fairly well developed central business district and some defined bank towers. This is something Hamilton has been lacking ever since the loss of the Bank of Hamilton building (the glass CIBC towers just don't replace it) and the other banks which were along James South between King and Jackson. I always felt Hamilton's "big city streetwall" used to be on that stretch of James. Used to resemble Yonge Street in Toronto. London retained their bank canyons and financial district fairly well.

In closing I feel that London's downtown is certainly in a good place. It clearly benefits strongly from the student presence but also pays homage to the past. Hamilton could certainly benefit in much the same way if McMaster or even Mohawk were to invest more in the downtown. The area around Mac is very similar to that "Jim Bob Ray" area in London. Lots of pubs and food joints. I don't think I would ever directly compare London to Hamilton though. When I returned to Hamilton, coming down the 403, the skyline suddenly filled my vision ahead and I got a big city feeling that I didn't have in London. Hamilton is freaking huge and dense. You don't get a sense for it unless you go somewhere like London. Immediately when I got off the bus in front of city hall, everything felt very Hamilton again. The smells, the sights, the sounds are all unique. I think if I were to compare London to another city in Ontario, it'd be St. Catharines. Hamilton is really only comparable to Toronto (yes, I said it).

In the end my London memories are a drunken night at the Richmond tavern and sitting on a Sherman tank in a park. That was fun. Hamilton needs a tank.

Comment edited by MattM on 2010-11-09 09:10:59