The Historical Curve of St. Paul Street

Modern-day St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines.
By Municipal Affairs and Housing - CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Driving through downtown St. Catharines offers a much different perspective than the straight, rigid grids found in most other Ontario cities. St. Paul Street remains a rare exception, following a winding path that has shaped the city's identity for generations.

The Winding Heritage of St. Paul Street

This central artery wasn't originally designed by urban planners; it was inherited from an ancient path. Long before the Welland Canal, this route followed the natural ridge of the Niagara Escarpment, allowing travelers to stay on high ground and avoid the marshy lowlands of the region.

Downtown Heritage & Conservation District - City of St. Catharines

An aerial perspective of the downtown curves.
By Cityofstcatharines - CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Preserving the Local Landscape

The winding nature of the street is a central part of the St. Catharines Heritage Conservation District. By following the natural landscape instead of a ruler, the early settlers created a downtown with a character that feels unique in North America.

For more fascinating facts and deep-dives into local history, visit SofistiKateIt.com.

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Sources: St. Catharines Downtown Association | St. Catharines Museum Blog

St. Catharines - Not so Ratty After All

We don't know why, but for some reason, we thought St. Catharines was one of the rattiest cities in Ontario.

Perhaps it stemmed back from an old 2016 article we read about a former GM property on Ontario Street in St. Catharines that was infested with rats ... and then later, our own experience with them outside an old townhouse we used to live in.

So needless to say, we were quite surprised when Orkin came out with their Top 25 'Rattiest' Cities in Ontario and discovered St. Catharines barely made the list. Yay for St. Catharines!

Image: Orkin

According to their website, Orkin ranked the cities by the number of rodents (rat & mice) treatments the company performed from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021. The ranking included both residential and commercial treatments.

Source(s): Orkin

NEW Walmart PEN CENTRE, 221 Glendale Avenue, ST. CATHARINES (3 Photos)

So I checked out the new Walmart store which finally opened in St. Catharines at the Pen Centre. We've only been waiting for like what? 4 years? It has been so long that I've forgotten all about it until I read about its opening recently. As far as I can remember, it was a Zellers store, then a Target store and now the Walmart Supercentre store which I'm sure will have better success than its predecessors.

The sky was bright blue... the store facade was bright blue... there were not many cars in the parking lot - yet. It was a perfect day to check it out.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside, so I just took a few, outside.

I was loving the bright blue, yellow and orange colours on the outside.

The dedicated online pickup section was something new at this Walmart. After ordering your online groceries (at Walmart.ca), you can now pull up into any one of 8 (at least I think there were 8), brightly-painted-orange parking spots and have your purchase loaded in no time!

There's even a walk-in clinic opening soon too.

Having said all that, I was surprised to find there were not many 'deals' to be had or even new or more choices than the other Walmart stores. I remember heading straight to the Crafts section and was disappointed to find the one on Welland Ave., had more selections. Of course, being a supercentre, this one has a produce/grocery section which the other one doesn't.

Oh well, even though I live closer to the one on Welland Ave., and will still be heading there when needed, I'm sure many will be happy for this new Walmart that has finally opened at the Pen Centre.

Happy shopping!

SUNSET BEACH, St. Catharines (22 Photos)

Took a long overdue stroll down Sunset Beach - and took some photos while I was at it...

This hidden gem located in the Grantham Ward, along the shore of Lake Ontario on the Waterfront Trail, is in close proximity to the Welland Canals Parkway Trail.

The park has 365 metres (1,200 feet) of sandy beach to lay out your towels, chairs, umbrellas and tents for your enjoyment.

Beach amenities include parking, playground, a beautiful picnic area, public boat launch ramp (for small and personal watercrafts during the boating season within daylight hours), and washrooms.

Anything Together - A Downtown Story | An Award Short Film Shot in Downtown ST. CATHARINES

This film which was shot in downtown St. Catharines, won an award. The film was developed and produced in partnership with downtown agency Form & Affect...

The City of St. Catharines Economic Development and Tourism Department is pleased to present a new short film that celebrates the revitalization of the city’s downtown core. Anything Together: A Downtown Story features over two dozen downtown venues as the story’s backdrop. The film was developed and produced in partnership with downtown agency Form & Affect.

Anything Together follows Jack, who has returned to downtown St. Catharines after seeking opportunity elsewhere, and his friend Kate, who has made a life for herself in the city’s core. When Kate discovers something is missing, she enlists Jack to retrace her steps in hopes of finding it. As Jack and Kate make their way through vibrant downtown venues, it becomes clear that they are both rediscovering the magic and opportunity that this newly revitalized downtown offers.

“Our downtown neighbourhood has enjoyed an incredible resurgence these past few years. We wanted to showcase that in a way that felt natural, and made it easy for people to envision their own story unfolding here,” said Brent Porter, Partner and Creative Director at Form & Affect.

“The storyline of this film is that of our downtown’s transformation. It’s the story of new life and new opportunity,” said Brian York, Director of Economic Development and Government Relations with the City of St. Catharines. “You can see it in all the great businesses that are featured and the youthful interest that it’s generating.”

Visit investinstc.ca to learn more about the exciting opportunities in downtown St. Catharines.

HT: 610CKTB

You Know You Are From ST. CATHARINES When...

You probably had a 'You Know You Are From St. Catharines When' moment like we did...

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You Know You Are From

You know you are from...

Posted by St. Catharines, the GREAT - SCG Niagara on Monday, May 14, 2018

VIDEO: Enjoy it all in St. Catharines

Check out the eye-catching 60-seconds St. Catharines tourism video by Mitchell Reilly Pictures...

Source(s): stcatharinesstandard

VIDEO: The Tragically Hip, screening of the final show

Some fans got a little too excited as you'll see in the video...

This video is from the screening at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines of the final Tragically Hip show in Kingston.

The Performing Arts Centre on St. Paul Street, downtown St. Catharines will be screening the 2017 Tragically Hip concert film Long Time Running at The Film House on:

• Friday, October 20/6:30pm, 
• Saturday, October 21/9pm and
• Tuesday, October 24/7pm.

The Centre will be collecting donations for The Gord Downie Chanie Wenjack Fund. Tickets are $7 for Film House members or $9 for general admission. More information is available on here.

Source(s): stcatharinesstandard 

Port Dalhousie PIER MARINA, ST. CATHARINES (26 Photos)

We visited the marina a few weeks ago and the water levels were still high - but slowly receding.

Located approximately 9 miles west of the Niagara River and adjacent to the beautiful old town of Port Dalhousie in St. Catharines, Ontario, Port Dalhousie Pier Marina is considered one of the premier and most popular marinas on the south shore of Lake Ontario and is always filled with boats from ports all over the great lakes.

I searched Google Maps to find images of what the marina looked like on better days... 

Google image by Paul Chak

Notice the benches?

Capturing the 'Sea Keeper' Mural on the CSL St-Laurent Bulk Carrier | Welland Canal, ST. CATHARINES

Talk about perfect timing! On a gorgeous sunny day, before entering one of my favourite spots - the Welland Canal, I noticed a cargo ship moving amongst the trees in the distance. 

 As I got closer, I realized it was not just any cargo ship but the Trillium Class* bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent - the one with that 'famous' mural of a colourful Canadian icon, the goose, painted on it. 

The Canada goose with its powerful wings spread in flight, in a forward motion is a tribute to Montreal and to Canada.

I've read about the mural earlier in the year and knew it was special, and the last time I visited the canal was over a year ago. What were the chances?! I was thrilled! Good thing I had my camera with me! 
At the end, I've included my not-so-professional video of my capture as well as 2 additional videos (professionally done) by CSL, of the artists behind the mural and viewing the finish creation from sea...

Port Dalhousie Under Water...

We compared a photo from The St. Catharines Standard that was taken recently of Lakeside Park Beach - with one we took a few years ago...

We were actually standing behind the trees when we took this next photo but the lighthouse can still be seen in the background...

VIDEO: St. Catharines Lakeside Park Pier during Windstorm

We didn't think anyone was brave enough to head down to the pier during the 104km/h windstorm we had yesterday - but someone did...

Water rushing over the Pier at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines

Source: stcatharinesstandard

The wind storm was reminiscent of the wind storm back in 2011 as was captured in these 2 videos:

VIDEO: Downtown St. Catharines Sunset Timelapse 4K

Video snapshot

We always love discovering any videos Niagara-related so stumbling upon this magnificent time-lapse video by St. Catharines-based audio/video producer Adam Marshall, capturing downtown St. Catharines' sunset, was a wonderful surprise.

This particular spot was captured near the junction of The Merritt Trail and The Twelve Trail, according to one viewer. 

Winter Series | Falling-Snow-Effect on a Few Photos I Took... (11 Photos)

I discovered some old photos I took back in 2013-14 in St. Catharines that Google animated with the falling snow effect. I think we all have some of those. Some turned out good, others I didn't care for but all I am sharing with you in this Winter series - gify style...

VIDEO: Niagarans Reaction to Trump Victory | Downtown St. Catharines

It was only 4 people that were interviewed but interestingly enough, the women were more-or-less for Trump - while the men were most definitely for Hillary.

Video Snapshot

The Winning $1 Coin Design by St. Catharines Native To Honour Canada's 150th Anniversary | Plus Discover the Rest

Yay! Our very own Wesley Klassen from St. Catharines created the winning $1 coin design for The Royal Canadian Mint's "My Canada, My Inspiration" contest. The contest which launched in March 2015, invited Canadians across the country to create new designs for a 2017 circulation coin series honouring Canada's 150th anniversary - a once-in-a-generation event for all Canadians.

Now 50-year-old Klassen's winning design will not only be in the pockets of Canadians everywhere next year, but it will also be part of a collection of collectible coins, exclusively for 2017. What an honour!

CONNECTING A NATION $1 COIN by Wesley Klassen | St. Catharines, Ontario | Source

VIDEO: DOWNTOWN St. Catharines TIME-LAPSE Videos

Great time-lapse videos showing off our beautiful downtown St. Catharines complimenting the downtown series running in The St. Catharines Standard...

Snapshot from the hyper-lapse video about downtown St. Catharines

There were many short videos created for the series, now they are all combined into one for this FINAL version...

Hyperlapse of downtown St. Catharines

A hyper-lapse video around downtown St. Catharines with hyperlinks showing mini-videos of then and now photos.
Just click on a link when it pops up to reveal another (short) video showing a before and after photo of that place!

St. Catharines Standard/YouTube

2016 Annual Downtown Classic Car Show in St. Catharines… in PHOTOS

Were you there? The skies were sunny at times then cloudy the next but overall it was a great day to check out some classic cars at the 14th annual Downtown Classic Car Show in St. Catharines.

Sayonara, for now, to our Feathered Friends being Shipped off to Amherstburg...

So we read they have shipped the first of 500 geese out of Port Dalhousie to an area called Amherstburg near Windsor, Ontario, you know, to curb the influx of aggressive birds at parks and the abundant feces that goes along with them. Anyone who's ever visited Jaycee Park can totally relate to this.

"Canada Wildlife Services issued a permit for St. Catharines to relocate 500 geese this year to a farm in Amherstburg during moulting season, when geese lose their feathers." - stcatharinesstandard

As noisy as they are and as dirty as they can be, we'll miss them... we think.

In this case, the birds are being relocated hundreds of kilometres away near Windsor in an effort to change their migratory patterns. City horticultural technician Mike Anderson said even if the geese do return, it will be after they regrow their wings in August and September. “By that time, they’re quite welcome to come back,” he said, explaining most activities that result in interactions between humans and geese are already over by then. “We’re really relocating them for July and August, which are the very busy times down in those parks in the watershed.” St. Catharines council voted in July 2015 to apply for a permit to send the geese packing, after years of trying to combat a growing geese population. Complaints about sticky, slippery messes along paths and parks in Port Dalhousie and on Welland Canals Parkway trails were numerous.

Here's to our feathered friends. May your summer be as pleasant as ours now will be...

(Pictures were taken at Jaycee Park, Port Dalhousie)

First there was one...

VIDEO: Squirrel Enjoying a French Fry in the Rain

Back in November 2014, I managed to post some photos of squirrels enjoying some french fries, (check it out here.)

Back then, there was also snow on the ground but this time around it was raining and I felt sorry for the poor little things and toss them what I had on hand - a few homemade fries. I captured this one on video...