Halifax, day 0.5
Apr 19, 2009Spent most of the day in airports. Continental comped anyone on the 2:45 delayed flight who asked for one with a customer appreciation sleeve containing a 10% discount on future travel, a drink ticket and a $14 meal voucher. I had planned to waste four hours making my connection today so it seemed like good deal. A number of passengers missed their connections and found their next flights full or, worse, overbooked, they didn’t think it was much of an offer.
I learned (from a friendly TSA employee) that Continental runs their own inter-terminal shuttles from the secure side of the TSA checkpoint for ticketed passengers making connections. I arrived at the booth five minutes before the next one from Terminal C, near Gate 71, to Terminal A, near Gate 28 and was at Gate 27 in less than ten minutes and without passing through the security check again. Win!
Wandered around downtown Halifax, out to St. Mary’s and Dalhousie and crisscrossed back. It’s more hilly than I expected. There is a strong effort to preserve the old architecture (aside from some oddities like the Scotia Plaza and- I think- the civic arena which were plunked down blocking where the old streets must have run). I forgot my camera but I’ll retrace my steps and take a few snapshots.
Ate at the Wooden Monkey in what I’ve read is it’s new location on 1707 Grafton Street. I saw a recommendation on either yelp or traveladvisor for the old location. Ignore the website. Ignore the owners’ local, organic, save-the-Earth high-mindedness, the earthy turmeric-colored plaster and the menu’s asterisked gluten-free and vegan reminders. Just eat. The food is good. Really good of the, “Wow, you must try a bite of this!” variety. I had the house side salad and the grilled lamb burger with rosemary goat cheese and “roasties”, roasted seasoned potatoes cut slightly finer than home-style fries, with a local Scotch Ale. I forgot to warn them against overcooking the lamb but it still arrived just perfectly done, juicy with the slightest pink in the middle. Excellent meal.