The USA and Canada are almost magical; like Hong Kong, it was built by immigrants and refugees who arrived with nothing and faced with an uncertain future. With determination and grit, they resolved to make this a meritocracy where anyone can make it in life – or so they believed. Read more…
Allentown in the Lehigh Valley was named after its founder William Allen. His son, James Allen, built Trout Hall that stands as the site of the county’s historical museum. Its baseball team is called the Iron Pigs, named after the city’s early steel industry that began in the 1850s, the Read more…
Scranton had a trolley system from 1896 to 1954, the first economically sustainable system in America. The Lackawanna valley was rich in anthracite, top-notch coal, and the trolleys were powered from the nearby coal-fired power plant via a third rail, unusual for interurbans. But one line, the Northern Electric Railway, Read more…
The stench of diesel wafts through the air of the industrial centre of the Pocono Mountains. Diesel locomotives transit through carrying hundreds of cars of assorted goods and commodities, they idle and stink. But not all of the trains in Scranton ran on diesel, it’s electric trolleys that were ripped Read more…
I have never been so disappointed in a new city in my life. The place was foggy from dawn to dusk and then it got dark when the fog cleared. I was told that Saint John is always foggy from the Atlantic mist, but I’ve seen clearer pictures of the Read more…
The biggest draw to Saint-Jérôme is its massive cathedral which is the largest in the Laurentians. The three-spired cathedral was constructed beginning in 1897 and opened in 1900. The church square has a skating rink in winter that circles a statue of Antoine Labelle, the priest who created this and Read more…
The 1967 World’s Fair was held in Montreal with great success. It was the most visited World’s Fair of the century with over 54 million attendances and the highest number of countries participating at 62. Expo 67 had a lasting impact on Montreal – and on Canada. The metro’s Yellow Read more…
The Montreal Museum of Fine arts was first founded in 1860 as the Art Association of Montreal. It is the oldest art museum in Canada. However, it didn’t have its own building until a site was donated to them in 1879. The museum was at its current site since 1912 Read more…
Best described as a giant building with galleries of multiple units and outdoor aircraft hangers, the complex contains the museums of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Calgary Highlander, King’s Own Calgary Regiment, Lord Strathcona’s Horse, Army Museum of Alberta, Naval Museum of Alberta, and Air Force Museum of Alberta. Why Read more…
I had a moment of reflection when I approached the village plaza. People in North America rebuild what they used to have miles and miles away so they can drive there to enjoy a nice walkable environment. In Europe, those environments were just the town. Gasoline Alley is the biggest Read more…
Almost smack in the middle between Edmonton in the north and Calgary in the south lies Red Deer – a former railway divisional point station that has a town around it. The Calgary and Edmonton Railway completed in 1890 was the economic driving force of Red Deer. The now-heritage train Read more…