winter 2015 bca a .com 15
Tastes of St. John's (clockwise from bottom
left) include: chef prep of vibrant radicchio
leaves at The Merchant Tavern; pulling a pint
at The Duke of Duckworth; for dessert, local
berries go into sea buckthorn posset with
milk crisp at The Merchant Tavern; the
ultimate view of the city from Signal Hill.
QUICK HITS
• Eighteenth-century ships were
flagged into St. John's Harbour from
Signal Hill (now a national historic
site, pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/signal
hill/index.aspx), topped by the castle-
like cabot Tower. The world's first
transatlantic wireless signal
was received here in 1901.
• Go deep into the Hill's
history with
a tour of the Johnson GEo
centre
(geocentre.ca) underneath the Hill's
550-million-year-old rock bed.
Interactive geological exhibits and
cultural history will fascinate the
whole family.
• Quidi Vidi Village is a traditional
waterside fishing community dating
back to the 18th century. Today you
can visit an antique shop, a vintage
pub or a modern craft brewery,
Quidi Vidi
brewery.
• Water Street (downtownstjohns
.com) is a must-see stroll in any
weather,
for everyone from seasonal
cruise-ship passengers to in-port
sailors to those browsing for
souvenirs, snacks or a cozy meal.
George Street (georgestreetlive.ca)
is its after-dark companion, a
pedestrian-only jackpot of live music,
pubs and people-watching.
• You're practically a local once you've
had a screech-in at a Newfoundland
pub. more than 100,000 people from
all over the world have experienced
the renowned ceremony (which
traditionally involves a shot of rum
and kissing a cod) at pubs like
Trapper John's on George Street
(trapperjohns.com/screechins.html).
• Not only a bird's-eye view of the city,
but an unbeatable combination of
exhibitions – in the provincial archives,
art gallery and museum – draws
visitors to The Rooms (therooms.ca),
named for
the chambers where
fishing families once came together
to process their catch.
