Leeds is a classic English Rust Belt city. Though smaller than Birmingham and Manchester, Leeds also played a key role in England’s industrialization. Today it’s the UK’s largest English financial center outside of London, but much of the character of Leeds’ industrial past remains intact.
Leeds is the primary urban center for the region known as West Yorkshire. A small market town until the 17th Century, Leeds became a major trade and manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution.
Best known as the center of England’s wool industry, a wide variety of industrial activity thrived in Leeds, especially after the opening of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816.
Leeds is a pleasantly gritty town, with much of its architecture still showing a working class/industrial aesthetic.
Here’s the market in the center of town.
another shot of the market
and some more typical Leeds-esque steetscape
the pedestrian shopping district in the center of town
a cleaver way to use an overhanging to adjoin two old buildings and turn the street between them into an indoor mall
You can’t tell from this picture, but this street in the city centre is what appears to be the former Leeds Chinatown, now in the process of evaporating. Roughly every other storefront is a Chinese business, and it seemed as if the process of neighborhood succession was already well-advanced, with non-ethnic businesses on their way in and Chinese businesses trickling out. If anybody has more detailed info on the history of this area, please share in the comments section.
Leeds has a well-defined architectural style with wide usage of brick, and most of the buildings in the city centre look something like this.
Like Birmingham, Leeds is also traversed by a web of canals. Many of the old mill buildings along the canals have been converted into apartment spaces.
An old friend of mine from Kansas City lives in Leeds with his British wife and children. This is their neighborhood, where I stayed. The neighborhood was uniformly laid out in these almost surreal brick housing blocks which extend for several hundred feet in each direction.
I’m not sure on the date exactly, but I’m guessing they’re probably mid-19th Century and were built for middle class families looking to get away from the city centre.
Leeds is small and compact, even by British standards, and the bus system is efficient for getting around. An extensie commuter rail network connects the city centre with suburban and outlying towns across West Yorkshire and beyond.
Just a 15 minute train ride from the Leeds City Centre is the town of Saltaire. Founded in 1853, Saltaire claims to be the most well-intact 19th Century planned industrial village in the UK.
Planned industrial villages such as these were built in both the UK and the US during the later phases of the Industrial Revolution. Typically a large company would build a production plant in a distant suburban area far from the city centre in order to take advantage of cheaper land and/or favorable transportation routes. Since workers were out of reach of most city amenities, the company would construct an entire town from scratch, including markets, schools, churches, and hospitals. The workers would then be able to carry out most regular activities without ever leaving the village. In many ways, these British industrial villages form the prototypes for those currently operating in China in which large companies (particularly in the Southeast) build all-inclusive factory campuses for their employees.
Saltaire was built to house workers of Salt’s Mill (above). A major textile producing mill in its heyday, Salt’s Mill originally consisted of five separate mills which were consolidated to this site in the 1850’s.
The mill remained active until it was closed in 1986, and a plan to convert it into a shopping center was begun.
Today, the town of Saltaire stands in pristine condition, with the former homes of mill workers preserved and occupied by local residents, many of whom commute daily to Leeds for work.
Saltaire and its uniformity have been preserved impeccably over the years.
For folks on the other side of the Atlantic, a similarly planned industrial village can be found in the Pullman district of Chicago (not pictured).
Although Saltaire has been weaved into the fabric of modern technology, the architectural integrity of its period of construction remains well intact.
Saltaire is graced by a lush, green, backdrop of West Yorkshire hills.
Considering the train ride from Leeds to Saltaire is shorter than an average inner-city trip on the London Tube, I’d recommend a visit to Saltaire for any Leeds itinerary.
The following set of images are all more shots from Saltaire.
What trip to England would be complete without watching a proper English football (soccer) match? It was just my luck that Manchester United was in town during my stay, playing a Carling Cup match against Leeds at Elland Road Stadium.
This was my first time seeing British football live and the cultural experience in the crowd was as interesting as the game itself (Manchester obliterated Leeds 3-0 by the way). Growing up going to NFL games, I was used to the typical rabid antagonism which happens among spectators at a sporting event. But what I wasn’t totally prepared for was the authentic sense of hatred and desire to inflict bodily harm on opposing fans that permeates a British football match.
The Leeds fans in my section were hurling obscenities and threats of physical violence to the players and fans of Manchester United (as well as female members of their families) throughout most of the match.
Tickets to each match are purchased through the club to which one is a fan. For example, if you’re a Manchester United fan, and you want to see the match in Leeds, you buy tickets directly through Manchester United. This is because there are separate seating sections for the opposing fans, in order to prevent all-out brawls. As you can see above, the Manchester fans were seated in their own section, cordoned off by a veritable mechitza of police in full riot gear. When the match concludes, the home fans leave first. The visiting fans must stay in their corral until all the home fans have left in another measure to prevent an all out war between the fans of the opposing squads.
Additionally, alcohol is not allowed into the viewing area of the stadium. Beer can be purchased at concession stands, but has to be finished before going back to the seating area. (I assume this is a further measure to decrease the likelihood of soccer-related violence). I was also surprised at how cheap concessions were compared with sporting events in the US.
In my last few hours in Leeds, my friend Melech drove me out to this pasture just outside of Leeds. In the far distance is an old manor house, which I am guessing belongs to the owner of the land and the sheep.
Leeds may no longer be the center of world wool production, but it’s still the home to lots of sheep.
One of the beauties of English (compared with American) cities is that there is very little urban sprawl. On our way to these pasturelands, we were driving through city neighborhoods when all of a sudden we reached the country…no suburban “subdivisions,” no strip centers, and no office parks…just town and country.
From Leeds I headed off to my final destination in the UK, Manchester. Leeds has a beaming, modern train station, and I thought I’d include a few shots.
From Leeds Station, you can get just about anywhere in England in under 3 hours.
For tourists interested in England’s industrial past, Leeds is a fascinating little city. Much of what I had expected to find in Birmingham, I ended up discovering in Leeds. With its central location, Leeds is within day-trip distance of both London and Manchester, but warrants more than a day of exploration, and for architecture and industrial history buffs, Saltaire is a must. Next, (and final) stop on the industrial tour through England: Manchester.
“Don’t go to Birmingham.” “There’s nothing to do there, it’s an industrial wasteland.” “Don’t waste your time. It’s the most boring city in England.” These were the typical responses I received from Londoners when I told them of my plan to visit Birmingham. These were also the most common responses I heard from Brummies (the colloquial term for Birmingham aka “Brum” natives) who questioned why I would ever visit such a horrendous place as their home town. In fact, outside of a few rural towns in China, I have never visited a place with such an acute sense of self-deprecation as Birmingham. That being said, I had particular reasons for including it on my itinerary. The next three stops on my trip (Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester) were all important production centers for England’s Industrial Revolution. How have these industrial hubs adapted to a post-industrial economy, and in what ways have they paralleled or diverged from post-industrial cities in the United States? This is what I hoped to shed some light upon in England’s industrial strongholds.
Birmingham was one of the world’s first major industrial centers, and is anchor of the second largest metropolitan region in the United Kingdom. It’s also the hometown of John Michael (aka Ozzy) Osbourne. Not to be confused with Birmingham, Alabama (the British city is pronounced “Birming’um), Birmingham is indeed quite boring in terms of culture and nightlife. With London less than 90 minutes away, and Manchester emerging as the cultural center of the North, Birmingham is England’s often forgotten second city.
Like many UK cities, Birmingham’s city centre consists of a dense commercial shopping district, with several pedestrian areas closed off to vehicular traffic. While a fair amount of old industrial buildings remain around the fringes of the city centre, the majority of central Birmingham has been rehabbed and redeveloped, with few physical hints of its industrial past remaining.
Here’s one of those old industrial buildings, located just between the city centre and the adjacent district of Digbeth.
Several of Birmingham’s post-industrial districts are now showing the signs of gentrification.
Boredom aside, Birmingham seems to still be a thriving place, with copious shopping and much new construction, especially in and near the city centre.
Several of the areas surrounding the city centre still show the signs of post-industrial urban decay.
Brownfields like this are abundant, where entire industrial districts have been cleared, seemingly in anticipation of future growth outward from the city centre.
Inside the city centre itself, there are smatterings of older buildings, but for the most part, its older industrial architecture has been replaced by newer commercial and residential developments.
There are however, a few standing relics of Birmingham’s past in the city centre.
Of the 6 cities I visited in the UK, Birmingham appeared to be the most ethnically diverse. I saw large numbers of Middle Easterners, South Asians, and Chinese, among others, particularly near the city centre.
At the geographic center of Birmingham, and adjoining to its pedestrian shopping malls is Victoria Square.
Victoria Square is also home to Birmingham Town Hall, the main library and several museums.
As the geographic center, it also serves as a convenient meeting point.
another look
Although much of Birmingham’s industrial past lies buried below high-rises and shopping malls, Birmingham Back-to-Backs has preserved a small sliver of the physical history of Birmingham’s industrial labor force. So called because the back of one building faces the back of another, Birmingham Back-to-Backs consists of three pairs of adjoining back-to-back houses built around a courtyard. They were built with no indoor plumbing, and residents had to use loos and washbasins located in the public courtyard. Unlike London, Glasgow, or New York, Birmingham never had vertical tenement housing. Instead, it was in adjoining back-to-backs where the majority of Birmingham’s working class families were housed.
In the 1800’s, thousands of these buildings were constructed to house Birmingham’s primarily immigrant labor force. As late as the 1950’s, much of Birmingham was still covered with back-to-back houses, mostly in dilapidated condition. Today, these 6 are all that remain. Birmingham Back-to-Backs provides a guided tour through the buildings which traces the histories of three different families who lived in the buildings.
While the general cost of living in England is quite high, I found that on the whole, reasonably healthy and fast meals were quite cheap. Take for example this Thai chicken baguette which cost only 1 pound. Sandwich shops, especially those selling a large variety of pre-made sandwiches in plastic triangular boxes are everywhere. They’re cheaper, faster, and more portable than even a meal at McDonald’s, and make the perfect subsistence for a backpacking trip.
Then there are also some culinary inventions or more questionable origin, such as the Unlimited All-You-Can-Eat East Meets West Flaming Dragon Buffet.
Birmingham has a sizable Chinese population and a Chinatown, colloquially called the “Chinese Quarter,” located just south of the central pedestrian mall. It consisted primarily of restaurants, and there didn’t seem to be a large concentration of Chinese people actually living there. Instead, it appeared that the Chinese population was more dispersed around the city centre. (I could be wrong on this, so please correct me if anybody is more familiar.) On the whole though, there isn’t much in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter that couldn’t be found in a Chinatown anywhere else on the planet.
Chinatown is also straddled between some of Birmingham’s more glitzy downtown developments. I wasn’t sure how much of this was connected to Chinatown and how much was encroaching on it.
Although Brummies tend to be self-deprecating when it comes to their city, one thing they are quite boastful about is their markets.
Located right near the heart of the city centre, you can still buy just about any daily need (food, clothing, kitchenware, cell phone chargers) at Birmingham’s city market.
In terms of relics of its industrial past, I found Birmingham is surprisingly lacking, especially compared to Leeds and Manchester. One bright spot however, was the Birmingham Canal Zone.
The extensive development of a canal system in England preceded the proliferation of the railroads, and for the early part of the Industrial Revolution, it was the canals which facilitated the cheap, efficient shipping necessary for industrial production. Birmingham, one of the world’s first true industrial centers was also, not coincidentally, the center of the British canal network.
Thesedays, much of Birmingham’s canal zones have been redeveloped into urban residential districts such as these.
Others remain derelict and are frequent targets of vandalism and seedy activity.
Also built along one of the old canals is the Birmingham National Indoor Arena, which hosts concerts and a slew of sporting events.
and one final canal shot
Located just south of the city centre, is Digbeth, one of Birmingham’s most interesting post-industrial neighborhoods. Digbeth first became a site of industrial activity in the mid-18th century, and there is still a significant amount of industry in the district today.
Digbeth’s most noticeable feature are the ubiquitous Victorian railway viaducts, which dominate the horizon.
The origins of the peculiar name “Digbeth” are debated, with some saying it’s a derivative of “dyke path” while others claiming it was originally “duck’s bath.”
Unlike the city centre, most of the architecture in Digbeth still consists of 19th Century industrial buildings.
In recent decades, Digbeth has been associated with the British electronic music, and has also started seeing the incipient signs of gentrification.
With cheap rents, proximity to the city centre, and oodles of urban grit, Digbeth shows signs of a neighborhood potentially on the verge of urban regeneration.
In other words, if I’m a Brummie, and I’m a hipster, Digbeth is definitely a place where I want to be seen.
more industrial schenanigans in Digbeth
a typical Digbeth storefront
canal running through Digbeth factory zones
Digbeth makes an ideal place for an urban hike. I spent the better part of an afternoon wandering around, following canals and railroad tracks, and snapping pictures. It isn’t pretty (in the typical aesthetic sense), but for industrial or urban enthusiasts, it’s the crown jewel of greater Birmingham.
Birmingham generally isn’t high on the list of most tourist itineraries. It lacks the glamor and glitz of London, and for historical purposes Leeds and Manchester have more to offer.
But as the UK’s second largest city and one of the world’s earliest industrial pioneers, Birmingham does have a story to tell which makes up for its other shortcomings. “Brum” isn’t for everybody, but if you’ve read this far and haven’t gotten bored, consider a visit if you’re ever in the UK. Next stop: Leeds
The third stop on my jaunt through the UK was Oxford. Getting there from Cardiff was a cinch, considering I bought my ticket half an hour before departure. A high speed train from Cardiff whisked me off to some transit point in the middle of nowhere. After a four minute wait, another high speed train picked me up and within half an hour, I was in Oxford. The entire trip took under 90 minutes.
Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world with roots going as far back as the 11th Century. It’s the prototype to which all “college towns” can trace at least some roots back to.
Unlike most American college towns which have well-defined campus areas, Oxford University’s buildings are scattered throughout the town, blurring the boundaries between the city and the campus.
The university itself is broken into roughly 40 different “colleges” with each student belonging to one of the colleges in addition to the university umbrella.
Architecturally, Oxford is a treat to explore.
The town of Oxford itself is very much a college town, with most local businesses catered towards a student clientele.
Oxford is a fantastic city to be a pedestrian, and a complete pain in the arse to drive through. Streets are narrow, parking is difficult or non-existent, and flocks of pedestrians often crowd the street (which you don’t see here since this was taken at 8 in the morning). While most North American cities have spent the greater part of the last half century facilitating drivers, many English towns, even the small ones, remain centered on the pedestrian paradigm. Oxford is a fine example of this.
What’s behind this door?
The Radcliffe Camera, aka “Radcam” arguably Oxford’s most recognizable building
The University Church of St. Mary
This is All Souls College, one of Oxford’s most exclusive colleges. Every year students compete for automatic 7-year fellowships to All Souls in what’s dubbed “the hardest exam in the world.” The exam lasts 3-6 hours and recent questions have reportedly been as obscure as “Water, discuss.”
and another
Oxford colleges each have their own mini-campuses which are closed to the general public. One of my classmates in Chicago had previously spent some time at Trinity College, and was able to arrange for me to take a tour with one of his old friends.
When you talk to students of Oxford, past and present, they will often identify themselves with whichever college they attended. College function as mini-universities within Oxford, with each having its own residence hall, dining hall, and library, and holding its own exclusive social functions.
I don’t think I saw better manicured grass anywhere else on my trip.
Trinity Chapel
Now back in public grounds. This the famous Hertford Bride aka “The Bridge of Sighs.”
The Radcam Theater
The Bodleian library aka “The Bod”
more old cobblestone Oxford streets
and another view of the University Church (I think)
One of Oxford’s more recent tourist landmarks, the Turf Tavern secured its place in Oxford lore when Bill Clinton smoked pot (but didn’t inhale) on this very spot, the back patio.
Oxford also seems to be high on the wrung of Chinese tourist destinations. There were few sites I saw which weren’t surrounded with SLR-camera-wielding Chinese tour groups.
Oxford is also home to some of the best landscaping I saw anywhere in the UK.
Oxford is a fine place to visit, and like Cardiff, is an easy day-trip from London. With a history predating Harvard by roughly half a millennium, Oxford is the place to go to explore the history and development of the “college town.” (I’m told Cambridge is as well, but I don’t want to start a war here). It’s also fine town to take a relaxing urban walk, throw back a few pints at the pub, and bask in the company of some of the world’s brightest intellectuals. Next stop: Birmingham
Cardiff is the largest city and chief economic and cultural center of Wales. That’s all I knew about it before making it the second stop on my trip.
Getting anywhere in England is easy. With the high speed rail system, you’re never more than a 3 or 4 hour reach of any major city. And with Megabus and National Express Coach, you’re hardly ever more than 20 pounds from your destination either. My Megabus ticket from London to Cardiff, booked less than 24 hours in advance, cost a walloping 13 GBP.
Like most mid-sized UK cities, the core of Cardiff’s city centre consists of a pedestrian mall which serves as the metro region’s primary shopping district.
Although 21% of the Welsh population allegedly speaks the Welsh language, the only Welsh I heard during my day in Cardiff was on broadcast announcements at the train station.
While conspicuous symbols of Welsh national pride were abundant, for all intents and purposes, Cardiff felt very much like an English city.
Cardiff isn’t usually a place people visit for the architecture, but there are a few aesthetically pleasing older buildings.
…and a soccer stadium
While taking a walk through the park, I inadvertently ran into a cricket match between India and England. I don’t know the first thing about cricket, but from what I could see and hear, it seemed like quite a party, especially among the Indian fans.
Cardiff’s most famous tourist attraction is Cardiff Castle.
The oldest extant section, the Norman “keep” (pictured above from the inside) dates back to 1091.
Cardiff Castle isn’t so much a castle per se as it is a campus of buildings and green space enclosed by an old cement wall. Here’s a view from the keep, which is perched on a hill in the center of the “castle.” In the background is the city centre.
…and an up-close view at some of the castle architecture
…and another view from the side
…and here’s a shot of the keep, perched on its mound overlooking the rest of the castle
some interesting signage
Cardiff is geographically small and compact, but there were a few old industrial neighborhoods I wanted to stroll through such at Butetown, just south of the city centre. Located in the vicinity of Cardiff’s docks, Butetown became one of the UK’s first multi-cultural districts around the time of World War I. Today it’s home to large communities, of Yemenis, Greeks, and Somalis. Butetown shows signs of decay, including vacated and poorly maintained buildings. Several locals advised me against walking around there at night.
What’s interesting from an American perspective is that the areas, locally defined as “slums” in the UK, are like a walk through the suburbs compared to many neighborhoods in say, the South Side of Chicago or North Philly. There are certainly historical, economic, and sociological reasons for this, but part of the reason (I would posit) that the UK’s streets are safer is the high levels of urban density which allow for more informal social control and more efficient policing. In very few places did I encounter urban blight and sparseness in levels similar to that of most post-industrial American cities.
Just south of Butetown are the Cardiff docks district, which unlike Butetown, have seen a fair share of gentrification and redevelopment in recent years.
Here are the docks themselves, (schnazzy commercial developments not pictured)
more docks
Throughout much of the UK, South Asian culture has permeated in similar fashion to how Latin American culture has become part of the general culture in the US. Nowhere is this more relevant than in the culinary realm, where even multinational fast food chains are quick to localize.
more old industrial Cardiff streetscape
UK cities, and European cities in general, have done a more effective job of embracing the social, economic, and environmental advantages of urban density, than has been the case in North America. Cardiff is a prime example of this, exemplified by these newer residential developments, built up rather than out.
looking just down the river from the new mid-rises
another old neighborhood with dense housing blocks
and a view of the city centre from afar
more city centre
older mixed-use commercial/residential buildings in the city centre
and finally off to Oxford on the high speed train
Cardiff is an interesting town, and with its compactness and proximity to London, it makes an ideal spot for a day trip. If you’re looking for an authentically Welsh cultural experience, Cardiff probably isn’t the place to find it. From what I gathered, the smaller towns have retained more of the Welsh culture, while Cardiff has served as the de facto gateway to England. Nonetheless, it was one of the more livable cities I saw in the UK, and was well worth the day trip. Next stop: Oxford
London! The economic capital of Europe, the gateway to the Western Hemisphere, the center of the Industrial Age’s most powerful empire. Fittingly, London seemed like the ideal starting point for my 18 day tour through Europe, although I was corrected several times by Brits that England is in fact not part of Europe by their definition. So here’s part 1 of a 14 part series on my recent trip through Europe…and the UK.
London is simply fabulous! At first I thought it was jitters from finally landing in Europe, but London is truly one of the most exciting cities on the planet.
With the mix of new and old, of English and foreign, and of wealth and squalor, London just about has it all.
In total, I visited 14 European cities, and when all was said and done, London takes the cake when it comes to architecture. Walking through the West End (the de facto city centre), you can feel the monetary spoils of the Industrial Revolution flowing through veins of the Victorian housing and commercial blocks.
London is touristy, very touristy. But it’s one of those cities where most of the tourist attractions are well worth the visit, both old…
…and new
…and somewhat old
…and royal.
The changing of the guard is the big draw to Buckingham Palace, but after warnings of crowds so big I wouldn’t be able to see the changing, let alone the guard himself, I opted to view the guard in his unchanged state.
London is one of those cities where you can wander around in any direction and inevitably run into something majestic, old, and famous without ever even knowing it was there. The entire city is overflowing with history, and after checking 6 or 7 monuments off my travel notes, I gave up trying to figure out what was what.
Possibly the most famous tourist attraction in town is the Tower of London.
With a slew of museums and neighborhoods I wanted to see, I didn’t end up going inside.
The view is indeed quite nice from outside though.
Here’s Trafalgar Square, another major West End landmark.
Compared with its West End environs, there isn’t anything extraordinary about Trafalgar Square at first glance. But something about this square just works.
I can’t put a finger on it exactly, but the more I passed through Trafalgar, the more I wanted to take a break, relax, eat one of those pre-packaged plastic triangle sandwiches, hacky sack, people watch, or a combination of the above.
It also helped that it was 70 degrees and sunny for the full two days I was in London. Apparently, this never happens.
London is the host of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. But if not for this sign in Trafalgar Square, I would have never even noticed. This was quite the contrast to China in the years leading up to 2008. You couldn’t go anywhere in Beijing (let alone the entire country) without overhearing the Beijing 2008 brew-haha.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is another one of Central London’s masterpieces of architecture.
The front steps of St. Paul’s is another classic London public space. At mid-day, it was full of office workers on lunch break and tourists snapping photos.
…and a view of St. Paul’s from the side
…and a view across the street from St. Paul’s. Central London is one of those places where every building looks different, yet somehow matches perfectly within the architectural theme.
Moving outward now…London has one of the world’s most efficient public transit systems, and getting almost anywhere is cake. London was also a pioneer in public transportation branding. It’s “roundel” is one of the most widely-recognized symbols in the world, and its system map, using color-coded lines and a non-geographic layout has become the template for public transit maps across the world.
The backbone of the system is the London Underground, or as it’s colloquially called “The Tube.” With the first line opening in 1863, the Tube is the oldest underground railroad in the world.
In addition to the Tube, London has several lines of elevated mass transit, appropriately dubbed “The London Overground.”
And the newest addition to London’s mass transit network is the Docklands Light Rail (DLR), covering the vast Dockland’s district (more on that below), formerly not connected to the public transit grid. All 3 systems (Underground, Overground, and DLR) work in conjunction with one another with free transfers from system to system.
London also has a dense network of buses with many of them running in dedicated bus lanes. As a response to growing congestion, London became one of the first major cities to introduce “congestion charges” in 2003. Private vehicles wishing to enter Central London between 7 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday are charged a 10 Pound congestion charge for each entrance, easing congestion for bus transit.
A web of commuter rail also surrounds London providing convenient transport from surrounding suburbs and towns to the city centre.
Attempting to navigate London with a map is a hopeless exercise in futility. Even with a compass in hand, the simple act figuring out which direction you are headed is enough to make the head spin. But London does have some of the most informative public signage I’ve ever encountered. Unfortunately I didn’t snap a picture, but street signs are flanked with arrows pointing in every direction to landmarks, districts, and virtually anything else a tourist would want to locate. Just follow the signage, and you can find just about anything, even without a map. London’s hyper-informative signage even extends to casual reminders of which direction the traffic flows.
can’t remember the last time I used one of these
Or how about this “authentic Canadian-style” sports bar and grill.
more random architecture shots from the West End
rush hour
The city area of London is bisected by the Thames River. Most of the river crossings are underwhelming, except for the illustrious Tower Bridge, constructed between 1886 and 1894
In addition to the bridge itself, crossing it on foot allows for some of the most scenic views of London skyline.
Much of London’s modern architecture is located along the bank south of the river.
With street grids and traffic patterns laid out long before the advent of steel, London has few skyscrapers compared with other world financial centers such as New York and Tokyo. But a sizable chunk of the more recent office development, especially those areas just south of the Thames, seems to be employing the high-rise paradigm.
Here’s another shot of the Tower Bridge, looking north from the south bank of the river.
…and a final view of the bridge from the South
With my first day in London devoted primarily to exploring the more posh districts in the West End and just south of the river, I spent my second day exploring several of London’s ethnic as well as outerlying neighborhoods. The first was Brick Lane, London’s Little Bangladesh.
Brick Lane was more disneyfied than I had expected, but still housed several streets worth of South Asian shops and eateries.
…
London is also home to a sizable Chinatown. For a city its size, London’s Chinatown was mostly a disappointment. It’s highly disneyfied and has all the characteristics of a downtown tourist trap. With most of the restaurants and businesses catering to a non-Chinese clientele, I was led to believe that there are probably additional satellite Chinatown in the London metro area, with “Chinatown” now functioning primarily as an economic rather than residential district. Anybody have any more info on this?
One pleasant surprise of Chinatown was this delicious Lanzhou “pulled noodles” restaurant I found. You can hardly walk 10 minutes in any Chinese city without bumping into one of them, but in North American Chinatowns they can be surprisingly elusive.
Like most disneyfied Chinatowns, the conspicuous symbols of Chinese culture are everywhere in London’s Chinatown. By my count, the red-lanterns-per-Chinese-resident ratio was hovering somewhere around 1:1.
The Chinese characters in this sign read “Old Hunan Village, Hunan Food.” Gotta love deceptive advertising.
Moving on to the East End, which has traditionally been home to London’s working class masses.
Famously the origin of London’s Cockney population, the East End is now inhabited in large part by immigrants from across the globe. Pictured here is the Middle Eastern market in Whitechapel.
In all my travels, the Whitechapel market is the only shopping district I have encountered where buqas and lingerie can be purchased from adjoining stalls.
And here’s the Spitalfields Market, one of the more gentrified parts of East London.
These next few pics are from the neighborhood of Hackney. Hackney was originally an independent town just down the road from London, but with urban expansion in the 19th Century, it was swallowed up into the greater metropolis. Hackney is also one of the few spots in the East End where I heard mutterings of Cockney still being spoken.
Old Hackney flats like these provided housing to the vast pool of human labor which flocked to the East End during the Industrial Revolution.
more flats
a small creek running through Hackney
recreational boats
more boats
Now shifting to the Docklands. Located in East London, along the Thames, the Docklands were once home to the largest port in the world. It was mainly from this port that raw materials from across the British Empire were shipped in, and manufactured goods were transported around the world.
As England deindustrialized, the port shrunk, until finally by 1980 all of the docks had been closed. The 8 square mile swath of land lay derelict as crime and poverty set in. As soon as the docks were closed, redevelopment plans were begun, which have turned the Docklands into a thriving high-rise financial, commercial, and residential district.
As you can see, very little physical remnants of the district’s past remain.
I should also mention, there is a free Docklands Museum housed in an old warehouse along the river, which was the most interesting museum I visited in London. So much of London’s history revolved around the history of the docks, and the museum does an excellent job of putting it in perspective, as well as documenting the changes in the Docklands occurring in present times.
Another major recent development has been the Docklands Light Rail (pictured about 50 slides up). Previously, the Docklands had been entirely cut off from the London Underground, but when the DLR first opened in 1987, the Docklands became conveniently linked to the rest of the city’s transit grid.
London is a magnificent array of lighting arrangements at night. One regret I have from my visit is that I didn’t spend more time bumbling around at night and taking pictures. This one is from Piccadilly Circus, London’s Times Square of sorts.
Victoria Station, one of London’s many commuter transit terminals.
glitzy shopping
Big Ben
up close
The London Eye
Westminster Abbey
…and a couple more random night shots from the West End
London is one of those destinations which receives an ungodly amount of hype on the travel circuit. And it’s one of those unique places where the plethora of hype is well-justified. Due to the time constraints of my trip, I only budgeted 2 days to explore this city of endless intrigue and excitement. But even 2 weeks probably wouldn’t have been enough to take in all London has to offer. With 18 days and 4 countries on the itinerary, I had a schedule to keep, so the rest of London will have to wait for another trip. Next stop: Cardiff, Wales.
From Henry Ford to Motown, and from the Great Migration to the Great Recession, there is perhaps no other city in the world with a story like Detroit. Detroit was the prototypical boom town of the early industrial age, and then a generation later the poster child of post-industrial decay. As an undisputed “industry town,” Detroit’s prosperity has paralleled that of the American automotive industry. When times were good for Ford, GM, and Chrysler, times were very good for Detroit. And as the Big 3’s dominance has waned in the post-WW2 era, so have the fortunes of the Motor City. Reaching a peak population of 1.85 million in the 1950 Census. 2010 figures show the population has not dropped to 713,000. In 1950, Detroit had more people than any American city outside of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Today, it’s bleeding population, as the shell of a great city remains, under-utilized and in decay.
For an up-close view of Detroit, and to learn first hand about the effects of industrialization and deindustrialization on the Motor City, and America as a whole, I spent last weekend in Detroit. The following are photos and observations from my trip.
While Detroit is infamous for its urban decay, Downtown is in much better shape than the city as a whole, especially when compared against the broad spectrum of American downtowns of the 21st Century. Although much of the city has deteriorated, Downtown remains a primary employment center, and still sees a fair amount of economic activity.
Downtown Detroit actually has more pedestrian activity than a fair amount of other Midwestern downtowns, but when considering the scale of the architecture, it still feels under-utilized. With a bit of imagination, one can feel the aura of a bustling megalopolis of the first half of the 20th Century.
My first impression of Downtown was that it looked as if it was a spectacle of architectural magnificence 50 years ago, but that little had been built since.
Ford Road, Chrysler Freeway, Cadillac Square (pictured), even place names in Detroit bear the influence of the automotive industry.
Between all the art deco skyscrapers and other vintage early 20th Century architecture, there are also occasional modern structures as well, but these are few and far between.
In many respects, I’d say the closest analog to Downtown Detroit would be Philadelphia’s Center City. They both have that feel of past munificence lost in the age of post-industrialism, but still a spirit of resilience in the face of economic restructuring.
Overall, I was impressed with the early 20th Century architecture of Downtown, my own personal favorite being the Book Tower, completed in 1916.
Like other Midwestern and rust belt downtowns, Detroit also has the requisite expanses of parking lots, endemic of post-war urban development.
These days, increasing amounts of tourists come to Detroit to see the blight and urban decay. But downtown is, on the contrary, a surprising contrast to the conditions of most of the rest of the urban core.
Downtown Detroit is also home to many well-intact early 20th Century church buildings.
…and the Isaac Agree Downtown synagogue, the only congregationally-owned synagogue left in Detroit proper,
The Detroit metropolitan area is also home to the country’s largest concentration of Arab Americans. Whereas many American cities post signage in English ans Spanish, signs in Detroit are often posted in English and Arabic.
The most eye-catching landmark in Downtown Detroit is the 750 foot Renaissance Center. Built in 1977, the “RenCen” is home of General Motors’ world headquarters as well as a hotel, shopping center, restaurants, banks and a 4-screen movie theatre.
To clear up any potential confusion about its country of origin, eight American flags fly in front of the RenCen. Yes, for those unaware, GM is an American company.
While no doubt an architectural work of mastery, the RenCen appears out of place in its surroundings dominated by art deco skyscrapers and other early 20th Century architectural styles. Originally conceived as a means to revitalize the downtown core, the RenCen instead sticks out as if a building from Dubai or Shanghai was plopped down in the middle of the America Rust Belt.
No Midwestern city would be complete without its signature hot-dog-based local food specialty. In Detroit, it’s the Coney Island hot dog, or as it’s commonly referred to “the Coney.” Consisting of a beef hot dog, topped with beanless chili, onions and yellow mustard, Coney’s make for the ideal late-night post-bar indulgence.
On the suggestion of friends, my Coney came from Lafayette Coney Island, which as you can see, has a limited menu. You come here for the dogs…and maybe the chili fries.
Detroit is home to the most peculiar mass transit system I have ever encountered. Opened in 1987 as another boondoggle attempt to “revitalize” Downtown, the Detroit People Mover (yes, it’s really called the “People Mover”) consists of 2.9 miles of looping track, which runs in a single direction, around Downtown. For comparison sake, that’s only .2 miles longer than the internal transit system at O’hare Airport. Being that it doesn’t go anywhere a person couldn’t walk in 15 minutes, I couldn’t figure out much practical use for this system. The only other people I saw aboard were there for the same reason as me: an aerial view of the city and a chance to take cheesy tourist photos. For this purpose, the People Mover is well worth the 50 cent toll.
But being that Detroit’s boom followed closely with that of the automotive industry, Motown is truly a city built for cars. Broad, straight avenues radiate from all directions of downtown in a wheel-and-spoke pattern, connected by a vast network of interstate highways which cuts through the city neighborhoods.
While Downtown is in reasonable shape for an aging American city, the same cannot be said for the remainder of the urban core. After reaching its apex in the 1950’s, the American manufacturing industries began their steady decline which continues to this day. As blue collar jobs were automated and outsourced, no city was hit harder than Detroit. Today, much of the land between Downtown and the suburbs lies barren and abandoned, a relic of Detroit’s former industrial hegemony. This image shows the area known as Midtown, with Downtown in the background.
A quick drive up Woodward Avenue into Midtown provides a stark contrast to Downtown, with much of the landscape consisting of abandoned buildings and parking lots.
Midtown is showing signs of some gentrification, especially along Woodward where a new light rail is being built, but much of the housing stock remains out-of-date and dilapidated, such as this old church(?) which had a sign advertising cheap rooms for rent.
and then across the street…not sure exactly what’s being sold here
Near Midtown is also Detroit’s former Chinatown, which is also abandoned. (This is especially telling considering that the US is currently experiencing its largest wave ever of Chinese immigration, and most other American Chinatowns are overflowing with new arrivals.) Located in the “Cass Corridor,” this small Chinatown persisted through the 70’s and 80’s with its last restaurant closing in 2004. Today all that remains is this sign, and a mall of abandoned storefronts with the Chinese signs still hanging over the doors. Interestingly, there is still a functioning Chinatown across the river in the much smaller city of Windsor, Ontario (see bottom).
Detroit’s most famous abandoned structure is the Michigan Central Rail Depot. Built in 1913, the Depot served as the region’s primarily passenger rail center until the final train departed in 1988.
Located in the Corktown district, west of Downtown, the Depot is visible from miles away and remains stagnant as another symbol of Detroit’s decline.
Though it’s illegal to go inside, the Depot is a popular site for urban spelunking. Trespassers who can sneak in without being picked up by police can climb all 18 floors, and even reach the roof.
Future plans for the Depot are up in the air, with some brass campaigning for its demolition and others for a possible renovation. Ideas include a casino and a police center. As the Depot’s future, like the city’s, remains uncertain, it has taken on the status as a symbol of both Detroit’s decline and potential. It’s difficult to see from this picture, but the large white letters graffitied horizontally across the building read “Save the Depot.”
The Detroit metro area’s most blighted areas are located in the ring of neighborhoods located between Downtown and the suburbs. With the job market dried up, and no signs of recovery, Detroit’s precipitous population decline has also led to a corresponding drop in property values. Rather than pay property taxes on housing which will likely remain uninhabited, many residents and landlords have simply vacated their premises.
If I had to estimate, I’d say the typical Detroit neighborhood is about 1/3 occupied houses, 1/3 vacant houses, and 1/3 vacant lots and vegetation. Many of the vacant houses, such as this one, show sign of fire damage.
With decades of neglect, many of the vacant lots have sprouted trees and vegetation and reverted almost completely back to nature.
In some parts of the city, expanses of land where neighborhoods once existed now show no signs of civilization except for the occasional electrical wire and a crumbly sidewalk.
But between the blight, Detroit is still home to three quarter of a million people. With the job market dry, some residents take up their own cottage industries such as in-house eateries.
There are some areas, such as this strip along Michigan Avenue, where commercial activity has remained buoyant.
But these areas of commercial activity are often islands in a sea of blight. This picture was taken only a few blocks West of the previous one. Even commercial strips which remain occupied are usually surrounded by others which are vacant.
Like the housing stock, much of Detroit’s commercial real estate has been abandoned, and left to decay.
It should be pointed out that the previous 4 pictures were all taken along Michigan Avenue, one of Detroit’s main commercial arteries, and less than 10 minutes from Downtown.
Along with the Michigan Central Depot, the old Packard Plant is one of Detroit’s most famous abandoned structures. Built in 1903, the Packard plant was the most modern automobile manufacturing plant in the world when it opened. It closed in 1958, and today remains standing, vacated, along East Grand Boulevard.
Unlike the Michigan Rail Depot, which involves some ingenuity and the potential risk of arrest in order to enter, the Packard plant is easily accessible. While technically illegal to enter, many of the facilities’ doors are no longer functioning leaving numerous entry points at ground level. The Rail Depot, in contrast, is surrounded by a barbed wire fence, and the various ways in include sneaking through an abandoned underground tunnel and wading through waste deep water.
I have never experienced anything quite like the Packard Plant. Measuring over 3.5 million square feet, it would take hours, or perhaps days, to explore the entire premises.
With its easy accessibility, the Packard plant has become a haven for graffiti artists, squatters, urban explorers, and even paintball enthusiasts.
I even encountered a two men in a pickup truck, driving around inside the plant, collecting scrap.
Here’s a view from outside.
…and another from within.
an old office inside the plant
and a view from outside, looking in
In few places is the effect of deindustrialization as apparent as in the neighborhood surrounding the Packard plant. While there still remain some occupied houses, much of the neighborhood looks like this.
Among all the hardships and social problems, the urban decay of Detroit does provide for unique opportunities which require cheap, bountiful, (and in many cases uninhabitable) housing. In the early 1980’s, this section of Heidelberg Street was almost entirely blighted out. Most houses were abandoned and showing signs of fire damage, and their primarily use was as a venue for crack dealing. In 1986, an artist named Tyree Guyton decided to start painting the vacant houses, and the Heidelberg Project was born.
Today the Heidelberg has evolved into a block-wide outdoor museum, built with salvaged items collected around the city.
The Heidelberg Project is a constantly changing work of art, and on two occasions has even been bulldozed by the city.
Today it has become one of Detroit’s premiere tourist attractions, for locals and travelers alike.
Each house has its own theme, with corresponding items affixed throughout.
Vacant lots in the Heidelberg are also covered in artsy displays.
A central tenant of the Heidelberg Project has been to engage the local neighborhood kids, here seen working the information booth.
The various exhibits are all unique and quirky, such as this pile of salvaged shoes.
…and this boat covered in stuffed animals
With so many vacant properties, in many of which the owners are unknown, Detroit is one of the few places where this kind of unchecked urban artistic expression can happen.
Detroiters refer to these expressions as “urban art project,” or simply “projects.” Here’s another one, the “Disneyland of Hamtramck,” Hamtramck being an independent city surrounded by Detroit, and being the traditional center of the region’s Polish community.
After two days in Detroit, I spent an afternoon in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.
As a city whose economy is based around education rather than industry Ann Arbor’s has followed an economic path different from Detroit and Michigan as a whole.
Thus it bears little of the blight and decay which characterize so much of Detroit and other smaller cities in Michigan.
Also, in Detroit’s vicinity is the small town of Windsor, Ontario, located just across the Detroit River in Canada.
The Windsor-Detroit border is the busiest crossing along the Canada-US border, and is unique in that it’s the only crossing where you travel south to Canada and north to the US.
Windsor isn’t the most exciting town, but there are a few scattered historical sites, such as this old pumping station. It’s also the best vantage point from which to photograph the Detroit skyline. The picture at the very top of this post was taken from the shore in Windsor.
But my most interesting discovery in Windsor (thanks to the help of my local friend Fai), is that Windsor, unlike the city of Detroit, still has a functioning Chinatown.
As Detroit’s Chinatown dissolved, Windsor increasingly became the spot where Chinese in Detroit would go to eat out, purchase groceries, and procure any of the other goods and services commonly provided by Chinatowns. To my knowledge, this is the only Chinatown in the world which is located in a different country than the regional anchor city which it serves. (If anybody knows anywhere else where this is the case, please mention so in the comment section).
For a city of just over 200,000 people, Windsor’s Chinatown is surprisingly big, and I would posit this due to it being the de facto Detroit Chinatown. By in large the majority of spoken Chinese I heard was Cantonese/Taishanese, hinting that this is primarily an older, long-established immigrant community.
Although still home to many Chinese businesses, Windsor’s Chinatown does appear to be in decline. According to Fai, this is due to the appreciation of the Canadian dollar against the USD. As Canada has become increasingly expensive, fewer Chinese from the American side have been shopping and eating in Windsor, instead patronizing Chinese establishments in the Detroit suburbs.
There is possibly no American city whose future is in question as much as the Motor City. Detroit’s economy is never going to return to the robustness of the first half of the 20th Century, and filling the vacuum left behind has become an unrealistic fantasy. But Detroit’s precarious situation has presented unique opportunities artists, tech companies, and other creative industries which require space, but not necessarily location. (Houses can be purchased for around 10k). And ironically, Detroit’s vacant buildings and neighborhoods are increasingly providing a niche for tourism based on industrial history and urban decay.
Yet the plan for the city as a whole remains in the air. One idea is to downsize the city by bulldozing vacated and semi-vacated neighborhoods and replacing them with agricultural land. Scattered residents would then be relocated into more concentrated neighborhoods with fewer vacancies. This would enable the city to cut service expenses, while also providing agricultural jobs for residents. But as it stands, Detroit is simply too big for its shrinking population.
While many of these pictures (as well as media reports) present Detroit as a modern-day ghost town, it is important to remember that the city still has 750,000 residents, mostly poor, mostly African-American, and mostly with nowhere else to go. Although the city proper is struggling, the metropolitan region is still home to 4.5 million people, with many of the suburban communities still thriving and economically viable. But with 2010 census estimates already predicting the greater region’s first decade of negative population growth, it may not be long before the blight of the city radiates out towards surrounding suburbs.
Detroit is a fascinating city to visit, and serves as living evidence of both the perks and drawbacks of rapid industrialization. As an American, it’s difficult to ignore Detroit’s place in our country’s history. It serves to remind us how bright ideas are not always sustainable in the long run. And in the future, it will hopefully provide us with new solutions to the problems of post-industrial urban America. In the meantime, Detroit is well worth the trip. If anything, increasing tourism dollars will provide the city with some sustenance in these hard times. And hopefully as the world economy continues to evolve, Detroit will not be completely left behind.
This is the last post in a 6-part series on my trip to Canada.
Montreal is bona fide French Canada, but the undisputed capital of Francophone North America is La Ville de Québec, or as we say en anglais, Quebec City. This was the last major stop on my 2 week tour through Canada.
In addition to being the most completely francophone city in North America, Quebec City is also the continent’s oldest extant urban area.
Quebec City was founded in 1608 by French navigator Samuel de Champlain. Although several other outposts predate it, Quebec City was the earliest European city in North America intended for permanent settlement.
As might be expected, Quebec City is touristy, regularly finding itself on the lists of top tourist destinations for travelers from Canada and abroad. But Quebec City is touristy for good reason. Unlike its younger sister Montreal, and American cousin Boston, Quebec did not boom into a major urban center during the industrialization swept through North America in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The resulting slower growth spared much of Quebec’s older districts from the wrecking ball. (This explanation is based primarily on my own observations. If anyone is more versed in Quebec City’s urban history, please feel free to chime in.)
Quebec City is centered around the Old City, aka Old Quebec, the entirety of which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks in part to preservation efforts, Old Quebec retains many of the characteristics of a French colonial town.
Walking through the streets of Old Quebec is like no other urban experience in North America. With the exception of roadways for vehicular traffic, much of the streetscape has retained the layout and feel of colonial New France.
Old Quebec is tiny and can be traversed by foot in under half an hour. With its endless backroads and alleys, it is well worth a full day of wondering around and getting lost.
True to its pre-automobile European urban design, the streets in Old Quebec are constantly curving and winding, and do not follow any semblance of a grid. After a futile hour of attempted navigation, I ditched my map, and instead began relying on landmarks for my bearings.
Old Quebec’s most recognizable architectural landmark is the Château Frontenac hotel, completed in 1893.
Quebec City is one of the most racially and ethnically homogeneous cities in Canada, yet like most places on Earth, the Chinese have made their presence, as indicated by this Shanghainese restaurant. Across the river, in the town of Levis, I also met a convenience store owner from Fuzhou.
Old Quebec is divided into two distinct areas: Upper and Lower Town. Upper Town (previous pics) was traditionally home to clergy and military officials while the Lower Town (pictured above and following 3 pics) served as the port, housing merchants and craftsmen.
The settlement in Lower Town is older than Upper Town, and even more touristy, with expensive French restaurants and gift shops bustling out of nearly every storefront..
Old Quebec was built on a veritable natural fortress: a peninsula jutting into the St. Laurence river, with Lower Town (foreground) just above river level, and Upper Town on a natural mound several hundred feet above, as shown here by the Château Frontenac in the background.
These collections of modest buildings in Lower Town represent the oldest architecture of the city.
Now back to Upper Town.
Old Quebec is particularly photogenic.
especially at night
The boundaries of Old Quebec are demarcated by the defensible wall, originally constructed to keep out would-be invaders. It’s the only city wall in the Americas still standing, north of Mexico.
There are several points where the city wall can be scaled, and a path on top, which provides excellent views of the city.
Slits in the walls were left for cannons, and ramparts were constructed to fight off invaders of France’s most prized settlement in the New World.
The urban landscape of Quebec City outside the wall is quite different from that of inside the wall, as it’s referred to in the vernacular.
Adjacent to Old Quebec, across the St. Lawrence River, are Quebec’s primary industrial districts.
West of Old Quebec, just outside of the city wall lies Quebec City’s primary downtown commercial district.
The modest skyscrapers downtown represent the most heavily urbanized (I use this term loosely) part of Quebec City.
The biggest mistake tourists make in Quebec City is spending all of their time inside Old Quebec and never venturing beyond the wall. Some of the most unique architecture in the city is located in the residential neighborhoods just outside of the walls. Since many tourists never venture outside of the walls, these neighborhoods also have a markedly local feel, quite the contrast to Old Quebec. You won’t hear much English in these parts. And you also won’t encounter many people who aren’t white and Catholic.
As I alluded to above, on account of it never becoming a major urban center, Quebec City hasn’t seen the large-scale urban redevelopment which had reshaped North America’s other “ancient” cities such as Boston and Montreal. Walking through these neighborhoods feels like walking through a major city North American city in the mid-late 19th Century at the dawn of industrialization.
Northwest of (and several hundred feet below) Old Quebec lies the Saint-Sauveur neighborhood, which originally developed as a separate town from Quebec City proper.
Though formally annexed in 1887, Saint-Sauveur still feels like a slow paced, blue collar, French Canadian small town.
The neighborhood is now becoming a center of gentrification, as low rents and proximity to downtown is attracting many of the younger denizens of Quebec City.
Like much of Quebec City, Saint-Sauveur hasn’t seen much redevelopment over the years, giving it the feeling of a late 19th Century blue collar neighborhood stranded in time.
There isn’t anything outwardly spectacular about Saint-Sauveur, but I couldn’t help meandering around for several hours and taking pictures of the houses.
Outside of Old Quebec, signs in Quebec City are all in French, and you’re likely to receive blank stares if you attempt to ask for anything in English. What I found particularly amusing about all of Quebec (not just Quebec City) is that in the rest of Canada, even in areas which are 99% English, most signage is bilingual. However, Quebecers don’t even bother an attempt to be bilingual, and just post everything in French only.
Unlike much of Canada, Quebec City is not an overflowing bastion of ethnic diversity. This Mexican grocery store near Saint-Sauveur was one of the few businesses I encountered which catered to a primarily foreign clientele.
On the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, adjacent to Quebec City, is the town of Levis.
Feeling adventurous, I decided to rent a bicycle and ride down the southern coast of Quebec City, and across the St. Lawrence River to Levis. Aside from almost getting killed biking uphill on the shoulder of a curvy 4 lane highway which was somehow part of the “bike trail,” the trip was rather uneventful.
After biking west along the coast of Quebec City proper, and crossing a windy bridge which would have kept Indiana Jones on edge, the path led back east to the center of Levis. Expecting a quaint French village, I was disappointed to find Levis not much more than the strip-center infused urban sprawl of Quebec City. This was, however, where I met the convenience store operator from Fuzhou (where I had lived in China for 3 years), which was probably the highlight of the jaunt. From Levis, a ferry takes passengers back to Quebec City (in background) for 3 dollars.
…and another view of Old Quebec, from the ferry, with Château Frontenac in the middle
I have never seen any place quite like Quebec City. The architecture is more ancient (again, using term loosely) than anything else in North America, and it is also probably the most European city on the continent (Montreal included). For travelers who truly want to experience French Canada, Quebec City a must-see…and that just about wraps up my 2010 summer trip to Canada.
This is the fifth post in a 6-part series on my trip to Canada.
After five days in Ontario, I crossed the border into Quebec, the primary remaining bastion of French civilization in North America.
With a metropolitan population of 3.8 million, Montreal is the largest urban area in Quebec; roughly 5 times the size of Quebec City, the province’s second largest urban region.
Montreal is also the second largest metro area in Canada, after Toronto. But to the uninformed visitor to both cities, it would hardly appear that Toronto and Montreal are part of the same unified nation. From my own anecdotal observations, I experienced less culture difference traveling between Illinois and Ontario than I did between Ontario and Quebec.
The most obvious difference is language; Montreal is a French city. While English competency is relatively high (especially compared with the rest of Quebec) the primary language spoken on the streets of Montreal is Quebecois French. Montreal’s English speaking population is concentrated downtown (previous 3 pics) and consists mainly of Americans and Canadians native to outside provinces.
The English majority of Canada has a history of attempts to placate the French, while the French have tended to shun English encroachment. This is apparent in Canadian signage (unfortunately not pictured). In Ontario, most signs, public and private, are in both English and French, even in areas with miniscule francophone populations. In Quebec, most signs are in French only.
Living up to the worldwide stereotype, French Canadians are proud of their French language, and encourage its use by outsiders. When I attempted to speak French, most locals and shop employees were obliged to continue the conversation in their local tongue, even when it was obvious English would have been more expedient.
Until Toronto’s ascendancy in the middle of the 20th Century, Montreal was Canada’s largest city and economic center. At that time, Montreal’s economy was based on manufacturing and shipping along the St. Laurence River. A product of its industrial past, Old Montreal (not to be confused with Downtown) is Montreal’s premiere tourist draw.
From an urban planning and architectural standpoint, Montreal is the most European major city in North America, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Old Montreal.
These days, Old Montreal’s function as a downtown economic center have long expired, and the area is home primarily to guesthouses, souvenir shops, expensive French restaurants, and any other kind of establishment which caters to tourists.
Despite its over-commercialization, a stroll through Old Montreal is still probably the most authentic way to experience Europe in North America. My recommendation is to visit early in the morning (8 or 9ish) before the souvenir shops open and the streets flood with tourists.
The commercialization of Old Montreal does simplify gift shopping. Maple leaf refrigerator magnets, “J’aime Montreal” T-shirts, Quebec flags, bandannas, and ashtrays…you can buy it all in Old Montreal.
Just northwest of Old Montreal is Chinatown.
Montreal’s “Quartier Chinois” is much smaller than the gynormous Chinese settlement at Spadina and Dundas in Toronto. Consisting of only about 5 or 6 dense city blocks along Rue De la Gauchetière, Montreal’s Chinatown is still a bustling little enclave, with restaurants, souvenir shops, and the usual hoopala associated with Chinese neighborhoods in North America.
Le Quartier Chinois caters to tourists and locals alike, and its proximity to Old Montreal has certainly contributed to its becoming a major tourist attraction. For this reason, it is also one of the few neighborhoods in Montreal where the default language of commerce is English.
Montreal’s Chinatown may be touristy, but not to the point where it’s become a charicature of itself. Between all the tourists and giftshops, scenes still exist like the one above which could have come from a street in Anytown, China.
It also serves as the organizational center of the Quebecois Chinese population.
Like Old Montreal, Le Quartier Chinois fills to the brim with tourists as the day progresses. For a less congested experience, go early.
I’m not sure if this is an every weekend thing or a special occasion, but on the Saturday I spent in Chinatown, there was an outdoor fair, selling crafts and tourist knickknacks. Other than the Canada and Quebec themed flair, it’s basically the same stuff sold in any other Chinatown around the world (or any street market in China for about 10% of the North American price).
Next on the itinerary was the site of the 1976 Summer Olympics, arguably Canada’s most eminent financial disaster since the Great Depression.
The Olympic Stadium wasn’t finished until after the conclusion of the Games. When it was finally paid off in 2006, the total expenses, including interest and inflation, had totaled $1.6 billion. At the time it was built, Olympic Stadium was arguably the most sophisticated sporting venue in the world. 34 years later, it sticks out as an awkward, historical anomaly, lacking a primary tenant since MLB’s Expos left in 2004.
Walking around Olympic Stadium is a bit like wandering through a ghost town. The infrastructure reveals a glorious past, but in its current state, it feels empty, underutilized, and misplaced. The site of Montreal’s 3 weeks of Olympic fame leaves one wondering what will come of the Beijing Olympic Park in another 30 years as well.
and here’s a shot from inside the stadium, where it looks pretty much like any other arena
Like Toronto, Montreal is a city of neighborhoods. One of my favorites was the area surrounding Square Sainte-Louis.
On most public signage, Montrealers prefer writing out “Sainte” in full rather than abbreviating it as “St.” I found this ironic, since probably at least 85% of all streets and squares include “Sainte” in their name.
more houses near Square Sainte-Louis
With urban planning from the European mold, Montreal is dense. For a North American city of its population, there are relatively few high rises. Rather, its density lies in efficient land use, with buildings close together and few parking lots.
Because of Montreal’s density, it’s also one of the most walkable cities in North America. The best way to explore most neighborhoods is on foot.
For cross town trips, Montreal has one of the best rapid transit systems on the continent. With four lines wrapping around Mount Royal (the mountain in the center of town) and extending out in all four directions, there is hardly a location in the city centre not reachable via Metro. Trains run regular and frequent, and due to Montreal’s compactness, most trips are short, even those involving transfers. It is also very affordable, with a 3 day pass costing only $14.
The Montreal Metro is one of the world’s few subway systems which uses rubber tires (see pic). While one might assume the rubber tires would provide a smoother ride than the metal wheels used in most mass transit systems, I found the opposite to be the case. My only gripe on the Montreal Metro is that you can feel every bump of the surface. This makes noticeably more strenuous on the eyes to read on the train.
Since Montreal’s subway cars are not designed to be weather resistant, the entire system runs underground. Most stations are modern and quite clean.
The Montreal Metro has the highest daily ridership in Canada, and is one of only 3 North American mass transit systems with over 1 million average weekday riders (New York and Mexico City are the other 2).
Because of its ridership rates, trains run frequently, and I rarely waited more than 2 or 3 minutes at a station.
Here was an interesting application of street parking from the Mont-Royal neighborhood. Spaces for street parking were located offset towards the middle of the street as opposed to being flush against the car, creating a barrier between the bike lane and vehicular traffic.
As a proper tourist, there were 2 “can’t miss” eateries included in my itinerary. The first was Schwartz’s, Montreal’s renowned Jewish deli, in business since 1928. With lines always extending into the street, Schwartz’s is a veritable feedlot, and possibly the busiest restaurant in Montreal. With tables crammed together like animal corrals and it’s old school decor, Schwartz’s gets a 10 for ambiance.
Schwartz’s specialty is “smoked meat.” (They even call it “smoked meat” in French). Smoked meat is served on rye bread and (if memory serves me correctly) comes in 3 grades, lean, fat, and medium fat. While the sandwich was top-notch, it certainly wasn’t the best deli food I’ve even consumed. If I lived in the neighborhood, I’d probably eat it once a month, but overall it’s over-hyped.
The second item on my culinary checklist was La Banquise. La Banquise is Montreal’s premiere poutine joint, and on my last night in town I discovered it to be the Holy Grail of Quebecois Cuisine. In case you missed the description from the last post, poutine is french fries topped with cheese curds and then drowned in brown gravy. La Banquise elevates poutine to the next level by combining the 3 base ingredients with a choice of 28 different combinations of toppings. (click here for a more legible version of the menu).
Average poutine will never taste quite right after a trip to La Banquise. In fact, it is so scrumptious, that they require patrons to pay their bill (with tip) before the food is even served.
On my last full day in Montreal, I took a trip outside of the city centre to Lachine. An inner suburb of Montreal, Lachine was a separate municipality until it was annexed by Montreal in 2002. Lachine was formerly a canal town, and the token tourist activity is to rent a bicycle and bike along the canal all the way to Old Montreal.
The route along the Lachine Canal provides an exquisite visual history of Montreal’s industrial past.
Most of the infrastructure is now either abandoned, or used for non-industrial purposes.
Near Downtown, the Lachine Canal trail also provides some of the best views of Montreal’s skyline.
…and finally the old factories adjacent to Old Montreal
Montreal is often listed as one of the most attractive cities in North America. After my short visit, I’d have to concur. In terms of urban design as well as size and scope, Montreal reminded me of a French Canadian version of Boston. Well on the cusp of cultural trends, Montreal might also be the hippest city in the North America with accolades also going to New York and San Francisco. Next leg of the journey, the heart of Quebecois culture: Quebec City.
This is the fourth post in a 6-part series on my trip to Canada.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada and it’s located between Toronto and Montreal. I have to admit, this is all I knew of Canada’s fourth largest city before I began planning my trip. But as I would find, Ottawa is much, much more than a non-descript capital city sandwiched between Canada’s two largest cities.
A decree by Queen Victoria in 1857, and Ottawa became capital of the then “Province of Canada.” Straddling the border of anglophone Canada West and francophone Canada East, Ottawa was a natural compromise for the fledgling bicultural colony.
The geographic center of Ottawa is Parliament Hill, located on the southern bank of the Ottawa River. Parliament Hill’s main building is the Centre Block which houses the commons and senate chambers as well as the offices of many high ranking government officials. Here’s a panoramic video I took from the middle of the Hill.
In 1916 the original Centre Block was destroyed by fire. The structure standing today was completed in 1927.
Built in the Gothic Revival style, the Centre Block is one of Canada’s most recognizable works of architecture. It’s image is emblazened on $10, $20, and $50 bills.
Parliament Hill is situated along Wellington Street (not pictured) which is also home to the Canadian Supreme Court and the Canadian War Museum. For government and history buffs, Ottawa is chalked full of attractions, mostly all within convenient walking distance from Parliament Hill.
The East Block (pictured here) is home to parliamentary offices, and is one of only two Parliament structures which have survived from the original construction.
Across from the East Block is the West Block, with similar functions. The West Block is slated as the temporary home to the House of Commons during a renovation to the Centre Block in 2019.
On the rear of the Centre Block is the Library of Parliament, the only surviving remnant from the original Centre Block built in 1876.
With the Canadian government as its largest employer, Ottawa’s city center pushes right up against Parliament Hill.
Downtown Ottawa’s main thoroughfare is the Sparks Street Mall. Sparks Street became North America’s first outdoor pedestrian mall in 1966 when automobile traffic was permanently diverted to other streets.
Ottawa’s downtown is dense and lively during the day, with federal employees creating much of the pedestrian traffic.
Due to its proximity to Quebec and the high concentration of federal employees, a substantial amount of French is spoken in Ottawa. From my unscientific estimations, I’d say about 1 in 5 conversations I overheard downtown were in French.
Ottawa also has an active Europe-esque cafe culture, with cafes and bars throughout the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Alive and vibrant by day, much of Sparks Street Mall closes shop after 4 pm. According to several locals, Sparks Street used to be the location of much of Ottawa’s nightlife, but now caters almost exclusively to the daytime working crowd.
As one of North America’s premiere pedestrian cities, Ottawa is a hot spot for street food. Popular items include poutine as well as pogos (what Americans call “corn dogs”) Most trucks also carry the standards such as burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, and Italian sausage.
Like much of Canada, Ottawa is a cultural mosaic of customs and languages from around the world.
And like much of Canada, the three most prevalent languages are English, French, and Chinese (in that order).
Ottawa’s urban core is compact geographically, and much of its vitality is centered around downtown. A ten minute walk away from Sparks Street is the Byward Market area. Inside the market (pictured above) are stalls selling various handyworks and touristy knickknacks. The area surrounding the market serves as one of Ottawa’s premiere drinking and dining districts.
The outdoor portion of Byward is Canada’s oldest continuously operated farmers market. My personal favorite was the ready-to-eat organic fruit bowls, selling for around $2 a piece. Most transactions at Byward Market are conducted in French.
Just west of Byward Market is Major’s Hill Park, which provides this rear vantage point of Parliament Hill.
Ottawa is home to one of the world’s most innovative liquor stores, appropriately named “The Beer Store.”
Boards on the wall list all beers in stock. Below each logo is a price listing for various quantities. The quantities include 6-packs, 12-packs, 24-packs, and singles. Some beers are available in all quantities, while others are limited to one or two options. This allows for convenient mixing and matching on large purchases.
Customers wait in line at the counter, and place their order with an attendant. The most popular beers, listed on a board as “The Big Ten” are stocked (cold) directly behind the counter for quick dispension. More obscure beers are stored in the back room refridgerator.
Ottawa has mandatory deposit laws, which means most customers return their old bottles to the site of purchase. To expedite this process, The Beer Store employs a sophisticated conveyor belt system to process returned glass.
Now moving south of Downtown we find many of Ottawa’s traditional residential neighborhoods.
Ottawa regularly appears at the top of many North American quality-of-living city rankings. As one of Canada’s most livable cities, it has experienced high rates of gentrification in recent decades. The proliferation of condo developments in Ottawa is widespread, angering at least one individual who has proclaimed his distaste for “uppee scum” on this real estate advertisement.
Also south of Downtown is Ottawa’s Chinatown.
Small in size compared to the Chinatowns of Toronto and Montreal, Ottawa’s Chinatown consists primarily of the area along a single street: Somerset from Bay Street to Rochester.
Ottawa’s Chinatown contains many of the same services and businesses found in most North American Chinatowns; restaurants, groceries, souvenir shops being most prevalent.
Although commercial activity caters to Chinese residents, Ottawa’s Chinatown is also home to businesses serving various other ethnic communitites, notably Arabs and Vietnamese.
The city of Ottawa spans across the southern bank of the Ottawa River, which also serves as the boundary between Ontario and Quebec. On the north bank of the river is the town of Gatineau (aka Hull).
Home to roughly 240,000 citizens, Gatineau is markedly different from its sister city across the river. While Ottawa has a majority English speaking populace, Gatineau is almost exclusively francophone. The main tourist attraction in Gatineau is the Canadian Museum of Civilization (far right) with exhibits focusing on Canada’s indigenous peoples (aka First Nations).
It’s a fifteen minute walk from Ottawa to Gatineau, and upon crossing the bridge, the tone and surroundings change drastically. Storefront and street signs are all in French, major streets lack the hustle and bustle of Ottawa, and there are very few non-white people. With a quarter the population, Gatineau has the vibe of a tranquil Quebec town, rather than the cosmopolitan urbanity of Ottawa.
Even with only a quarter of a million people, Gatineau is the third largest metro area in Quebec, after Montreal and Quebec City. Although there isn’t a whole lot to do in Gatineau, it’s definitely worth spending an afternoon there for a taste of francophone Canada.
The people of Gatineau generally prefer not to use English for public notices, unless of course they are targeting a wider non-local audience.
And amongst non-locals (particularly those from across the river) Gatineau is commonly regarded as the region’s vice capital.
As bona fide Quebecois territory, Gatineau is an ideal place to sample poutine, Quebec’s preeminent contribution to Canadian cuisine. In simplest form, poutine consists of french fries, topped with cheese curds, and smothered in gravy
As I wandered through Gatineau for an afternoon, one question constantly ran through my mind. How was it that two cities, separated only by a river, could remain so culturally dissimilar from one another? One explanation was provided by a historical marker which indicated that the bridge links between the two cities had been plagued by frequent collapses and natural disasters, making convenient transport between the cities relatively rare until recent times. Today there are 4 bridges linking the two cities, yet the francophone anglophone cleavage remains markedly distinct.
Coming to Ottawa, I wasn’t expecting much. It was located on the way from Toronto to Montreal, and since it was the capital of Canada I figured I might as well check it out. What I found was that Ottawa is an attraction in and of itself, equally as worthy of a visit as Toronto or Montreal. Ottawa is clean, livable, and has comparatively few of the urban problems which plague most North American cities such as crime, poverty, and sprawl. Transportation in Ottawa is also a cinch, as I didn’t even require public transit during my stay. I went everywhere on foot. With the Canadian government, museums, a bustling downtown, ethnic neighborhoods, and a French settlement across the river, Ottawa has more than enough attractions to pack a multi-day tourist itinerary. Next stop: Montreal.
