Must see/do in Hamilton

I spent four months living in Hamilton (September to December). I worked at the Central branch of the Public library. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there—it’s a vibrant city with strong arts and community organizations, lots of students, and many beautiful parks and trails.

Waterfalls: Hamilton is full of trails that are great for running, cycling, and hiking. There are over 100 waterfalls in Hamilton—I dare someone to visit each one during their co-op. http://cityofwaterfalls.ca/waterfall_walks.html This website is a great resource for tracking them down. http://www.hamilton.ca/CityDepartments/PublicWorks/Parks/PublicTrails/ a list of all the public trails in Hamilton. cityofwaterfalls.ca

Artcrawl: This is something that happens every month in Hamilton. It’s a great way to see their thriving art and music scene. http://www.supercrawl.ca/

~Liz, Fall Co-op

Advice for Living in Hamilton

Grocery shopping: There are many Fortinos in Hamilton, which are owned by Loblaws. The prices are higher at Fortinos and Metro. I found the most inexpensive place to shop was the Superstore Walmart on the mountain (it has a produce section, deli, and bakery). There is also a very large and diverse Nations market in Jackson Square downtown Hamilton (attached to the Central Public Library). The Nations market has the best prices in town, hand down, but lacks some Western food items. Check out their delicious buffets and salad bars too.

Neighborhoods: Locke Street is a cute little neighborhood very close to downtown with its own (very small and very awesome) library and some fantastic food. Westdale village is another great area, full of older heritage homes, coffee shops, a metro, library, and Shopper’s drug mart. I highly recommend living near/in Westdale as it is quiet, student-orientated, and near Central HPL and walking distance to McMaster University. I found my short-term sublet through the McMaster Housing blog. Dundas and Ancaster are also beautiful and quaint parts of Hamilton I would recommend for living in if you have access to a car. 

~Liz, Fall Co-op

Hamilton: Navigation and Transportation

The Mountain: Hamiltonians distinguish most parts of the city as being either “on the mountain” or “off the mountain”. McMaster U, Westdale Village, Locke St., and downtown Hamilton are off the mountain. The big box stores and Limeridge Shopping mall are in a more suburban area and are on [top of] the mountain.

Transportation: If you are working downtown, know that parking is relatively cheap—as low as 4.00 a day if you park in the lot on John Street. You can purchase a monthly pass for $70 dollars. Hamilton is equipped with many bike lanes and I found I was able to ride my bike for most of my co-op. If you are deciding between busing and parking downtown, parking may in fact be cheaper.

~Liz, Fall Co-op