Andrea Martin's Columns

[Spokes]

Andrea Martin's Columns

The following will be an archive of all of Andrea Martin's Columns she's written for Wonderful Waterloo and a place to feel free to comment on and discuss them.

[Spokes]

The Road to Waterloo Region: Arriving
By Andrea Martin | September 16, 2010

Crap... I forgot a map of Waterloo. The realization hit me around 2 am. I was somewhere in Sudbury, huddled under a sleeping bag while precariously curled up across the front seats of my small car. An unceremonious last night for a long overland trip from Victoria to Waterloo. Oh well, I had a street address and a vague sense of the nearest major cross street – Weber (reminder: think Beiber, not BBQ) and it is in Waterloo, not Kitchener (is the division signed?).

Why Waterloo? My reason, similar to many of the 39,000 or so that makes up the “student population”, is school, coupled with the need to shake things up and have a change from the familiar. Waterloo Region offers a brand new map to explore, with some exciting opportunities, and it is all framed by a much longer settlement history. Waterloo has proximity to places that have long been unreachable for me. I am trading Vancouver, a ferry ride away, for Toronto, a freeway drive away, gaining long weekends in Ottawa, and the scores of other places in southern Ontario. I am also eager to explore a new community - to stumble on the little unique gems in the area - the coffee shops, new-to-me shops & boutiques in both Uptown and Kitchener. Discover the parks and other quiet places and attend events. And, yes, despite my continued grumbles about a cool September, I am actually looking forward to the winter here. A real winter compared to the monsoon-like rains of the coast. My new classmates and roomates will surely get a laugh out of watching my wobbling attempts to skate - especially since I don’t how to stop yet.

So, as you might have guessed, I did make it to my new address in one piece and am mostly unpacked. With that out of the way, I plan to spend more time out and about. I hope that you will enjoy reading about my adventures settling into Waterloo and exploring by foot, bike, bus and car.

Andrea Martin is a new addition to Waterloo Region. She will be documenting her experiences on Wonderful Waterloo in her new column, "The Road to Waterloo Region"

[smably]

I made the very same trip in 2005! Victoria and KW certainly make for an interesting comparison. Hope you enjoy it here.

[Spokes]

The Road to Waterloo Region: Week 1
By Andrea Martin | September 30, 2010


New: Sobey’s, Conestoga Mall, Brick Houses.

My first foray into Waterloo was aptly, in search of food. I discovered that Sobey’s is a few blocks away, close enough that I would normally walk*, but dwindling energy and the potential for a large shop dictated that I drive, so off I went. Sobey's is a large very complete supermarket that will be useful to have close by but I wish that the walk seemed more appealing – someone forgot to plant trees on Weber when they did the residential streets. The next best thing about Sobey’s are the generous store hours – I love being able to pop into the store late at night (or early in the morning) and avoid the general mayhem of the pre or post-dinner rush.

Next on the list was a cell phone - my roommate suggested Telus (…. Telus? in Ontario? Who knew). On a Sunday afternoon - try the one at Conestoga Mall. Stop 2... the Mall. It’s a mall. A place you drive to, filled with the same stores as malls across Canada; probably like most malls across Canada Sunday before Labour day was a zoo. The parking lot was study in persevering patience and precision parking - tempers surely dampened by the thrill of back-to-school retail therapy. Inside, students of all ages, many with a parent in tow (or in the tow of a parent), filled the place. I found the Telus store, got sucked into shoe-shopping and then escaped. The visit was a success – and I have now potentially inched closer to becoming a Waterlooian (…or is that Waterlooite, Waterloo___?) Yes, that’s right, I am now the slightly bewildered owner of a shiny new Blackberry; my first mobile communication device in over 6 years. I don’t know what scares me most, the Blackberry, or the brief glimpse into what my mother must have felt when I first sat her down at a computer to surf the web.

So far my travels have been pretty mundane – but a few observations stand out in my mind. First, the brick houses. I love brick, I mean I really love brick – it is a fascination that borders on obsession and probably due to the scarcity of brick houses on the west coast. Brick apartment and condo buildings yes, but houses no. Anyhow, the brick-loving part of my mind feels like it is on something better than chocolate because as far as brick houses go Waterloo and Kitchener seem to be brick house mecca. From charming cottage-sized houses right on up to executive-sized houses. Everywhere I look are these gorgeous brick houses, mostly finished in the most perfect brick of all - the warm red traditional brick. It makes me sigh just to think about them, and I am already giddy at the prospect of seeing traditional red brick row houses in Toronto. Row houses! In brick!

The other, which I expect I will be better equipped to comment on in a little while, is the peculiar phenomenon of cyclists on sidewalks. I have recently become the new owner of a vintage 3-speed bicycle – so look for my new insights on biking around Waterloo in the next column.

*I have since discovered that it takes me all of 12 minutes to walk to Sobeys.

Andrea Martin is a new addition to Waterloo Region. She will be documenting her experiences on Wonderful Waterloo in her new column, "The Road to Waterloo Region"

[IEFBR14]

I love brick, I mean I really love brick – it is a fascination that borders on obsessionSo do a lot of us if for a somewhat different reason (http://www.brickbeer.com/) :RpS_love: Be sure to try Waterloo Dark :RpS_thumbup:

http://www2.brickbeer.com/sites/brick/images/brewery.jpg


I have since discovered that it takes me all of 12 minutes to walk to Sobeys.One of the best benefits of living in Uptown is that you can get to almost anything you need by walking no more than 15 minutes. While you're checking out the brick at the Brick Brewery, cross Allen St and check out the yummy delights at Vincenzo's.

[Greg Moore]

We're called Waterloonies and Kitchenerds.

I wanted to include Cambridge but my mind is mush so nothing came to it.