Kitchener has long been a place of derision for me. A Western abomination in the East, like Moncton or Gander. Ugly, dull, post-war. Not nearly as interesting as its neighbours. Perhaps the only thing that would get me to return to it is checking out Oktoberfest (good to know it starts late). But I liked this post because it’s a reminder that even places urbanists like myself love to sneer at have value, character, community, and significance in some way. It’s very cool that the German heritage of the region lives on in an every day sense and it’s awesome you were able to stumble onto it during what could’ve just been a disappointing trip.
I will say, Kitchener is *much* more interesting than it was ten or fifteen years ago. Not as cute as Guelph or Kingston, but it's got some good old bones.
Aha! Good to know. I figured the odds were a coin flip but didn't have time to look for a connection. Glad I hedged against that possibility. Thanks for letting me know!
Kitchener has long been a place of derision for me. A Western abomination in the East, like Moncton or Gander. Ugly, dull, post-war. Not nearly as interesting as its neighbours. Perhaps the only thing that would get me to return to it is checking out Oktoberfest (good to know it starts late). But I liked this post because it’s a reminder that even places urbanists like myself love to sneer at have value, character, community, and significance in some way. It’s very cool that the German heritage of the region lives on in an every day sense and it’s awesome you were able to stumble onto it during what could’ve just been a disappointing trip.
I will say, Kitchener is *much* more interesting than it was ten or fifteen years ago. Not as cute as Guelph or Kingston, but it's got some good old bones.
Aha! Good to know. I figured the odds were a coin flip but didn't have time to look for a connection. Glad I hedged against that possibility. Thanks for letting me know!