Hamilton folk-rockers Whitehorse once sang that there’s no glamour in the Hammer. It’s probably an accurate assessment by the Juno-winning duo about a city that, to celebrate its 125th anniversary back in 1971, published a coffee table book called Pardon My Lunch Bucket . Steeltown will always be more steel toe than stiletto.
But the city’s industrial backdrop — viewed by many from the Burlington Skyway Bridge on the Queen Elizabeth Highway — doesn’t give passersby the full picture. Far from it. Within Hamilton’s rugged borders is a place that’s flowing with civic pride and bursting with personality, displayed through distinct, bikeable and walkable neighbourhoods, and thriving arts and food scenes.
Hamilton’s smokestacks aren’t emblematic of its underrated scenic side. It’s known as the waterfall capital of Canada (or the world, depending on who you ask) with more than 100 falls hidden in plain sight throughout the city of some 600,000, which is divided by the Niagara Escarpment and includes neighbouring municipalities Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook and Stoney Creek. We’ll bet dollars to donuts that first-time visitors to Hamilton will find something to their liking, and not just because the city is home to the first Tim Hortons coffee shop — a Hail Mary Pass from where the city’s beloved CFL Tiger-Cats play in the blue-collar east end.
Whether it’s to enjoy fish and chips at Hutch’s on the Beach (those who know, know), rock out at t.
