Like most places in the world, our city of St. John’s has been in quarantine for a few weeks now. You would think an island in the middle of the Atlantic would be a relatively safe place to stave off a pandemic, but when most of your population are snow birds in Florida, that’s unfortunately not the case. In fact, per capita, we have one of the largest infection rates in Canada.
Knowing it’s imperative to self isolate and stay away from people, we have been wracking our brains on ways to get out of the house and let off some steam. We decided to take a drive to Fort Amherst on the other side of St. John’s harbour, and were pleasantly surprised to find not only no people, but also a beautiful view of the Battery. The Battery is a traditional fishing community in the heart of the city, where colourful houses cling to steep cliffs and streets are so narrow and winding it’s a job to drive around them. In the summer, hikers are often found wandering through the streets, and in the winter the snow becomes a perfect canvas for the European-like architecture (just be careful of avalanches!).
St. John’s is the oldest city in North America, and its placement was very strategic during the wars. St. John’s harbour, also known as “the Narrows” for its narrow opening perfect for protection, has the Battery and Fort Amherst on either side. Both served as defence areas for both world wars, and you can still find canons and bunkers to this day. Sunken German U-Boats can be found around this area of the island, and if you ever visit, be sure to check out the Crow’s Nest, a hidden naval officers club in downtown St. John’s.
In the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, we’re super thankful we can still connect with the producers, dancers and artists that make this life worth living. We’ve been following Austin Marc for a while and we love him for his chill but heavy beats. This mashup of Kanye West’s Heard ‘Em Say ft. Adam Levine and Lemon by N.E.R.D and Rhianna is exactly what we needed to life us out of the funk we’ve all been feeling. Wicks is also rocking the black crew from the shop, SALT, our good friends who are killing it in all facets of life.
While it’s still very much winter in St. John’s, sunny days are an opportunity to get some fresh air and appreciate the vast open spaces we are fortunate to have in our city. We’re looking forward to exploring the world again when the madness of coronavirus wears off, but in the meantime we’ll be exploring more of Newfoundland. Any tracks you’d like to see featured? Places to see? Let us know in the comments below.
