The Bay Ridge Sinkhole

The sinkhole, about an hour after it happened on Wednesday

My neighborhood, Bay Ridge, is sinking.

It's pretty much a fact, and it was corroborated on my walk home from the subway last Wednesday evening.

About a block and a half from our apartment, I saw a large crowd gathered. There were no flashing lights indicating a fire or massive police presence, and everyone was keeping a respectful distance. I was curious, so I went over to the crowd.

What was everyone staring at? A giant, car-sized sinkhole in the middle of the street.

The sinkhole is the second the neighborhood has seen this summer. The first, according to a New York Times article, came at the end of June and was about 60-feet deep. This one was merely 30-feet wide and 10-feet deep.

Workers in the sinkhole Thursday morning

The cause, according to the Times, was a burst century-old sewer pipe. No one was hurt, but workers did spend two hours getting a car out from the edge of the hole.

Construction workers had been expected to fully repair the hole by the end of the weekend; I'm not sure if that happened, but they were still hard at work when I walked by on Friday.

Halifax Odds & Ends

One of the most well-known sites in Halifax -- and the one that may be hardest to miss -- is the Citadel. It sits high above the city, and it's a steep trip down from the Citadel to the waterfront. That, of course, makes for some pretty good city views.

But it's also just an interesting place to visit. The Citadel is a star-shaped fortress that was constructed from 1828 to 1856. We meandered along the upper ramparts and opted for a free 45-minute tour that took us into some of the nooks and crannies -- all of which visitors are able to explore by themselves, but which would be pretty easy to miss without someone who knows where they're going.

Another site you'll find in the Halifax tour books is the City Hall. We didn't go in, but the clocks are what to look for anyway. One of them is set for the exact time of the 1917 Halifax Explosion in the harbour that injured some 9,000 people and ravaged much of the city.

One of the prettiest parts of the city is the Halifax Public Gardens. It's fairly small -- you could easily see the entire park in an hour or so -- but there are beautiful flowers, a lovely pond and lots of well-placed benches. Plus there's a summer Sunday concert series in the gazebo, which we were able to enjoy.

Halifax doesn't have an Eiffel Tower or Brandenburg Gate -- no must-see, world-renowned attraction that's on every to-see list. Instead, it has a handful of excellent ways to wile away an afternoon, and that's just what we wanted on this vacation.

On the Halifax Waterfront

Downtown Halifax sits on the Halifax Harbour, and the waterfront seems to be where most of the shops, views and people are. That was especially true since we were there for the Halifax Tall Ships Festival.

We never did see the ships drift into or out of the harbour (when in Canada, spell as the Canadians do!), but we walked along the boardwalk with thousands of other visitors, peering at the ships, close enough to touch. You could board the ships with a special pass, but we never got one. We were content just slowly walking along, taking in the sights.

When it was time to eat, Paul chose a restaurant with outdoor seating just steps away from one of the ships. A few minutes after we were done, the festival fireworks were launched. It was the first evening of vacation, so we were surprised by how cold it was. The weather, however, was a nice change from the heat and humidity we left behind in New York.

The main section of the boardwalk isn't too long or too short, but you can spend a good two or three hours by taking it easy and popping into the stores and souvenir shops, or by sitting on a bench watching the pleasure boats drift by.

And the boardwalk is practically anchored by two things you'll want to visit anyway -- the Historic Properties (I hesitate to use the word "mall" to describe the indoor/outdoor space, since it's all unique shops and restaurants) at one end and the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market at the other. Unfortunately we visited the market just after breakfast. One of the few things I'd do differently on this trip was go to the market during lunchtime.

We were lucky to be in Halifax during a festival. However, meandering along the harbour even minus the ships would be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.