We had barely unpacked from our trip to Newfoundland when our first overseas visitors arrived.
We wanted to show off Cambridge to our family visiting from the UK. My brother Michael’s eldest son Ben and family came to Canada. Ben was last here in Canada almost 30 years ago and he and the city have matured and changed in that time, but he wanted to see as much as possible.
The Foundry Tavern in the Gaslight District, with its welcoming and creative space, seemed a great spot for lunch. With restrictions on numbers, we had to book two tables of four in two different names so all eight of us could be together.
Shortly after Ben, his wife Jo, and their children Emily, Jessie and Wills were welcomed to our home, we left for our lunch destination.
It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we were happily seated outside. The excellent children’s menu came at a reduced price and was served quickly. That allowed the adults to chat and catch up. Crayons and paper were produced, and not once did we hear the all-too-frequent refrain familiar to parents of a young family; “When is my food coming?” It was a brief but most successful visit.
Our next visitors arrived a few days later from San Antonio, Texas.
Della and Cindy are both lovers of the arts and were only here for 48 hours but they wanted to witness the arts scene in Cambridge.
We visited the downtown Galt area, walked through city hall, and went to the Centre for the Arts. To my delight, and theirs, it was the hive of energetic excited activity.
With a variety of children’s programming in full swing we dropped in on a filmmaking workshop where the instructor chatted about the aspects of the planned program. Everywhere we went we were welcomed and my guests were very impressed.
At the Gaslight we checked out the incredible Meander Tapestry and peeked into the Hamilton Theatre where a rehearsal was taking place. Our two visitors walked across the Craig’s Crossing Pedestrian Bridge and took lots of photos. We passed the Sculpture Garden and Galt Horticultural Gardens, and stopped at the Grand Café for a coffee.
Next, over the Main Street bridge, where we checked out the attractive public area of shops and restaurants, closed to traffic for the summer, and browsed in the Rookery Book Store.
That evening we ate dinner at The Mill.
Our guests enjoyed the view upstream, which included herons, ducks, and kayakers. The rush of the waterfall over the dam added to the visual treat.
It was busy couple of days but ones that gave a taste of the richness and diversity of our city.
Years ago, I recall searching for something to do in our city and today there is so much I cannot keep up with it all. This past weekend was a prime example with music of all genres from Caribbean festivals, Galt Jazz, to folk, rock and classical, street dances and markets, porch fests and concerts. We have so much to offer.
At my age I know I cannot partake in all I would like to, but the selection makes living in Cambridge a wonderful place to be.
As many of you know I am a fan of our Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, having been involved since it was founded in 2004.
This summer a small committee has been working toward making our first concert of the 20th season at Hamilton Theatre on Friday September 13 fun and entertaining.
The CSO 20 committee formed earlier to this year to promote the season and came up with “20 reasons for 20 seasons.” We arranged numerous “pop ups” with varied CSO musicians playing in unexpected venues. The idea was to promote awareness and to attract newcomers, as well as welcome back many previous attendees.
Tickets are available at the Hamilton Theatre box Office for the British Invasion and Beatles concert.
Get out and enjoy our city. There's something for everyone and upcoming events are listed weekly in CambridgeToday.
Make sure you receive the newsletter daily in your e-mail, so you don’t miss out. Cambridge has grown and matured into a city which many are delighted to live in. See you at some of the events I do manage to get to, and enjoy the last bit of the summer.
