We arrived late in the evening, on Feb. 15th to the enthusiastic welcome of Laura & Matt's arms at the Toronto airport! They provided an enjoyable, verbal introduction to the area as we were driven to our guest house in Hamilton.
McNab Terrace Guest House is an amazing historical building, with 10 guest suites, situated in Hamilton's historic, tree-lined McNab Street neighbourhood. It is within walking distance of the downtown business & entertainment district, trendy & cosmopolitan restaurants & shops, and the apparently renowned Hamilton Farmer's Market (which we plan to take in)!
The guest house was built in 1879 and is comprised of the two centre residences in a series of six brick row houses designed by a famous Hamilton architect, James Balfour. The building is a very interesting design, combining two styles-San Francisco Italianate bay windows and High Victorian Gothic Gables, with intricate stonework. A unique feature of this building is the original horse carriage entrance, through the house to a rear parking area. It has been meticulously preserved and restored to its original grandeur.
I will post some detailed pictures of the guest house tomorrow......
Today, we enjoyed a deliciously slow morning, making breakfast in our suite. We the walked a block and half to meet Laura and Matt at a cute/trending restaurant, called 'Jack & Lois' , where we had a VERY tasty brunch.
After many cups of coffe/green tea, we made our way to Laura and Matt's house on Napier Street. They share a really nice house with two roommates. We love their house and neighbourhood!
After a bit of time being introduced to their house and visiting there, they took us on tour, where we saw street after street of amazing, old brick houses and mansions! Holy schmolly.....they are huge and regal and reek of history! (Pictures to follow in another post). As we drove through the historic streets of Hammer-town, giant, fluffy snowflakes fell, creating a picture-perfect winter scene.
Here are the smaller, taller brick houses right across the street from them:
Unfortunately, Matt had to go to work this evening so we enjoyed some quiet visiting time with Laura at their house and then we walked about 10 blocks, to the Locke St. neighborhood, for a tasty supper at a cute little place.
Now we are tucked back into our suite, watching Olympics, reading, blogging and enjoying a glass of tinto vino!
Tomorrow we are meeting with Matt's family, for lunch and an afternoon of visiting. What a perfect way to spend 'Family Day'!!!
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Matt and Laura's place looks absolutely lovely and so cozy. I can feel my trigger finger starting to itch at the thought of capturing those stately home and mansions. Buildings are a special draw for me at the best of times. Annnnnnd, I am cleaning up drool from my keyboard from the looks of that breakfast.
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