Kitchener, Ontario is about midway between London where I lived for a couple of best of times/worst of times years and Toronto, Canadas primary metropolis. Id traveled past Kitcheners exit countless times, but never bothered turning in until K/WAG invited me to participate in their Parochial Views program. According to Wikipedia, Kitcheners downtown core has experienced urban decay, thanks largely to the decline of industrial jobs in the city and the growth of its suburbs. Preliminary inquiries sketched an unflattering portrait of it as grungy neighbour to the very nice university town of Waterloo. This was not my experience; I was impressed by how much the citizens of Kitchener enjoy their city, the casual ownership of public space that people seem encouraged to take there. The plaza in front of the city hall is part bus station part resort playground; I like to think of it as the Kitchener Riviera. While gentleman of the model boat club flexed their handiwork on one side of the pool, a more salt of the earth crowd cackled and shouted ribald greetings at comrades returning from the can at the other end. Teens made out on the steps, new parents wheeled elaborate strollers around, and a fender bender out on the street gave some focus to a range of loiterers. Not bad for a Wednesday night. The footage for Plaza was gathered when a block or two up the main drag the street was fenced off for a rock n roll extravaganza. Thousands of people attended were genuinely entertained, the pond was splashing, and when darkness fell an impromptu shopping cart grand prix ignited. Kitchener is a charming and funny town.
Author: dsconar Keywords: conarroe kitchener ontario KWAG "city hall" pool plaza "parochial view" Added: January 8, 2009
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