It rained overnight and into mid-morning. We drove along the Waikato River from Flagstaff to Hamilton Lake and briefly strolled on the boardwalk but the continuing drizzle soon forced us to the downtown entertainment strip along Victoria between Collingwood and Hood; an area of wall-to-wall restaurants, bars and fast-food joints. Hamilton has the second-largest collection of cafés in the country and most of them are along this stretch. The street is not busy this rainy afternoon but likely attracts large crowds at night and on weekends. Further up Victoria are higher-end stores and shopping areas. Window-shopping is encouraged as most stores have wide overhangs to shelter pedestrians from rain and sun (suspect it’s rain!). It makes strolling around more enjoyable but detracts from the architecture of the older buildings and is unattractive where no effort was made to coordinate styles or colours.
There are 7 bridges that span the Waikato River & link both sides of Hamilton downtown. We caught a glimpse (that’s all) of an interesting river walk - weather not today! But “Let’s do the time warp again” – yes we stood at the birthplace of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The site of The Embassy Theatre, the home of Hamilton's ‘Late Night Double Feature Picture Show’ and the barber shop where Richard O'Brien cut hair and daydreamed (1959 to 1964). Riff Raff, the main character in the Rocky Horror Show stands proudly on the corner of Victoria St. A photo opportunity on this damp day!
Our sole purchases are a used book and espressos, before we collect the Old Ford from the parking garage and head to the burbs. Our timing is such (5:30 afternoon rush) that we experience our first roundabout gridlock. Most drivers exhibit caution, courtesy and patience. Not a typical Toronto driving experience! Only two more sleeps in this wonderful home before the next leg of our journey begins!
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