
XA Jane's Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours
that get people out on the streets to discover unseen, under
celebrated and unique stories about their city.
The free walking tours are held on the first weekend of May each
year all around the world, and are led by locals who want to create
a space for residents to talk about what matters to them in the
places they live and work. As always, St. John's is doing things a
bit differently, time-wise: our walks are taking place
on May 10th and 11th.
Want to lead a walk? Just drop us a line at admin@happycity.ca and we'll
sort it out!
There have been many interpretations of the event as its changed
hands from year to year: from dog walks to bike rides, from local
lore to historical reenactment. By discussing what makes a city
great, and what makes it tick, walk guides and participants are
empowered to be better citizens, better stewards, and better
neighbours.
The walks are as varied as the people taking part, and they
usually last about 90 minutes. We ask each walk guide to offer
their perspective along the route, and to encourage the public to
weigh in. Through the simple act of walking and talking, Jane's
Walks create ways for people to connect, share, and develop ideas
about where their communities and cities are at and where they are
headed.
So far, we have 2 walks lined up (you can still sign up
to lead one!):
Sunday, May 11th
Walk # 1 - Escape! A walk in wartime St.
John's
Within hours of war being declared in September 1939, the first
German ship captured in North American waters was seized in
Botwood. A few days later the crew was interred in the
Seaman's Institute on Water Street in St. John's. In mid
October, the captain escaped. Based on the available records,
the walk will follow a route likely used by the captain. Stories
related to historic and interesting places along the way will be
told. The walk will be interactive and participants will be
invited to imagine themselves as escapees and to share their views
at various route choice points.
The walk will be led by storyteller Gary Green who has published
articles and contributed to books on WWII St. John's and the Battle
of the Atlantic.
Level of difficulty: moderate to
difficult - climbing at least one steep hill
Approx time: 1 1/2 hours
Approx distance: 2.7 km
Start time: Sunday, May 11th, 3:00pm
Start place: Water Street sidewalk in
front of the National War Memorial
Walk # 2 - I wish this was...
This walk will be a chance to talk about what the city could
be, rather than what it is. We'll take a tour of some of the spots
in the city people have been dreaming about doing something cool
with, as identified on Happy City's "I Wish this Was" map. The walk
will start at the old Grace Hospital site, wander downtown through
the fast-changing area around the bottom of Springdale, and end up
down on Water Street, where there are lots of spots with
potential.
We'll hear what the ideas for those spaces were and, more
importantly, participants in the walk will be encouraged to suggest
their own ideas for under-used or mis-used spaces in the city;
we'll make sure those ideas get up on an online map for public
discussion. This walk will be led by Josh Smee, chair of the board
at Happy City St. John's.
Level of difficulty: Moderate. Sticking
to streets, but a reasonable distance is involved. Mostly downhill,
at least!
Approx time: 1.5 hours
Approx distance: 2.5 Km
Start time: Sunday, May 11th, 1:00 pm
Start place: Pleasant St. &
Lemarchant Rd, empty corner (next to the old Grace Hospital
site)