Small Town Needs

I’ve been happily reading the Pink House blog since you linked to it in the fall. If you think about the list and the Rustico area, at least you have a Froggies. Halifax might have six on the list. They don’t have Wormwoods anymore but there are two walking distance malls - an odd criteria, I thought. Ottawa would be the nearest place with two rep movie theaters (in English).

Those interested in what factors contribute to the features like this should check out Jane Jacobs’ book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (no HTML allowed in comments, but here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi…

Williams list (like books by Richard Ford) is a vague nostalgia that is yearned for by many americans pop-culturists who base their idiosyncratic preferences on what they see in movies that give them a warm fuzzy feeling. His list has nothing to do with how a person might actually live a life in such a city but rather a person might observe a life in such a city, suggesting a detachment or voyeuristic manner of being. I mean, really, the criterion about having lots of gay and lesbian people wandering about holding hands, for example, seems like a great idea for aesthetic purposes, but what is Williams actually prepared to do help achieve greater acceptance of gays and lesbians in the city in which he currently lives (or anywhere else)? And for that matter, what are people in Charlottetown prepared to do in order to financially support, for example, two rival record stores? Or will we continue to prefer the trend of down-loading music from the internet? Let us strive to improve the place we live in rather than pine for elusive aesthetic elements.

You’ve struck the nail on the head - Charlottetown is a small city. And not wealthy. Instead it is suburban whithout the urban. The kind of city you can get on a first name basis with all the homeless people, maybe even go to school with their grandkids.
Things are improving though, Taj Mahal has awesome Indian food, and they read the vagina monologues at UPEI last year.
Oh yeah, and City Cinema rocks.
In fact I think Charlottetown is 2-3x cooler than one would expect, but still, it is Charlottetown.

Ok, mediocre Indian food; but still enough to warm my soul during cold, white winter. And it is the best Indian restaurant in the province! And I’m probably their biggest fan. And that, in a nutshell, is PEI.

Where is the Taj? I have been relying on the Harp & Thistle for their very authentic Anglo-Indian nosh, but I’d kill for a decent papadam, and if they have tandoori, well…

Surpisingly absent from the list of small town desiderata is: music shops. With Toombs, National and Sobers we cater for all sorts of tastes (and brand prejudices) They are very kind about allowing folks to wander in and start playing and will talk music for hours without making rude gestures towards the cash desk. Music shops are surely essential to civil living? And if there are no coffee shops that meet code, how about such fine establishments as 42nd Street - as nice a watering hole as I have seen this side of Fulham Road. Or the aforementioned H&T? You can keep your effete latte shoppes - give me a town with a few decent pubs.

Next to Formosa Tea Room on University overlooking the lovely future home of the provincial bovine insemination centre.

Alan - for just a second I was tempted.

I would be interested in views on the restaurant. I just stopped in for a couple of samosa (first in province? Last again?) and liked the place. Very pleasant owner. Others had the tandori chicken and a lunhc special that came on a metal plate - food with its own GUI. She said she could make kedjaree if I called ahead.

Ah, and I thought I was the Island’s only kedgeree maker. There’s a very nice samosa to be had at the Farmer’s Market, but, El-Al and To-El, I will happily join you to sample the tandoori at the Taj. Fri at 12.00 if that suits you? I can’t place the Formosa and at the risk of tempting To-El to unleash whatever it is, I don’t know the site of the future bovine insemination centre. Can you please elucidate location for the Chastown-challenged.

University Ave, facing ATC. I am on the road Friday but can do next week. In fact, why don’t you all just come, seeing as we are setting appointments on a blog…

Charlottetown is still in desperate need of a good coffee shop for lounging.

Cafe Diem is great during summer hours, but those last what, a month? Why can’t they be open to midnight everyday of the year?

This is a great idea, going to lunch, but none of us will live up to our imagined selves as lurk here. I for one look nothing like myself.
Next week is good for me. Maybe we need nametags!
Or am I even part of this group? Hmmmm…
And of course, the big question, will Peter be there?

I thought I was being facetious…

That has now dangled there a couple of days just crying out for a “Tom Swift” response, Alan. We have failed you, my boy. I’m so sorry…