Silent Hill 2 analysis

[MTL]

@MTL,
sorry, this is completely off-topic.
When wife and I did a road trip upstate NY years ago, by the time we crossed Niagra falls into Canada, the sun had already set. We were in the mood for hiking and wine tasting and some nice scenery, but all we saw in the night was chimneys and what looked like refineries. That odious looking place had a name, "Hamilton". After half an hour or so,  rather disillusioned, we looked for the first motel we could find in the dark that was still open and checked in and went to bed. The next morning, wife got up and immediately yelled - Alex! Alex! you have got to see this! We hadn't noticed the night before (this was before the time of widespread sat navs) that 1. There was Lake Ontario right in front of us and 2. that our room was actually looking out over the Lake into the most beautiful morning sun. We did a day's worth of hiking through the Balls Falls area, had some nice wine and food and were thoroughly happy campers, never to forget the special charm of Hamilton, Ontario again. That is all

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit, here!

Balls Falls is a beautiful spot...did you see both the upper and lower falls?

In the springtime, the nearby White Meadows Sugarbush has a pancake house open for breakfast
and you can pick up a bottle of real maple syrup or take a tour and sample Canadian Maple Taffy,
made right in the snow in front of you;

and in addition to Niagara Falls,
the entire Niagara Escarpment is riddled with waterways, lots of waterfalls and beautiful scenic lookouts,
and more wineries, tours and tastings than you can shake a stick at...

(make sure not to miss the Grape and Wine festival in the Autumn)




If you missed them, on your next visit, check out the tiny but worthwhile village of Jordan,
halfway between Niagara Falls and Hamilton
...it's lovely year round, but you might find it novel in the winter, during the Ice Wine festival:



and also the historic town of Niagara-On-The-Lake





and Port Dalhousie, with it's pier, on the old Welland Canal, in St. Catharines,
and its historic carousel, rides still just 5 cents:



Now, admittedly, Hamilton, from the QEW highway, does look like something out of an industrial nightmare,
when all you can see is Dofasco Steel:



...however the industry is Hamilton's history, its heart and soul, and a huge part of the city's gritty, blue-collar identity.

Indeed, locals refer to their town as "The Hammer".

But the city has some wonderful green spaces, conservation areas, wildlife, and waterways,
especially along the edge of the Escarpment:



....and also, as I say, lots of history, and beautiful old homes;
The "Durand" neighborhood is historic and worth a look.

There is Dundurn Castle, and Whitehern, both open for tours;

there is a thriving student life, between McMaster University and Mohawk College,
with a weekend party scene, food and drink in Hess Village:



there is interesting shopping and events like music festivals, art crawls, and such, along James St,
antique shops, bistros, pubs and cafes along Locke Street:



...and a thriving music scene.


Glad you liked it here....hope you can make it back, sometime!!!