The Band Stand in the Halifax Public Gardens. This is a lovely, formal garden touted as being a Victorian Garden... it is indeed lovely, but very uptight. The signs prohibit dogs (even on leash), no running, no walking or sitting on grass (there is one congested area where one can lay down or kids can play), no music, and not even a jog is allowed. One could not confuse this garden with New York's Central Park nor Vancouver's Stanley Park.
The Public Gardens is also closed for the winter, rather than having its paths cleared so people might enjoy a brisk walk through the park. Now, the intention to keep the park pristine is laudable, but Halifax (the city I was raised in and recently returned to after three decades) with its myriad regulations, does have a nanny state complex, protecting citizens and the grass from outlanders and interlopers.
(photo c M. Stewart, Aug 2009)
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