The Heart of Barrie
Published by The Waterv
iew Space
Lakeshore Mews - Photo by Claudia Mandler McKnight
Piece of My Heart
In the early morning, before work, I drive to
downtown Barrie. Downtown: the core, the
heart, the centre of the city. So many of our Ontario towns and cities are confused as to where
this hub may be. Business and shopping centres
sprawl along malls and industrial areas, often in
the suburbs. But in Barrie, we also have the gem
of a traditional downtown that is built to a human scale.
Our beautiful Kempenfelt Bay is the highlight.
This is historically where settlement began, and
where houses and stores and industries were first
developed. The railway, rather than Highway
400, was the major link to other communities.
Today, quiet walking paths and bicycle trails have
replaced the noise and grime of the trains, and
beautiful parklands border the water. My route
takes me past the iconographic Spirit Catcher
and gorgeous vistas of water, land and sky. My
destination is Lakeshore Mews, that little block
between Simcoe Street and Dunlop Street, just
East of Fred Grant Square.
So just what is a ‘mews’? It is a row of houses or
flats converted from stables in a small street or
square. Or in this case, it is a row of specialized
stores, studios, boutiques and restaurants that
are one-of-a-kind. The buildings may be nineteenth century, but the services they offer are exactly what you need to bring beauty and health
into your life.
This is my neighbourhood, my home away from
home. Yoga Studio Bliss, led by former Olympian and Shineologist Ann Green, polishes the
layers of my heart and realigns my body. Gallery
1 LH