WHO- Moncton is rich in cultural dichotomy, as long as your cultures include English and French. The local dialect is a perfect mixture of those 2 languages, called Shiac. Acadian culture survives with full flavour as does the Scottish heritage of the typical maritimer. Expect to hear Great Big Sea like music at markets and on street corners, with lots of fiddling and foot stomping. And listen intently to the easy flow of the people who speak both English and French without an interfering accent in either language. It sounds superb.
WHEN - Go to Moncton especially in the summer and autumn. Shediac and its coastline is on a sand shelf which makes for the most swimmable Atlantic waters north of the Carolinas. Every summer the beaches fill up with Quebec vacationers, known as "the Quebecers", who revel in long days in high heat and humidity, and gorge on sunburns and red lobster by the pound.
The autumn is perfect for enjoying the bountiful harvests of the region along with the huge amounts of fresh seafood dished out including apples, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, squash and all those Canadian bounty foods. Especially celebrated is the apple harvest where local families join together to load bags and bags of the local varieties to be shared for weeks to come. The empire is an especially tasty treat.
WHAT - If you're looking for highbrow arts, or foodie culture, you may have to lower your brows for a more down home visit. However, if you're looking for the perfect cappuccino, then you need look no further than Clementine Cafe on St George Blvd. Clement and his studious team make sure that every cup flows through its process with unprecedented success.
Conservationists may be interested in the fact that their team won in a long debate about the flow of the Petticodiac River which is being closely monitered for its recovery since its recent dam release. Watch the tidal boar as it recovers its steam to its (hopefully) pre damned velocity. The river rises and recedes with the tides of the great Atlantic tides from the Bay of Fundy, known for its flower pot rocks and the highest tides in the world.
Fundy National Park has great wildlife and hikes as well as sea floor walks which are great in the summer heat, since it can be around 10 degrees cooler, there.
WHY - Moncton is considered the maritime hub, these days, and people from Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Nova Scotia, and northern New Brunswick small towns all go there to harvest the shopping and eat out.
I recommend a half hour trip to Sackville to see Mount Allison University and its beautiful outcropping town from its pretty marshes.
French Africans and caribbean peoples make their way to the U de M, and so the spin off of African choral music and even french rap makes for some stimulating finds for this out of the way, and yet decidedly Eastern small city.
Fashion is funtionable and is extremely influenced by magazines, malls and New York streets. Punk is not dead, here, either. French women have that je ne se quois. I love their high heels, make up and confidance.
Also, the farmers markets are amazing because they are so very well attended, and because there are two of them: one in downtown and one in Dieppe, the veritable French Quarter.
WHERE - Stay at the St James Gate if you don't mind some pub/bar vibe along with your boutique hotel. The Chateau Moncton is right on the tidal boar side of the river and you won't believe how easy it is to fly into their airport (run by YVR) or drive in on the pristine divided highway. Generic hotels are being built every year to accommodate the blossoming summer concert circuit.
Put your highbrow away and enjoy the low prices, maritime openness and franglais infused beaches.
ON THE OTHER HAND...
the mosquitoes seem to have one season and that is whenever there isn't snow piled up around your butt...
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