In a city of wonderful streets it can be hard to single out one as particularly pleasing, but I would like to try.
Check out St. Paul Street. Specifically, walk the section from la Côte Dinan to Dalhousie Street. Lying at the base of the cape, in Vieux-Québec’s lower town, this stretch of St. Paul Street does not have the touristy air of other old city streets. Instead, it is staid and formally elegant. Grand maple trees sprout from its flagstone sidewalks, and large storefront windows lure in passers-by. Peering into the artistically arranged picture windows, they can find the perfect…everything. The boutiques here are antique shops that sell most anything, as long as it is not from today. When the antiquing is done, stop at one of the excellent restaurants at the corner of St. Paul and Sault-au-Matelot. There is something there to please every palate.
St. Paul Street first appeared on the maps of Québec City in the early 19th century when authorities pushed a riverside road from the Place Royale neighborhood toward the neighborhoods along the St. Charles River. Although it is landlocked today, it still has a maritime feel with the sailboats of the Louise Basin bobbing nearby.
Love it, my kind of place. Hope to see it soon.
Evocative description Neil. It’s almost like I’m there again.
Belle photo! Belle description! Une veritable invitation à aller y flaner….
Hi Neil,
Je trouve aussi que la rue St-Paul est une des plus parisiennes de Québec, justement à cause de ses beaux grands arbres et de ses trottoirs jonchés de terrasses où il fait bon manger, siroter un café ou même un verre de bon vin. Bonne session,
Denis L.
It’s also the place to be for antic’s lovers…
Just like a snapshot “out of time”. It makes you want to be there.
Thanks for the beautiful photo. The street glowed with the sunshine.