Tell us a bit about yourself.

We moved to Hamilton from Toronto in 2022. Steven is an actor/writer/director, and Neil works in public relations.

Why did you move to Hamilton?

During the pandemic, we had shifted to working almost exclusively from home, and we really wanted some more space. An office for Neil, and a spare bedroom for company. We also really like living in a city, and we didn’t want to be too far from Toronto because we both still need to commute a couple of times a week. Hamilton was the perfect solution where we could find a great house and not to far from friends and family.

What neighbourhood are you living in and why did you choose it?

We live in Barton Village. We chose our neighbourhood because we were able to afford a great house in a very walkable neighbourhood. I can take the dog out for his 3 pm walk, and come with with groceries and coffee within half an hour, and without a car. There are a ton of great restaurants in our neighbourhood, and some really great local bars. It’s very downtown, and we really enjoy it.

What surprised you most about the city?

How many incredible restaurants there are here! We have eaten at so many fantastic restaurants since we moved, and we love bringing our visiting friends and family to all of them!

If  someone was visiting Hamilton for the first time, what would be the top three places you would recommend them checking out?

Theatre Aquarius is a world class theatre right here in Hamilton. They are really doing some wonderful community engagement, and working hard to bring back local audiences. Recently they started the National Centre for New Musicals, which is committed to creating new Canadian Musicals, something no other theatre in the country is doing! Supercrawl was a real revelation to us! We loved that they close the street for the weekend and that they get so many great bands to perform, vendors to buy great stuff from, and beer gardens to visit. And we also love the smaller version, ArtCrawl which takes place the rest of the year. A really wonderful time. The Art Gallery of Hamilton. We love museums, and the AGH hosts some great exhibits, and has it’s own wonderful collection. It’s a wonderful place to get lost in art for an afternoon.