This development is certainly an improvement over the previous landscape, which gave passer’s by the impression that Division Street was one continuous lane of fast food franchises. Although Mr. Horton, the Golden Arches, and a girl named Wendy have been successful in attracting a trickle of hungry travelers off the 401, King’s Crossing will invariably open the flood gates. The spin off for Kingston will result in jobs, convenient shopping for those in the area, increased selection of stores not found elsewhere in the city, and it might even reduce the congestion along Gardner’s Road around the RioCan.

As was the case with the RioCan, many feared that the economic core of Kingston would suffer as a result of increased competition. Additionally, it’s a bit more expensive for a business to rent space downtown. But in the wake of the RioCan, the core has proved to be pretty strong. In fact, the only store I can remember closing is Zellers, which was replaced by a much needed / better looking Shopper’s Drugmart. Further proof of the strength of our downtown, is the addition of stores including: American Apparel, Minotaur, Urban Outfitters, Ben and Jerry’s and many more.

That said, King’s Crossing has me a bit worried about our downtown. Already we have learned that the No Frills on Bagot Street (5 blocks NOP), is slated to close due to the fact that it is in desperate need of economically unsound repairs. Although this may not impact you, or your favorite downtown shopping destination, it is going to be a problem for myself and many of my neighbors. This store is unabashedly sans frills, while a majority of the customers do not have the means to afford pricier super markets. Further, many do not have access to transportation, which puts the new No Frills at King’s Crossing out of reach.

Is this an isolated incident, or will development on Kingston’s outskirts hurt the downtown core? I find it hard to believe that the downtown could ever die, with Queen’s St.Lawrence, RMC, tourists, KRock’ers, Grand Theatre patrons and all the rest.  What say you?

In case you’re new or you’ve just been out of the country (yes, this made national headlines) for the last four years, Queen’s students and their friends from other universities have taken it upon themselves to shut down Aberdeen street on the Saturday night of Homecoming weekend for a wild, dangerous and very expensive party. Arrests have been made in spades, there have been numerous injuries, police have been brought in from other cities (on the tax payer’s dollar) and residents who aren’t students (yes students, we do exist) have had to endure the loud ruckus and damage to their private property.

I went to Queen’s and I receive the alumni emails that go out every month or so. Today there was one in my inbox that I have long anticipated but never thought would actually come. A letter from the principal regarding homecoming weekend. Principal Tom Williams wrote: "I have reached a very difficult decision: the University will not be hosting its Fall Homecoming Weekend for a minimum period of 2 years, beginning with the Homecoming of Fall 2009."

Finally! After many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, the school has finally stepped up to do something that could actually be effective!

Now, I don’t want to be insensitive to those who are disappointed. It really is unfair to the alumni who come here yearly to genuinely celebrate Homecoming and make this their one chance each year to reunite with their friends from university. I especially feel bad when I think of the graduates in their 70s and 80s who are so proud of their university and so excited to be back. It’s disappointing that the new generation has taken advantage of what should be a fun and meaningful weekend to the point where we have to ruin it for everyone; however, as I mentioned in my post this past Homecoming, sometimes drastic measures must be taken to get a point across.

The good news for alumni is that Queen’s still intends to host a weekend for them, it will just happen in May, long after classes have ended and students are back at their summer jobs.

So the question is, can we still keep students from throwing a ridiculous party? The internet is a powerful thing and word gets spread pretty fast these days. What’s stopping students from planning a weekend on their own? Hopefully a lack of motivation and maybe - gasp!- the realization that they don’t have the right . Only time will tell.

See Principal Williams’ letter here .

The Duke was named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who was once a General in the British Army, conqueror of Napoleonic forces, and two-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was an unpopular politician by times, to such a degree that his house was often targeted by mobs, which ultimately resulted in the installation of iron shutters, ergo the Iron Duke. Given the historical significance of the pub’s namesake, it obviously has some stately shoes to fill.

I can still remember the first time I set foot inside the Duke last Winter.  As soon as I entered (pictures found here), I knew that this place was different from the other local watering holes.  From the warm wood paneling that spanned the entire bar, to the exposed stone, comfortable private booths, massive LCD televisions, and fresh aroma (read: it does not smell like vomit), I knew that I’d be spending many an evening with the Duke.  Like the decor, the food is also fit for a Duke and served by really friendly staff.  On the surface their menu appears to offer the typical pub fare, but with selections including:  sweet potato poutine, the morning after sandwich and Napoleon’s end, it’s impossible to have a bad meal here.  Now, I have been called a nacho aficionado before, but this place honestly serves the BEST (note I capitalized for increased effect) nachos in all of Kingston.

As I sat down to write this review of Kingston’s newest British pub, I was a bit hesitant, as I want the Duke to remain somewhat of a secret.  Sure it is a stones throw away from Princess, and only a few blocks away from the KRC, but that hasn’t stopped it from going unnoticed to many.  There have been times when I’ve visited and not been able to get in, or sit down, but those instances are few and far between.  So that said, although I would like to introduce you to the fabulous Iron Duke on Wellington, I would also ask that you guard it’s location, and only recommend it to friends who will truly appreciate all the little extras this place has to offer.

I was walking by the K-Rock Centre last week, when I noticed a few folks from Eskerod Signs unloading some large billboards along Barrack Street. I was excited to see what sort of marquee they’d come up with to advertise the goings on inside the KRC. In the past, a video projector on the Barrack Street side has blasted the K-Rock logo on the side of the arena, but that was obviously only a temporary solution.

In the end, three signs were plastered to the side of the Krock. Two identical signs were placed at opposite ends of the building, one facing Place d’Armes, and one facing Barrack Street. These signs give clear K-Rock brand recognition, and they advertise upcoming events via an LED sign at the bottom. The third sign is a longer LED board, which also announces events such as Barney on Ice, Tom Jones etc…

Although I think that these finishing touches are well needed, and long overdue, I must say that I am rather disappointed with the result. The huge square billboards are rather generic, albeit easily changed down the road if K-Rock no longer wishes to hold naming rights. In my mind, the centre should have something similar to the ACC where each letter of the sponsor’s name, as well as the logo, are lit up and affixed to the facade. Although I applaud the effort to advertise events, I think that the LED signs look junky, and almost old school. On the other hand, had they taken the time to make the signs look great, it would probably end up costing us even more. Check them out from more angles in our new Flickr set.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the wrongful use of the apostrophe and I have noticed this on signs all over Kingston (and in many other cities as well). In the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves, the author, Lynn Truss, discusses how she actually made a giant apostrophe and put it on a stick and stood under signs in her city where an apostrophe was missing. I’m not that crazy. But I will point out a few misguided businesses in the area.

Here’s the deal: if you want to pluralize something that ends with a “y” (let’s use “pony” as our example) then you drop the y and say “Gee, I just love ponies”. If you are referring to something that a pony has (such as his lovely mane) you would write “Look at that pony’s lovely mane!”. If you have more than one pony, then you say “Wow! Look at those ponies’ lovely manes!”. OK, the word pony has lost all meaning. Let’s move on.

Things get tricky when you have a word that ends with an S. The actual rule is still up for debate and it’s doubtful that any conclusion will ever be made. Let’s take the word “Flanders”. Believe it or not, Homer is accurate when he refers to the Flanderses (I have spelled it incorrectly here on purpose so you know what I’m saying). If you take a name like “Flanders” and you want to refer to something he or she possesses, you could do one of two things. You can write “Flanders’” or, as Homer does, you can write “Flanders’s”. I prefer the first option personally.

So, my beef is with signs like “Tim Hortons”, “Lukes!” (they do get a point since their website is accurate), “Chumleighs” and “Lulus”. These signs suggest that there are several men named Tim Horton in this restaurant, many chefs named Luke or that when you enter the salon you’ll find a bunch of Lulus…whatever those are. Three cheers for “Dover’s”, “Kirkpatrick’s”, “Card’s Bakery” and “Ben and Jerry’s” who all make it clear that these names refer to the owners of the establishment.

So I’m kind of picky. Really, it’s all in good fun and I want you to play along too. Send us pictures of other funny, ridiculous or irritating signs in town. They don’t have to be grammar related issues, just weird signs that don’t necessarily get their point across or could have multiple meanings.

Have a look at our Flickr to see what I’m talking about.