Saint John, New Brunswick: all the wonderful things to see. Warning: quite a lot of history...

[@PhatNatCat]

TY for enjoying and sharing this peaceful place. Much love from Saint John

[@JasonD7726]

I was born I was raised I still love my hometown Saint John and if anybody has anything bad to say about it has either got to be from there or get to know it more NS for poverty or junkies blame the older generation for teaching the younger generation don't blame the city on its history for it blame the generation for it

[@MrTroySinister]

Neat. I'm from SJ. Enjoyed this.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Oh you lucky lucky person!!

[@BiNumLi]

well done. history makes a place. in this case, quite a place!

[@gremlinontheroad]

Thank you! A fantastic place.

[@KittanaEspinoza]

Being from Saint john, i was not expecting to come across such a video. I honestly didnt even know our city population 😆

[@gremlinontheroad]

I had to look for it, too, as data differs - and also somehow it felt larger than it actually is. I did enjoy the local history very much, and only wish I had done more research beforehand!

[@rps1689]

It's population has never recovered to what it was almost 50 years ago.

[@drivingnbandbeyond]

It is the Oldest Incorporated City (1785). A town or city that is incorporated has received a charter from the state. Thus, it is legally allowed to have its own elected officials, and, with some exceptions, make it owns rules. Québec City wasn't Incorporated until 1832.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Thank you! I thought Quebec received given a French charter in 1660 when it came under the king's direct authority, but you are quite right and I was quite wrong, it did not.

[@drivingnbandbeyond]

@@gremlinontheroad, it is all just word play really, as you say in your video Saint John, was founded a little before Quebec City, but Quebec certainly grew faster and bigger.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@drivingnbandbeyond well, yes, but facts are facts, so thank you again for straightening it out for me!

[@bluelot7546]

really the best video I have seen on this area thanks!

[@gremlinontheroad]

Thank you very much! I enjoy making them so I'd probably keep going anyway, but when once a while someone bothers to say something like this, it really feels amazing 🙂

[@edwardbarreto8410]

Great video. Gave me an appreciation of when we visit next month. Love the history!

[@gremlinontheroad]

Oh, see you'll be doing the same route then 🙂Thank you for the kind words, and yes, it is lovely. If you like history, don't miss the Fort La Tour, that's one heck of a good story (I summarised it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIjGpGeNoc6sopo)

[@rebstevenson]

We just got back from visiting Saint John and completely agree with you. There is something surprisingly appealing about this city!

[@gremlinontheroad]

Well, see you around next time then!

[@rps1689]

Born and raised in Saint John, never found anything appealing about it, but after living elsewhere, did have more of an appreciation of its old bldgs uptown. I must admit though I do like one of its most predominate characteristics, which is denial. No lack of locals will deny till they are blue in the face about the problems of their city and the suffering it causes them; it used to annoy me, but now I find it endearing; and can understand why poets and comedians have told stories about this denial. The the sycophancy and servility has always been too prominent for my liking in Saint John; probably comes with being the heart of the Irving Empire; some bask under it while others loath it.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@rps1689 sorry, missed your comment, which is a wonderful analysis. I think it applies to more places in North America than just Saint John - one of the things that first struck me here (as opposed to Europe, where I come from) is that, no matter how outwardly awful the town, if you ask a local if it's a good place to live, they will always find good things to say about it and praise it to high heavens no matter what (in Europe, no matter how amazing the town, everyone will bitch and moan about living there, to the point when all you want to ask them is why on earth do they continue to live there if it is this bad). I've had these conversations in Sarnia, and Windsor (ON), and Bathurst (NB), and so on - and I find this endearing, too. Guess I spent so little time in Saint John that I never had the time to sit down and talk to anybody, and, on the surface, it is just the sort of quirky, tumble-down place that most appeals to me. Thanks again for the insight!

[@Chap17]

Good history narration

[@koshallkamboj]

O dear thank you so much for the amazing knowledge, soon am going to be a part of this city. ❤

[@gremlinontheroad]

It is amazing - I'm sure you'll love it! I certainly did. Would move myself, just family aren't quite sold on those snowy Atlantic winters...

[@koshallkamboj]

@@gremlinontheroad so it'd be difficult for me too, harsh Atlantic winters.

[@MrCaneast]

A light-hearted review of Saint John and area. It's always interesting to hear a visitor's perspective. Just check out some of the cruise ship visitor's KZbin posts. So many enjoy seeing Saint John for the first time.

[@gremlinontheroad]

I certainly did!

[@margaretcreed3337]

Incredible

[@gremlinontheroad]

not sure if you mean in a good way or in a bad way, but whichever it is, thank you for caring enough to comment!

[@KalEl0]

Saint John doesnt get enough attention. I am from moncton but would visit my Grandparents ALL the time as a kid outside of Saint John. Moncton and Saint John are judged incorrectly.... Kinda talked down about a bit in otjer parts of NB. I live on Fredericton and it os very neat looking but Saint John is sooooo beautiful in how it is set up. Sure it has had economical and drug issues in the past.... But now those issues are everywhere. Lol

[@gremlinontheroad]

Thank you for commenting, and totally agreed! I enjoyed it a lot, with the full knowledge that it's a very different thing to just pop in for a visit rather than to live somewhere - and I haven't yet seen a city without its issues!

[@JasonD7726]

Canada did start in Saint John not in Quebec or Montreal I'm not sure what historian thought about that but it all started in New Brunswick in Saint John

[@gremlinontheroad]

Oh, finally, someone else likes history!! Out of what I read, Pierre de Mons's first settlement was the Ile de la Croix (currently some 10 metres south of the Canadian/N.B./U.S. border), but I agree, Saint John came only a couple of years later. I did make a separate video about Fort La Tour, but, apparently, it does not come up in people's feed much, so few saw it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIjGpGeNoc6sopo

[@Jan-fx2ny]

First telephones

[@notenoughhands]

Why your all wrong on the history.

[@rps1689]

There used to. be so many more old bldgs; at least they kept some uptown.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Compared to other places in Canada, they kept an awful lot, actually. So many amazing places disappearing all the time down where I live now (Ontario).

[@bigirononmyhip3812]

Home sweet home

[@KevinMartin-k9t]

I don't see any tent encampments?

[@icouldjustscream]

I worked at The Provincial 10:55 in the late 80s. It was called Centracare then. I worked on ward 6. I never saw anything supernatural, but some co-workers said they did.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Respect, that is one job I don't think I could do. I stumbled upon some stories about Centracare after I left, on a tangent with reading about the putative monster in the Reversing Falls, but most were of the "I thought I heard a voice" kind... Maybe I'll do a "haunted Saint John" next time. Thank you!

[@rps1689]

I worked one summer in Centracare; I think it was the summer of 83. I don't recall the number of the ward. But I do recall the name of my head nurse - Miss Howe.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@rps1689 don't suppose you've experienced anything you might call out of ordinary?

[@rps1689]

@@gremlinontheroad Nothing out of the ordinary.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@rps1689 As much as I'd love to, I am (unsurprisingly) yet to find a ghost story that stands up to any sort of scrutiny (sigh). Thanks for reverting!

[@timboslices87]

Why doesn't anyone ever ask how the f did they build those buildings with horse and buggy anyone anyone want to explain or how about all the buildings because all the buildings were buried and dug up I've lived there most of my life didn't realize until I got to Alberta it seems like it could be part of the tartarian theory there's no way our technology was able to build those buildings back then no chance now let's hear all the craziness I'm going to hear

[@Kilo1911]

Saint John is the oldest incorporated city specifically.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Thank you! Yes, you are quite right, somebody corrected me on this/explained this here already. I lived in the mistaken belief that Quebec city and/or Montreal have been incorporated some time after New France came under the direct royal authority in 1660, but, alas, they have not, and so (drum roll) the title does indeed go to Saint John!

[@Kilo1911]

@@gremlinontheroad Sorry didn’t realize this one had already been solved. Thank you.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@Kilo1911 no, thank you - that was my first stab at Saint John and there's only so much you can read in a couple of weeks, I really appreciate all the information people give here, and the comment. All the best!

[@KevinMartin-k9t]

Jimmy Flinn describes it best-Great little city, if they ever get it finished 😂

[@CrazyHistory-qj8mi]

Bloody cold, been there, didn't know if my nose of my butt would first fall off from cold...

[@gremlinontheroad]

It wasn't too bad - in August 🙃But any suggestions of "maybe we should try living here for a few months" met with the family's stern comments pretty much in line with yours above, so there, they were right about it...

[@rps1689]

Can get cool in the summer too.

[@democrasywins]

what accent is that? seemed English at first, very difficult to understand sounds like a mix of muffled English ,,Scottish Russian, Polish with a hint of pig latin possibly ? otherwise great video !

[@ENIGMAXII2112]

Well, it is not a secret anymore is it..

[@Studiolussoalberta]

You are funny😂

[@randyhuke3773]

The benzyne from the oil refinery and the chlorine from the pulp mill is quite refreshing. By the way , Saint John was originally a French city until the British chased them north and hunted them down.

[@gremlinontheroad]

Oh, I missed the pulp mill then! Still, big improvement in he air quality from where I live, around the corner from a couple of steel mills... You're right, I did leave out the whole St Jean period - but I did a separate video on Fort La Tour, it's on the channel, published a week after the Saint John one. I had heaps of fun making it, although, somehow, it doesn't seem to be getting many views.

[@rps1689]

The thing with Saint John is even on a blue sky day, the AQI can be the same as a city smothered in smog with a bit of forest fire smoke.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@rps1689 yeah... actually, I am struggling to find any place in Canada with a decent air quality, yet not hundreds of miles away from everything (in fact, these days, even hundreds of miles away from everything do not necessarily get you cleaner air). Sigh.

[@NBRiderOne]

Very well done video...the biggest critics of Saint John are it residents, and many of them tend to appreciate it the least and take it for granted....having traveled all over I can confirm non of Saint John's problems are unique to Saint John. 😀

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@NBRiderOne grass is always greener the other side of the fence, right?

[@PiersYves-k2z]

Thomas Michelle Davis Frank Lee Barbara

[@dixieboy5689]

Good history lesson from a robot. Good grief. Are there any humans to do voiceovers anymore?

[@gremlinontheroad]

Well, I wouldn't know, would I? Insufficient data to say... Anyways, you can always turn off the audio. I was programmed to generate subtitles, too.

[@melvin14v2]

LOL this place is ment to be amazing or whatever? I LIVE HERE AND ITS FILLED WITH JUNKIES AND STUFF

[@gremlinontheroad]

Well, yes, but unfortunately I think "filled with junkies and stuff" describes just about every city in Canada (foreigner's perspective, so I may of course be very wrong, as I do not know the country very well; also, I am discounting theme parks for tourists, such as Quebec City). Certainly felt like it last summer, whether we were in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Saint John at least has this wonderful, coherent city core (not some non-descript concrete blocks interspaced by random creations of matchsticks, plywood and gypsum-cardboard with pretend bricks or stone glued on top), a lot of history to it (I like history, although of course not everyone does or has to), and not everyone turned off the lights at 9 p.m., all of which can only be said of a handful of places in the country (or what I've seen of it). As a visitor, compared to what else was on offer within, say, a 2000 km radius, I enjoyed it very much. I do realise a couple of days in the summer weather is not the same as having to live somewhere all the time. Grass is always greener, and all that, I suppose.

[@rps1689]

Saint John has been an economically depressed place since the early 70s and as long as I can remember addicts came along with that; before the 60s, junkiest were hidden or locked away.

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@rps1689 yup - looks the same way in Ontario...

[@frankc3080]

LOL it's how the narrator hypes it up.. go w a bunch of good friends and it'll be lit for sure.. junkies are everywhere, maybe Burlington the only town w none now, not for long too

[@gremlinontheroad]

@@frankc3080 Being from that locality, I assure you, there are plenty of junkies in Burlington, too!

[@Jan-fx2ny]

Highest poverty

[@NotLeftarded1]

Dirtiest city in NB 😂😂😂

[@NotLeftarded1]

Love your accent which part of Europe do you come from?

[@NotLeftarded1]

I'm from Bathurst but I prefer Moncton.😊

[@JazzyGinger1]

Hello, 🌹🌹🏵🏵🌻🌻🌸🌸🌸🌷🌷🌷May I share an Old Testament Verse with you from Daniel 7:14 "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should SERVE Him; his dominion is an Everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Also, can I share Isaiah 53:5 " But HE was WOUNDED For our TRANSGRESSIONS, he was BRUISED for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His STRIPES we are HEALED." God the Father loves you so much that He sent Holy Sinless Jesus (His Holy Son) to earth to be born of a virgin.Then, to grow up and die on a cross for our sins. He was in the tomb for 3 days, then Father God raised Holy and Sinless Jesus Christ (Y'shua) to Life! He appeared to people and went back to Heaven. We must receive Sinless Jesus sincerely to be God's child(John 1:12).After we get saved by grace through faith in Christ, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will obey Jesus(John 14:15). Mark 1:15 "And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "There's a real hell. It says in Revelation 21:8 "But for the cowardly, & unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, & immoral persons sorcerers & idolaters & all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone..." Please sincerely receive Holy Jesus and put your true faith and trust in Him today and please repent. Will you have a Real encounter with Holy Lord Jesus (Y'shua is His Hebrew Name) and stay in a Genuine relationship with Him daily please?

[@JesusSavesandRomeEnslaves]

Amen God is good! Holy Jesus is returning soon. Rapture inbound Lord willing!

[@justinwaite26]

Painful to listen to...ta-alk li-ike. A row-bot

[@gremlinontheroad]

That is why I subtitle everything. You're welcome to just turn off the audio. I don't particularly like my voice, either, but it's the only one I've got, sorry. Thank you for commenting, anyway, it makes a refreshing change - most people concentrate on my weird accent. "Robot" is new!

[@ct1216]

Boring

[@marcusd4366]

Where are you from? I like your accent!

[@gremlinontheroad]

Why, thank you, not many do! I am from Ontario (now 🙂), but my accent is from Poland/North Africa and Scandinavia, with a bit of English here and there. Most people guess South African (nope)...

[@jamesvickery3482]

Halifax(NS) is a thousand times the city STJ is....

[@gremlinontheroad]

Definitely still on my bucket list - only got to Halifax once, for a day, it rained like crazy and I did not see much, and anyways that was before I started filming. Was kind of thinking of going this summer, but with the floods... Terrible. Hope you're not directly affected yourself.

[@rps1689]

That's telling, cause I never really liked Halifax. SJ is a dump compared to Halifax.

[@sheldoncarmichael4534]

Sorry but your history is way off seeing as historians have already proven that people lived here as far back as 3200bc.

[@jamesvickery3482]

Stinky Town

[@rps1689]

You can smell that as far out as Quispamsis and even Grand Bay, but the local deny it, as olfactory adaptation kicks in in no time.