Charlottetown, PEI: A Matter of Perspective

In Anne of Green Gables, Charlottetown is always spoken of as a big city. It is the place they make an overnight trip to attend fancy events. Diana’s grandmother hosts the girls at her fancy town house. They wear their best dresses. While today cars make the trip from Cavendish to Charlottetown in about an hour, Charlottetown has maintained much of its early charm.

Upon exploring the city after just flying in, I decided Charlottetown is small and quaint, and no more the big city as it was described by L. M. Montgomery. Upon returning to Charlottetown at the end of our week, however, my impression of Charlottetown changed quite drastically. It seems Charlottetown is a matter of perspective.

Arrival in Charlottetown

Our Inn was no more than a 20 minute drive from Charlottetown, so we drove back to the city for our first evening. We explored the Sunday Craft & Farmers Market and walked Victoria Row, a pedestrian only street. There was a live band with a singer which, in our tired state, made the street uncomfortably loud to enjoy eating at any of the restaurants’ outdoor tables. I looked around the Anne of Green Gables Shop so that I would know what my souvenir options would be at the heritage site gift shops. Somehow we eventually found ourselves at the harbor, where we decided to have dinner at Lobster on the Warf. After dinner as we ate our ice cream it started to rain, so we hurried back to the car and called it a night. We slept for the next 13 hours, having crawled into bed at 6pm. Note to self: flying for two days and getting in during the day makes that first day pretty much useless.

(Read about Good Eats of PEI here)

Departure from Charlottetown

charlottetown The Tailor Shop — The Tailor Shop

Eventually it was time to head back to Charlottetown for our last evening on the Island. By the time we returned, it no longer appeared the cute old city we perceived it as when we flew in. Now it was big, dirty, and crowded. I much prefer the country side!

We checked into our AirB&B, the Tailor Shop. It was fine. Not too remarkable. Huge tub. It sufficed for the night. I supposed upon arrival I would have found it quaint, but now it paled in comparison to our two previous Inns. (Find my recommendation for Anne fans accommodations here)

We spent our last evening checking out the Anne Store one last time for the last-minute souvenirs and then going to dinner at Hunter’s Ale House. The portions are huge! Sadly, this must have been the ONLY restaurant in PEI not to carry Raspberry Cordial. I was hoping to have one more on my last night. No such luck. The reality of leaving Anne, Maud, and PEI began to sink in. After dinner we collapsed early, full of food and good memories of the past week. Neither of us wanted to leave the Island the next morning!