It was my first year here last year and there was plenty to do at mac! Your best bet is to look around for on campus clubs/groups, during clubsfest you'll find them all. I joined a couple of them and they offer a ton of stuff to do. The outdoor club has a lot of day trips and weekend trips throughout the year for example. If you're looking for nature stuff, there's Coote's Paradise right behind the residences which has a trail system that will take you all the way to the 403 bridge. Dundas Valley conservation area is a 10-20 minute bike ride away, plenty of trails there too. If you're looking for parties, plenty of house jams always, rez parties, our on campus nightclub is packed on Thursday nights, and I hear Hess Village is pretty cool. Stores and what not, the previous posts explain that.

Pretty much as long as you look around a bit, you'll find something to do for sure.

haha, some of these responses are funny.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that Hamilton is the worst city I've been to in Canada, and I've been to just about every area of the whole city umpteen times over.

Westdale (which surrounds Mac) is a little better (certainly not very good) and the Mountain is even a small notch above that, but the downtown is just... wow, I don't even know how to describe it. Especially compared to downtown Toronto (where I was all of yesterday), it's disgraceful. The east end is also fairly bad, and the north end (above downtown) is even worse.

If you're talking about the new amalgamated areas of "Hamilton", then some parts of Dundas are nice (quite scenic outside the "downtown"), as well as Stoney Creek, the south (Binbrook/Glanbrook), and Ancaster (the nicest, most affluent suburb, although Meadowlands is usually a disaster).

I'd say it's "meh".

Originally Posted by drew4008

haha, some of these responses are funny.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that Hamilton is the worst city I've been to in Canada, and I've been to just about every area of the whole city umpteen times over.

Westdale (which surrounds Mac) is a little better (certainly not very good) and the Mountain is even a small notch above that, but the downtown is just... wow, I don't even know how to describe it. Especially compared to downtown Toronto (where I was all of yesterday), it's disgraceful. The east end is also fairly bad, and the north end (above downtown) is even worse.

If you're talking about the new amalgamated areas of "Hamilton", then some parts of Dundas are nice (quite scenic outside the "downtown"), as well as Stoney Creek, the south (Binbrook/Glanbrook), and Ancaster (the nicest, most affluent suburb, although Meadowlands is usually a disaster).

Haha, I agree. I grew up in Toronto so maybe my expectations are high but damn. I think Toronto, and most likely Vancouver and Montreal are it for me - I've been spoiled.

The best part about Hamilton is that it's less than an hour away from Toronto.

Originally Posted by _Luu_

The best part about Hamilton is that it's less than an hour away from Toronto.

I completely agree!

Marlowe and c.erl - thank you!

I didn't really consider Amazon because of their shipping costs and all. I'm not sure how much it costs. As an Int'l student and hence not in Canada, I only know it's 'a lot'!

one way i like to describe hamilton is that it always feels really... "gray".. even on sunny days, most times you'll walk outside and be like "wow, my life sucks." maybe an over-exaggeration, but that's something i noticed everytime i arrived back in hamilton from a weekend in toronto.

also, it's ugly, boring, and the least exciting place i've ever been to in the world. OH and don't go downtown by yourself. i went downtown with a group before first year [during the Horizons Conference -- great conference, btw, you should all go] and in broad daylight, with a group of at least 20+ people.. there were homeless people following us. it was kinda scary :\

Originally Posted by drew4008

haha, some of these responses are funny.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that Hamilton is the worst city I've been to in Canada, and I've been to just about every area of the whole city umpteen times over.

My friend's fiance, upon finding out I was moving here, said that he lived in Hamilton for over 10 years, and thought of it as "the armpit of Canada". Coming from a guy who at some point in his life has lived in almost every city in Canada with over 100,000 people, that says something.

There are always people that will dislike Hamilton, but, again, I have to stress the importance of taking our comments as simple personal observations, not divine prophecy when it comes to this city.

It is painfully easy to take a walk down industrial Burlington Street or through the impoverished Beasley neighbourhood and write the entire city off as an urban wasteland. It is similarly easy to spend your entire time in Westdale or on Locke Street and assume the whole city is an indie college town.

I've heard the little quips people make about the best thing happening to the city is the highway to Toronto and the smell that emanates from the entire area, but every city has its industry, its homelessness, its bland spots.

I really, really encourage every out-of-town first year to explore the city for yourself and make your own judgements. Do not simply take everything people are saying as actualities and use other people's personal experiences as an excuse not to get out and see the city.

Originally Posted by c.erl

the smell that emanates from the entire area

To be fair, if you aren't used to the smell it is very noticeable, the same with the taste of the water. You get used to it eventually, but when I first came to Hamilton that was one of the things that immediately turned me off about the city.

I've lived in Hamilton (well Stoney Creek) my whole life and didn't think it was that great til I came to university/ grade 12 when I actually explored what's beyond the Stoney Creek mtn bubble.

So, if your around Hamilton in the summer one of my favourites is FESTIVALS!
There's the Burlington Sound of Music festival (pretty close by) and some amazing bands- this yr Mariana's Trench and the Arkells played as well as some awesome local acts like Dean Lickyer

Festival of Friends- usually in Gage Park, kind of arts and craftswith some pretty good music

The Winona Peach Festiva- sadly I dont think public transit (HSR) goes out there but I definitely recommend finding your way there somehow- undoubetdly the most amaing fresh peaches and Stoney Creek Dairy vanilla ice cream you will ever taste!

Another awesome thing about Hamilton and our lovely Mac ID student cards is you get FREE admission to the Art Gallery of Hamilton and Museums in Hamilton through the Get Cultured program we have at Mac- so if your a histroy/ culture. museum lover its pretty awesome.

There's the Heritage Warplane Musueum, Dundurn Castle, Battlefield House, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame all in Hamilton- and most places are a few buses away from campus.

there's also Cathedral of the Christ the King near campus- it's quite beautiful and I know if you give them a call they give grounds tours and tell you the history of the Cathedral (I know not everyone's Catholic but it's still quite remarkable in my opinion).

So all in all Hamilton is a pretty nice city- it just requires a little bit of exploring

I think its kind of funny how the majority of people that have commented saying they don't like Hamilton are from Toronto. I think it completely has to do with the type of environment people grow up in and what they think is acceptable or "right" in a place to live. I also find it funny that in comparison with Hamilton, Toronto has areas that are just as "dirty", "ugly", or "scary" if not more so than some areas of Hamilton.

I definitely agree with previous posters that have said everyone should explore the city and make their own judgments, don't just believe what you hear or go by what you see in a select few areas of the city.

I don't really see the point judging a city in its entirety, considering one never really frequents ALL parts of a city. For example, I don't criticize my sister for living in Toronto because there are sketchy parts in Chinatown in Toronto. Likewise, I don't rail against Hamilton because there are sketchy parts in the downtown district. Every city has its bad parts. (ever seen the outskirts of Paris? lol)

Personally, I think the Mac campus, Westdale, and where I live are great, but that's just my opinion, and that's all this really is - someone's opinion. Like Chris said, it is not "divine prophecy".

Also, your average Mac student likely will spend 4 years at Mac - Hamilton will certainly not be the ONLY city a student at Mac will inhabit. A prospective student's primary concern should be if Mac as a school is good, not if the city in which it happens to be located is good for entertainment and the like.

I've lived Dallas, Tampa and Miami and they all have their sketchy areas, foul odours and eye sores.

Next time your going into Toronto on the Gardiner, you'll most likely want to hold your breath just before Chinatown (smells like a sewage) not sure what it is though.