Movie mogul Louis B Mayer, creator of the 'star system' in MGM was raised in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick - Louis B Mayer, film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was born in 1884 in Minsk, Russia and moved with his family to Saint John, New Brunswick when he was just a young child. His father, who is said to have been abusive, had a scrap metal business and forced Louis as a boy to retrieve metal from sunken vessels. He moved to Boston in his late teens and set up his own junk business, then purchased and fixed up his first movie theatre in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He continued on buying theatres until he owned New England's largest chain, then went on to film distribution and finally movie production. At one point he was the highest earning person in the United States. His parents are buried in the Shaarie Zedek Cemetery in Saint John, which is part of the Fernhill Cemetery on Westmorland Road.
Where:The city of Saint John sits half-way up the New Brunswick coast of the Bay of Fundy, a basin of water that stretches for 270 km (170 miles) between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Bay is known for the highest tides in the world. Whale watching, sea kayaking, boat tours and bird watching are all popular visitor attractions along the Fundy coast. Continue north and you'll pass through the 206 sq km Fundy National Park, and then you can go on to the scenic Hopewell Rocks, one of the best places to view the phenomenal tides.
In the News: In 2011 the Bay of Fundy was one of 28 global finalists for the 'New 7 Wonders of Nature' competition.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
