Ultimately, I had to go with familiarity. Even if you were able to find Cherry Valley there is not much to do there besides take in the view and the scent of earth as the potatoes are being planted, and I would give you about 5 minutes on my property before my Dad chased you off.
So let me paint the picture of Charlottetown that I grew up seeing. When you live there and see it's beauty day in and day out, and when you see it's beauty tainted by the late April muddy snow piles it becomes average, just like any other city. I had to live in other cities before I came to realize just how special Charlottetown is. Sitting on Richmond St. also known as The Row a block closed down to cars you may think you've just entered the third pig's neighborhood because everything is brick. Except the collection of restaurants and art galleries would never be blown down by the big bad wolf they have withstood the test of time since the late 1800's. The afternoon sun shines down on the four outdoor patios as you past the first "Cafe Diem" the wonderful robust scent of coffee beans roasting drifts out. As you walk by the second "Globe world Flavours" you never know what you will hear. It could be an upbeat dance tune by Girl Talk, or you just might get lucky and catch Adam rocking out on the piano. As you walk by the third "Fishbones" your mouth starts to water at the sight of their expansive oyster bar. By the time you get to the fourth "Castello's" an Italian place you realize you have no idea which one to sit at. Since it is a favorite for most locals and tourists alike, sometimes your only choice is the place that has an available table, but thankfully there seems to always be at least one table ready and waiting for you. One of the many pros of having such a small population, other pros include; no high rises to block the sun and your view, as well as no 6 lane highways. In fact on some roads you can stick your hand out the car window and pick the colourful lupins that cover our ditches. With so many sea shores what with it being an island, a walk on the beach can easily be found, most times the beaches are so secluded that if you were looking for more than just a romantic walk privacy is not an issue ;).
But if you would rather do a little people watching the boardwalk that runs along Victoria Park is a wonderful choice. Grab an ice cream at Kiwanis' and watch the sun set. Victoria Park only a ten minute walk from the downtown core of Richmond St. is also a wonderful place to fly a kite with the wind coming straight off the ocean. I do feel it would be irresponsible of me not to warm you to be sure you have a good grip of your kite winder. If you lose your grip the wind will snatch that kite and possibly take it all the way out into the water forcing you to go for a potentially chilly dip as my room mate learned the hard way one night.
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