The Coast Halifax’s Weekly

Rag.
That’s all I can say.
It’s a weekly paper posing as a fluffy local option. but it and most of it’s writers have an agenda.
I sometimes catch myself reading it at a bus stop, but it doesn’t take long for a slanted, biased comment about conservative and Conservative folks to turn me off of it’s pages.
I prefer to give my readership to those who don’t pretend to be what they are not.
The only reason that the 2^nd star came about, was their ‘Best of.’ series that they do. The one time a year that is just purely unbiased writing.

In my younger day, I wouldn’t miss an issue of the Coast.
Then I grew up.
I still like to read Savage Love and the many interesting ads, and maybe even the odd restaurant review, but otherwise? The articles are either about hipster bands I don’t know/​care about or are so incredibly negative they leave a bad taste in my mouth. It’s okay to find something positive to say about our fair city, really!
The Coast is still a good way to learn what-​all is happening in HRM, but again it’s geared more towards the reiki-​seeking crowd than those looking for seminars on planning your retirement. They know their audience and pander to them, I’ll give them that.
The online version is a bit cluttered and disorganized for my taste. I stick with the paper version when I get a hankering for Mr. Savage.

I like The Coast a lot. Although I cannot get the paper version, the website is just fine.
I’ve found out about quite a few of Halifax’s goings-​ons through this weekly… Paul F. Tompkins was here and is coming back in the springtime? YES! My second source for info on Halifax restaurants and shops… YES! Also, the website is well designed and it’s really fun to look through the archives.
Check out the Coast, whether you’re a local or looking to visit and/​or move to Halifax, you ill be well ahead of the pack if you do!

This post is somewhat of a personal disclosure.
With my previous review covering The Coast in a broader sense, it is here where I delve a little deeper into my own demise. What is it about this weekly that keeps me smiling? Sure, Savage Love is a hehehe-​larious component, but lets go beyond the obvious here.
I’ll say it: The Coast horoscopes are simply the best. Brief descriptors in mainstream publications are often more apt to provoke some flaky fun than actual life leadership, but writer Rob Brezsny offers an integral approach.
With less reliance on the karmic police, and more from philosophical paradigms, I always seem to get something out of my Libra read. Its gotten to the point where I’ve started ripping them out and taping theses little papers to the wall over my work desk:
«Its time to think comprehensively, not defensively… to see futuristically, not didactically… to fantasize fantastically, not diplomatically.»
And it goes from there. Brilliant, no? For those who like a little dose of inspiration here and there, I suggest you get into the latter pages of our favorite weekly. Each week I am gifted with some words that can tie into my own life, and without empty attempts. I think Rob seems like a wise fellow. I wonder what he how he lives and what his dietary habits are.
Anyway… it needed to be said. Its become one of my favorite pages to flip to, and of course, I can’t deny my undying wish to get a Coast «Psst». Those are pretty fun too.

Oh Coast, why hast though forsaken thine roots? Perchance to reach a different realm? Oblivious no doubt, that I’ve been relegated to the edge of boredom, left wanting more; me, a loyal patron of your creation.
I did once love thee. I would pour over your print, indulging in relevant stories and interesting hot topics. But, as of late, I find you inoffensive and bland, tackling topics haphazardly and leaving local barn-​burner slumped sadly on the periphery. I don’t even feel like much content dwells within your pages nowadays. Where’s the tofu-​steak, my friends? I find myself crunching iceberg lettuce and thinking to myself, why did I order such a boring sandwich?
I read your Loves and Bitches and chew on the astrology offerings, with some time permitted for the Savage, but I want more from you. And heck, I know it’s the reader’s responsibility to vote, but who are these people casting ballots? Does the general public even know a lick of what’s going on locally? It sure doesn’t seem like it when the Best Of hits the stands, and some seriously inane winners are bolstered up.
So, Coast, I’m leaving the Country. Not because of you at all, more so for my own reasons. However, if I do return to these Maritime streets one day, and bet your bottom dollar I will, please drudge up something good for me, would ya? Send out a headline proclaiming you’re back and ready for action. Tell the world the fire burns in your loins, and when you do, I’ll be there Coast, ready to take you back like a scorned lover and hold you late into the night.

The Coast is the de rigueur newspaper of Halifax. Much more in touch witih current events than the Chronically-​Horrid, The Coast delivers a heaping helping of news you can use with your Thursday coffee.
You can count on The Coast and its editor, Bruce Wark, to provide you with up-​to-​the-​minute information on the undercurrent of what is happening around town. Bruce’s editorials are the stuff of which insight is made of — he manages to get around and underneath details that have been missed by mainstream media.
Each issue of The Coast features an in-​depth article giving the alternative view of what’s happening. I learned a lot from The Coast’s article on why the water treatment plant failed, including detailed engineering plans pinpointing the problems.
The Coast also offers several columns that provide amusing reading, and the classifieds (available online for free!) are the best place to look for creative employment.

The Coast is one of the things that I missed the most when I moved away from Halifax. It is distributed for free, weekly by means of newspaper boxes on street corners and copies in the entrances of many restaurants and offices throughout this city.
My brother used to call The Coast «Hipster News» because of the spotlight that is put on entertainment (especially upcoming local bands and theatre) that isn’t as predominately featured anywhere else. There are excellent news features and an strong emphasis on the green movement as well, and who could forget the «Love the Way We B**ch» and «Love the Way We Love» sections where Haligonians either vent about or celebrate pretty much any conceivable concept (I say concept because some people can vent about anything, tangible or not).
The Coast definitely caters to my demographic, and it’s a much lighter read than a daily distributed newspaper. This makes it easy to forget that there are other news being made outside of this city. If you are looking to immerse yourself in a bit of Halifax culture, this newspaper can be a great guide to follow.
Hot Hint: My favorite section of The Coast is «Savage Love»; a weekly Dear Abby-​esque opinion section piece contributed by Dan Savage. The focus is on relationship issues and a little love (be forewarned that it is not exactly a PG section though.)

I pick The Coast up when I can, it is pretty much everywhere. It is great if you want to know what is happening around town.
You will also here people Bitch, I think that is what the column is called. And then there is the Love sections for singles.
It is a well rounded paper in that sense, just don’t look for anything too serious, I don’t think that is what it is intended to do.
This is a great resource for entertainment, food, restaurants and out and about news!
It is free, so we have nothing to complain about here.
I have given it a five star for two reasons:
1. There is no other newspaper distributed weekly that will have all the information under one roof,
2. IT IS FREE!

I can’t imagine figuring out what to do with my free time in Halifax and surrounds without a check with The Coast — on line or in print, it’s the only place to find everything that’s going on.
It’s free AND a great resource for everything I look for — and I admit, I tend to focus on the food related items — restaurant reviews, articles focusing on a specific area — like «cheap eats around town» and I especially love «The Best of…» as chosen by Coast readers.
Food aside, it’s where I go to find all the musical events, from huge stars playing at première venues to the local talent doing their thing at local bars and cafes.
Want to find out the best beaches? The Coast will tell you. Same goes for all the great festivals around the province.

Many complain about getting a negative vibe from this free, weekly mag, but hey! Cheer up! It’s free and they actually do quite a good job of publicizing a broad range of events going on around town. I appreciate their efforts to raise awareness of local problems, too. Take for instance the recent «Halifixes 2010», part of an annual series, that profiles what the Coast staff see as the most pressing issues in the city. I agree with most of them, but even if I didn’t I would appreciate their taking action to stimulate debate in the interest of bettering this city. There’s a lot of local pride in there too, which is good to see. I read the Coast online a lot but I also pick it up whenever I’m in a coffee shop. No one’s saying it’s the greatest local publication of all time, but I think it does an admirable job.

The Coast is a free local newspaper distributed every Thursday. It generally focuses on local issues and talent, but will occasionally broaden its scope to include larger issues.
It’s great resource for those of us looking for something to do on any given night of the week. The weekly listings provide detailed information on events taking place in Halifax as well as upcoming bar listings. This section is very well organized and has lead me to take in some great events I was previously unaware of.
The short columns (Shop Talk Let’s!) are enjoyable to read, but I find the feature stories, while interesting, can occasionally be written with a heavy bias. Also, their former full time film critic was very frustrating. He seemed to hate every movie he saw. Luckily they publish his opinions a little more sparingly now.
The Coast is a great spot to find something to do, find a job, post a classified, bitch about our fair city (No seriously, just read the «We Love The Way You Bitch» column) or read Savage Love out loud while uptight coworkers are within earshot. The articles are occasionally great and the dedication they have for serving our city is admirable. When Thursday rolls around, be sure to pick up a copy and see what’s happening!

What I enjoy about the Coast is that it’s real reviews by real people with limited editorial restrictions. It allows people to voice their opinions, acknowledging local talent, while forcing local businesses to be accountable for their actions and services.
The Coast is popular amongst university students and is in many ways oriented towards their needs and interests. It exclusively covers local news and events and is available at various business facilities throughout the Halifax Regional area — free of charge.
Overall, the Coast does a great job of keeping people informed on local events and entertainment and allowing people to voice their opinion on local matters.

The Coast is Halifax’s most popular, free, weekly paper. It contains interviews with local people who are making a difference in their field or industry, reviews of movies or events, news coverage of a local nature, classified ads, events calendars and the infamous advice columnist, «Dan Savage.»
I used to really enjoy this paper but I don’t know if its because I have decided to believe that the world is a happy place or that the writer’s of The Coast are becoming more jaded, but I’m find reading The Coast is depressing me. They are becoming more and more of an alternative weekly city paper. My only question is, alternative to what? We have no other paper. So when I started noticing, through the years, that it was becoming a bit more depressing and covered topics the mainstream public generally weren’t that interested in, I was getting worried.
But The Coast has three stars and for good reason. First off, you can get The Coast everywhere! I don’t know any major street in Halifax that doesn’t offer The Coast. Secondly, another star for the advice columnist Dan Savage with his section titled, «Savage Love!» Dan is an advice columnist for people who are having intimacy challenges or relationship problems. He caters to both the homosexual and heterosexual crowds and offers an insightful, fun point of view all the time! Another great thing are the horoscopes. They are fun to read and the writer, who’s name escapes me so I apologize, gives our horoscopes in a very strange, and clever, story telling sort of way. At times, the stories become a bit confusing and I can’t figure out what it is I am supposed to prepare for in my future, but I always love reading them.
One section that I used to like reading when I was a jaded person was called, «Love The Way We B**ch!» Basically this section is for people to complain about everything and anything and is faithfully followed by a large audience. To me it serves as an example of a time when we thought we were being smarter by being negative. Although there are times when someone writes about an injustice that is good for everyone to know. But generally its quite a pointless and negative section.
I still pick up the The Coast. But do I believe it is still a great, mainstream paper that is informative to the public and offers some great, local news? Not really. Their coverage is of alternative artists mainly and other people who aren’t making a positive difference in the world. At times this isn’t the case but I simply long for the day when a weekly, city paper had positive stories and great news coverage of things that were affecting everyone. The Coast doesn’t quite cut it and if they didn’t have their classifieds, Horoscopes or Savage Love, I wouldn’t be picking it up. From time-​to-​time they do feature someone everyone would like to know about. And I will add that the photographers they have on staff make beautiful cover pages. But if you haven’t read The Coast and are about to, think of it as an alternative style weekly paper. And don’t ask me where the mainstream weekly paper is. I’m not too sure. The Metro perhaps? But its not the same.