Driving through Hamilton

As Molly and I were driving home from parachute, I was trying to get a feel for the city of Hamilton. We stayed with my parents in downtown Hamilton, and I really liked the vibe that it had. It has a remarkably sophisticated feel to it that I was surprised at given the size of it. There were a number of nicer-looking restaurants and bars (this was down Victoria Street). We also drove down Hood Street, which comes off Victoria, and which was alive with activity at midnight as we came back from Parachute. Every bar and nightclub (there were at least 8-10 of them) was jumping, and there wer a lot of young people out on the streets. The rest of the city was harder to guage, but I really like it. I could see myself becoming a part of it.

Another thing that i thought about was the possibility of a second phase of church plants that we send to the outlying towns (Ngarawhahia, Huntly, Cambridge, etc). These towns are smaller, obviously, and are distinctly blue-collar. I would be interested in exploring the demographical differences between Hamilton and the surrounding towns, and whether or not that creates any negative (or positive) perceptions between them. Just a thought.

Sorry--bit random, but these were my thoughts on the way home.