A POTTY PIRATE PLACE -- YO-HO-HO NANAIMO!

A wee peek at unusual street names in out-of-the-way places – Part 2

By Ovid Publius Hadweenzic, a professor of paltry pedantry with an eye for the unusual, a nose for notabene news, and a discerning tongue for tasting tidbits of titillating trifles.


It has been said that if you want to know the personality of a place, just take a peek at the names on the signposts.

Nanaimo, (not to be confused with the name of a delicious dessert better known as a “Nanaimo Bar”), is an up-and-coming, happening spot, (situated smack dab in the middle of Vancouver Island).

If you like eccentric gathering places, (especially those with a past in the mining, forestry, and fishing industry that can also claim the honor of being the birthplace of jazz diva Diana Krall and the official "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World"), this sassy spot may hit the top of your list.

Not your typical blue-collar bistro and grog-guzzling kind of outpost, the Greater Nanaimo region is home to some rather quirky street names: Aquarius Pl., Barnacle Rd., Bergen-Op-Zoom Dr., Big Bear Ridge Rd., Blue Girl Way, Bob-O-Link Way, Butternut Dr., Buttertubs Dr., Charmer Way, Crocus Corner, Dicker Rd., Dingle Bingle Hill Ter., Eyelash Rd., Galloway Gulch., Giggleswick Pl., French Connection Rd., Harpooner Pl., Hooker Rd., Jib, Jingle Pot Rd., Joy Way, Kasba Cir., Kite Way, Lazy Susan Dr., Lintlaw Rd., McFeely Dr., Muzwell Hill, Nanoose Station Rd., NicTash Rd., Nimpkish Lake Way, Nuttal Dr., Pintail Dr., Porcupine Hill Ter., Rocking Horse Pl., Sea Blush Dr., Shangri-La Rd., Shooting Star Pl., Sleepy Hollow, Sneer Rd., Sointula Pl., Stampede Tr., Stirrup Pl., Sugarfoot Pl., Tom’s Turnabout, Twiggly Wiggly Rd., Wassel Way, Widgeon Pl., Yellowbrick Rd., and Zorkin Rd.

One has the feeling that Robin Hood & Friends, dragonslayers, plus the Knights of the Round Table must have inspired the early settlers to this quaint city by the sea. There are more than a few reminders of these trustworthy types and their titillating tales including: Cavalier Pl., Cross Bow Dr., Excalibur St., Friar Tuck Way, King Arthur Dr., King John Way, King Richard Dr., Little John Way, Merry Men Way, Sherwood Dr., Sheriff Way, Sir Lancelot Pl., and St. George St.

Not to be outdone by the jolly good men of olde, there are a few feisty fellows in the bunch, along with their tantalizing tools who’ve been immortalized on the signposts of Nanaimo including: Battersea Rd., Black Jack Dr., Black Powder Tr., Blowhorn Rd., Butcher Rd., Captain Kidds Ter., Captain Morgans Blvd., Cutlass Lookout, Hispanola Pl., Minetown Rd., Neptune Rd., Pelorus Pl, Pirates Causeway, Phantom Rd., Rumming Rd., Smugglers Hill Rd., Spyglass Lookout, Telescope Ter., and Yeo St.

As for the odds and sods that don’t really fit in any one particular category, there’s: Bob-O-Link Way, Bullrush Pl., Dewdrop Pl., Divot Rd., Embarcadero Pl., Elroy Pl., Fiddick Cr., Friday Rd., Hartwig Cr., Holden Corso Rd., Holyrood Dr., Huckleberry Way, Icarus Dr., Lady Rose., Lynn-La-Ran Rd., Occidental Pl., Old Slope Pl., Petroglyph Cr., Princess Royal Ave., Scretariat Way, Skogstad Way, Stamp Way, Sunkist Cl., Torberg Rd., Water Lily Ln., Wild Otter Pl., Wakesiah Ave., Warbler Pl., and Yellowpoint Rd.

So, next time you’re visiting Nanaimo, keep your eyes peeled for "things that go bump in the night". And whatever you do, don’t get lost on Jingle Pot Road. You never know when a strange apparition may leap out of the bushes and greet you with a ho-ho-ho, (when it’s not even Christmas!)

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If you really need to validate those saucy street names, why not visit "Google Maps" http://maps.google.com and then type in "Nanaimo".