101 Best Things to Eat and Drink in Vancouver

Food.... Yum. Cocktails.....mmmmm. Is there anything better? This girl loves to eat and drink and I am lucky because there is so much delicious goodness to devour in this beautiful city I live in. Working in the restaurant industry I hear a lot about competitors and what places are must visits and I'm always looking for where to go next. Once there, however, how do I narrow down what the best thing on the menu is? Or what exactly are the best haunts to hit up in Vancouver? 

As I've written before (see my glowing first post here) my friend and boss, Chris, is an amazing writer and contributor to Vancouver Magazine. Recently Chris and other Van Mag editors were canvassed to select their favourite items to eat and drink across the city, ranging from street vendors to haute cuisine. The final selection is now ready! 101 Best Things to Eat and Drink is a drool worthy, finely edited list of all those musts you have to try in Vancouver! Just reading the list makes my stomach growl with rapt appreciation. On my immediate list are both the linguine with lobster at Cioppino's and Uva's Greenwich Sour. Mmm...I wish I could have those tonight! 

A huge hug and congrats to Chris for submitting 37 of the 101 selected for the final piece! Clearly, this man knows his stuff. (ps- I giggled with delight when Chris showed me the list because the Heart Shaped Scones from The Secret Garden Tea Company and Primo's Deep Fried Ice Cream were my suggestions! He he! I'm kind of in Van Mag!)

101 Best Things to Eat and Drink in Vancouver

(Photo of Rosie Daykin at her bakery Butter via Vancouver Magazine. Try her giant oreo today! Yum!)

Green Monster

Jealousy, envy, coveting~ whatever you call it, it's a nasty feeling. However, some days that evil green monster overtakes me. It's hard not to get caught up in comparisons sometimes but it's a thought pattern that can easily spiral out of control. Why does she have a better job than me? Why does she have more money? Why does she have a boyfriend? Why do things come so easily to her? It's easy to let these thoughts slip into our brains somedays, when we are feeling particularly vulnerable or low. It's a weakness that is sometimes a pleasurable pain to give into. Isn't jealousy just self pity at it's worst? 

In my 20s I got so caught up in what I didn't have and what others did. I always wanted more and often that green monster wrecked my day. Perspective. There will always always be people out there who are more successful, are better looking and have lots of money. Some people seem to have a charmed life on the surface and yet it doesn't mean they don't have the same doubts and insecurities (and jealousies!!) that others have. We all experience the same human emotions. Coveting what others have is a waste of time. A waste of your life! If there is something you want to change, get out there and try to do it instead of indulging in moments of pity (okay, give yourself that moment and then kick your butt out the door). It's a lesson I constantly have to learn~ but it's easier to get over now. Besides, you never know. While I am coveting fabulous blond girl's stupendous legs..... 

maybe, just maybe, she is in envy of my hair. 

Novels

(Image via Le Love)

From Friends To Roomies~ Nic Moves In

In two weeks a big life change will occur for me. I will be living with one of my best friends in the world and I'm thrilled! Yet though I adore her, I'm a tiny bit nervous because I've never lived with a friend before (and in case you didn't know, I'm kind of a monster sometimes). Still, Nic is the very best kind of friend and soon-to-be roomie~ kind, thoughtful, laidback, patient, fun! We will live in my current place until my lease is up and then together search for a new apartment downtown. So far, Craigslist, I hate you! Nevertheless, I am excited for all the changes happening in my life! Here is what I'm looking forward to (or just plain love) about living with my beautiful friend...

1. The girl can bake. Like, seriously rock the kitchen. Yesterday she spoiled me with an afternoon of vegan pumpkin cheesecake (I'm still swooning) and lounging in front of the fireplace at her current building. And then I got to take another piece home! She makes chocolate cupcakes with either peanut butter or cream cheese frosting that makes my pulse quicken and my insulin skyrocket. We keep joking we are going to be chubby and happy living together. I will eat anything she puts in front of me! 

2. Bunny slippers. Pj's. Nail polish. Movies that include soulmates getting together in the end. Crying. And the aforementioned cupcakes from above. Girls night becomes every night. 

3. She has the best straightening iron ever. I may have to borrow it when mine is providing lacklustre service. 

4. A testament to what a generous person she is~ Nic is allergic to cats (actually, she is kind of allergic to everything, like everything!) but she is willing to douse herself with Claritin to live with Lulu et moi. My fingers are fervently crossed that the poor girl is not broken out in hives 24/7. She's way too pretty for that. 

5. Reason 346 why I love her: She loves unicorns. I mean, who doesn't love unicorns, but she has mentioned this to me several times. I love that she loves mythical creatures. Isn't that adorable?

6. Our fashion sense is pretty spot on so roomie shopping trips will be easier to coordinate. Yet I don't think we will fight over who gets what. She loves T-shirts with big tiger faces on them (she has 2), while I prefer owls (obsessed). She is often a vision in black; I try to avoid it as much as possible. She likes clothes that are chic and streamlined while I go for anything girly (the more ruffles the better). We like each other's taste but won't be screaming at each other when things in each respective closet goes missing, because that probably won't happen...... too often anyways! 

7. We talk about anything and everything. We are completely open and honest with each other and it will be amazing to have a built in support system at home. We go on endlessly about things that upset us as much as we talk about our dreams (like when we get to go to Paris together or when we win the lottery.... which is totally going to happen). We let each other talk it out while the other is loving and encouraging. And when we can't see the big picture individually we remind the other of what they really want in life. To have that everyday will be an incredible gift.

I know this whole living together thing might not be easy all the time, but I have no doubt that mostly it's going to be full of laughter and gossip and late nights and ridiculous fun. I'm so lucky to have Nic in my life... and now I get to see her everyday! 

Dear Roomie, 

Can we find somewhere incredible like this to move to? 

Pretty please?

Just for you Nic.... unicorns! 

xoxoxo

I Would Die Happy Living Here

Isn't this the most breathtakingly beautiful perfection of a gloriously white home you've ever seen? (I know that sentence is ridiculous and it still doesn't do this house one ounce of justice) I could die happily living in such a place. Waking up in a poofy white bed, putting on a white silk robe and having cafe au lait from white china while perched on this dreamy white sofa. 

Yes, please. 

Where do I get me one? 

You won't be even remotely surprised to learn that the home belongs to Darci Ilich, co-owner of (you guessed it, my happy place) The Cross. I worship her. She has flawless taste. And she is nice, to boot! One day I hope to cultivate a home even one tenth as lovely as this. 

And maybe if not a whole home.... 

then one room?

 

(Photos via The Cross' Facebook Fan Page~ become a fan yourself!)

Quote of the Day

" There are defeats in life. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for."

-Paulo Coelho

The Big Picture

Sometimes it is very easy, too too easy, to get caught up in the little things. The details. Those moments you think you can't forget but that you lived so easily without not long ago. You get trapped in the drama like in a web. Which is ridiculous. Sometimes you forget to look at the big picture. But the big picture is what's important here. The big picture holds your future, the future you want to have. Not the non event of the present. Remember what you want. Hold onto what you really want and what you deserve. 

You want this

and this

date nights like this

and road trips like this

and silly redheaded fun like this

and never ever again this.

Remember what you need and want for your life. Don't compromise or give up certain parts of yourself that you are not able to give up. Don't lose the best parts of yourself~ the hope, the romanticism, the starry eyed belief in things that are right and happy. Do yourself a favour and allow only that which is good into your life. 

And remember the big picture. 

Favourite Lyric of the Day

"Life is easy with your eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."

-The Beatles

Daddy

When I'm down the best thing in the world for my spirits is to get in my car and drive the twenty five minutes to my parents' house. I adore my mother (hi mom!) but my father is my endless source of entertainment. We are two peas in a pod; I am truly my father's daughter. He is ridiculous and charming and engaging (actually, I don't get that from him at all!). People are drawn to him and adore him because of his natural zeal for life. 

Things I am crazy about in my amazing dad: 

1. He giggles. Like a child. And oh, very very loudly. His laugh, though sometimes like a sonic boom, is always infectious. When he giggles, I giggle. It's pretty fab.

2. He makes fun of me like no other. And I adore it. He calls this blog Ally I'm A Redhead and continually pitches guest posts to me. He wants me to write endlessly about The Beatles. And to post the 11 minute car chase from Bullit, his favourite movie. 

(Fine, fine. Click here to watch it.)

He pretends my brother is his fave to drive me crazy. He tells me I'm wearing too much make up when I go home bare faced and tells me I'm pale when I go all glammed up. 

He keeps me in line. 

3. He has nicknames for all my friends. You aren't loved until you have a ridiculous nickname. Currents are Vonda, Marilyn, LP and the little one from Regina 

(not very inventive, that last one).

4. We have inside jokes that never cease to bring a smile to my face. 

5. We go to lunch, just the two of us. Often to the neighbourhood pub, where the old cougar servers bring his Stella without asking and I feast on grilled cheese and yam fries. It wouldn't matter where we go~ we laugh, he talks about music and tells me stories. It's the best. 

I am incredibly grateful to have the father I have. Today I woke up with a cold, sneezing like crazy. I had to go to their house to renew my car insurance and my Dad was waiting for me. He took care of it while I sneezed and sniffled inside. Then he took me to lunch and he made me feel normal again and then I slept the afternoon away in their bed, while he was careful to be quiet. Then he gave me a $50 bill and I came home. Aren't parents wonderful? 

Nie Nie Dialogues

What I have loved most about entering the blogging world is not my writing itself but instead the discovery of other people's lives through their own insightful and charming blogs. Very quickly you can feel like you know these people because they allow you into their days~ you meet their spouses, children; see their homes and friends; the parties they attend and the events (big or small) in their lives. Even more wonderfully you are able (invited even) to peer into their dreams and hear their hopes for their lives. Bloggers share freely their hardships with their good fortune and it is this I love so much, because it allows others to relate and not feel alone, even across a continent. 

I was moved today. Hugely. Today was a lovely and lazy Sunday where I huddled with a cough and a sore throat in bed, nursing Halls (cherry) and reading Wuthering Heights as the late summer sun streamed through the window. Taking a break from the book, I began browsing through some blogs and alighted onto the Nie Nie Dialogues, which I had visited briefly once or twice before. Today reading these entries entranced me and soon I was lost in the life of Stephanie Nielson (Stephanie Nielson), her husband Christian (lovingly referred to as Mr. Nielson most of the time) and their four insanely cute children~ Jane, Claire, Oliver and Nicholas. However, this is no ordinary family. A year ago Nie and her husband were in a plane crash and very nearly killed. After months and months in the hospital (where she was in a coma and suffered burns to 83% of her body) Nie is now home with her family, recovering slowly and transitioning back into her daily life, despite repeated surgeries and chronic pain. This woman is a true survivor and hero. She has lived through what most people cannot even imagine and she is doing so with grace and good humor. She has bad days and shares them, and good days that she is grateful for. 

Stephanie is an inspiration and I am delighted to read about her family and peek into her life as she heals, everyday. Without knowing it, she has also given me enormous perspective on my own life, as I evaluate what I am grateful for and what I see for my future. It is hard to worry about insignificant details when someone so hurt is so strong and brave. 

Thank you, Nie, for sharing your life with your readers. Thank you for teaching me today to be grateful for each day and live for each moment. I can't wait to read more about your life. 

Nie Nie Dialogues

ps- If you love Nie's site as much as I do you can add a "button" to your own blog, like the one I have in the right hand column. 

Indecision

(Photo via Paper Tissue)

Quote of the Day- Strength

"In the depth of winter, I finally realized that within me there lay an invincible summer."

-Albert Camus

Eight Years Later

How can I blog as normal today? I can't. It is September 11 and though I won't go into a long post my silence is in respect for those that lost their lives and those that lost loved ones. The world changed that day and we are still feeling the repercussions radiating outwards eight years later. My heart goes out to everyone on this day. 

ps- Tell someone you love them today. Kiss. Hug. 

(Photo via Paper Tissue)

Girl Time

Why are some days so much harder than others? Nothing in particular goes wrong, there is no disaster~ for some reason they just seem harder. This is usually when I get in my own head and that is always a dangerous place to wander when I feel a little off. 

Last night after work my blues were abated by girl time on the sofa of my best friend, as we talked and enjoyed the deliciousness that is Cheez Whiz on Wheat Thins and peanut butter cookies. It doesn't matter how turned over my thoughts are, she is always a voice of reason and clarity. It reminded me of this post on one of my favourite blogs, Le Love, and how as soon as I read it a few days ago it made me want to talk to her (she was out of town for a few days). It is so important to have that person to turn to when you need to just sit and be yourself and feel normal and loved. I needed that. And today is a better day for it. 

(Photo 1 via Paper Tissue, Photo 2 via Le Love)

Big Style In A Small Space

Sometimes it is very cool to be on a "hello" basis with someone you admire from afar. That happened to me the other night and I got a little kick out of it. It might not mean much to other people but to me it was a small thrill.  

As I have mentioned before my favourite store in the world (think of the way Holly Golightly feels for Tiffany&Co.) is the Yaletown home decor mecca, The Cross. When I walk in the doors and the 5000 square feet envelopes me, I weirdly feel like nothing bad can happen to me. To be surrounded by so much beauty is a heady thing. I often feel transported to an entirely different place~ a gentler, English-speaking Paris perhaps? No matter~ I adore everything about it. My consistent wanderings through over the past five years has gotten me on a hello, chit chat basis with the staff while there. I experienced role reversal a few evenings ago when Peter, one of the store's amazing designers, stopped by my work and we exchanged genuine greetings of the "nice to see you" variety. A solid friendship it is not, but a little random connection in this city is a funny, lovely thing. 

At any rate, the exchange reminded me of Peter's gorgeous home, featured in the August 2008 issue of Canadian House & Home. He lives in a 625 square foot apartment in the downtown core and though the physical space is small, as it is apt to be in the centre of a city, it is broad with impact and style. Besides, as many of his furnishings are from The Cross, it was inevitable I would absolutely love it! The juicy hits of colour and wall of books makes me swoon! 

(Photos via The Cross from Canadian House and Home)

Quote of the Day

"When people hear good music it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have."

-Edgar Watson Howe

Music, lyrics make me feel exactly that. Sometimes a longing to live in the moment of that song or to feel that feeling forever. I think this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. I think that love is very much like that feeling too~ a sense of homesickness for someone else.