Work life balance in Nanaimo

I had to go from Vancouver to Nanaimo for an overnight work trip.  At first, I was quite reluctant, but then changed my perspective.  It would be a chance for me to go on a peaceful ferry ride across the Georgia Straight.  It would be a chance to discover Nanaimo again, I think I was last there in the late 90's.  And it would be a chance to get away from my normal day-to-day work routine.

I went into Nanaimo on an early afternoon ferry, allowing me to check into the Best Western Dorchester in downtown Nanaimo and have a quick walk around before my meeting at the office.  From there, I had some recommendations about where to have dinner, but resorted to Minnoz at The Coast Hotel since it was close by.  My steak medallions were great, and they even had gluten, egg and dairy free dessert for me, a raw torte, that was a bonus!

It also gave me a chance to read the tourist pamphlets I had picked up along the way.  I was on TripAdvisor checking out what to see, where to go, assessing what I would have time for.

I had already meandered down Church St., which was the Arts District.  It was great for me because I'm also an artist and love going into craft stores, galleries and boutiques.  I really liked House of Indigo, the Artisans Studio, Artzi Stuff had awesome artisan work, and Hills Native Store.  If I needed another stainless steel thermos, I would've bought one with a sandblasted native design on it, they were so nice.

I also did some sightseeing, the Bastion, the cannons, the anchor, the Front St. waterfront, Diana Krall Plaza and the Lighthouse Bistro & Pub.

I had some great meals during my 2 day stay as well.  I love checking reviews on TripAdvisor to see what's consistent and well-liked.  I had breakfast at 2 Chefs.  They had advertised gluten, egg and dairy free options, and I got the sweet sausage with homemade ketchup, gluten free bread with homemade jam and roasted tomatoes.  It was such a pleasant start to my morning.




I stopped into Powerhouse Living Foods for lunch.  I had the Hawaiian BBQ pizza.  It had a seed crust, some sort of nut cream as a spread, greens and veggies on top.  I downed it all with fresh juice.











After work, I had the chance to walk over to the Old City Quarter before heading home on the evening ferry.  It was so quaint, several old shops, bakeries, etc.  I was quite impressed with the amount of baked goods I could find that suited my food restrictions.  This included A Wee Cupcakery and the bakery within Spirit Bear Coffee in Fitzwilliam Gate.  In Gallery Row, I found some great work from Caldera Glass.

Overall, I was able to enjoy so much that I sometimes felt that I was on vacation, wandering down a street, wondering what I would find.  It was great to have such work/life balance in those 2 days, that I was glad to have had the opportunity to rediscover Nanaimo.

Highlights in Edmonton

We booked a last minute vacation to Edmonton after Hurricane Odile hit land at Los Cabos and forced us to cancel our Mexican vacation.  We were disappointed that we would not get to enjoy sandy beaches, hot weather and lazy days, but were thankful that we were not in harm's way, and felt sympathy for all those affected.

We arrived in Edmonton late on a Monday night. We were so thankful that we still had a chance for time away from work and home, and grateful that we weren't imposing on family members on such short notice.

The first few days were lazy; we enjoyed the unusually warm weather 25 - 29C, walks in Mill Creek Ravine Park with a dog and 1 year old, and enjoying local restaurants.









Our food highlights include several highly popular restaurants.  First, Padmanadi, a vegan Indonesian restaurant, where the "meat" is formed to look like the real thing.  The food was super tasty, even for us meat lovers.





We also had take-out from MEAT; great BBQ ribs, pulled pork and andouille sausage!  









Tres Carnales was a great Mexican restaurant, where the tacos were so tasty even for their small size.  

We also went to Narayanni's, South African Indian buffet.  Lots of options for my gluten, egg and dairy sensitivities.  The curry lamb and eggplant were our unanimous favourites.

Of course, a shopping trip to West Edmonton Mall is a must.  We were overwhelmed with the size, even being from Metro Vancouver.  We don't have Simon's department store, so that was a good place to start. Lots of entertainment for families, including a pirate show, sea lions, ice rink and more.

We wandered downtown for an afternoon, going to Churchill Square, City Hall and the Alberta Craft Council, which had wonderful pieces of art.  As an artisan, I always like to support local and visit farmer's markets.  There were quite a few here, and we went to Mother's Market, the only indoor 3 day market, and the Old Strathcona Market on Saturday.  Both were impressive, with many vendors with organic produce or meats, local crafts and food.

A walk along popular Whyte Avenue on a sunny afternoon gave us a chance to go in and out of different shops, bakeries and cafes.  Remedy Cafe was a good choice for my diet; I was so happy to have a chocolate muffin!

The #1 attraction for Edmonton according to TripAdvisor is The Winspear and #2 is the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  We had the chance to go to the season opener and have the opportunity to hear Paul Jacobs, world renowned organist.  What a beautiful venue and fabulous merge of 2 types of music.  Great Saturday night date.

We took the High Level Bridge Streetcar on another sunny day.  What a great ride, with stunning views over the Saskatchewan River, and a bit of history from the volunteers operating the train.  It was definitely a highlight of the trip.  

We got off the streetcar to head to University of Alberta to enjoy a free afternoon concert by the University Symphony Orchestra for Alumni Weekend.

Over the week, we had a chance to wind down, visit with family and see many highlights of Edmonton.  It was a great time; we were so glad to have great weather, family to host us and a chance to visit a 1 year old, seeing the progress he's making!