Meet Me In Gastown + Dinner at Monarca

Vancouver does not have much in the way of evening fun, in fact, some would argue Vancouver is completely devoid of nightlife. It is not every day a fun community event is organized and when I heard it was in Gastown, I knew I needed to attend. 

With its bricked walkways and roads, heritage buildings and gorgeous cast iron lamp posts, Gastown is simply magical in the evenings. Meet Me In Gastown took place on Thursday, August 25th and was a community celebration featuring the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra + Light Show in collaboration with Gastown Thursday Nights. The festivities took place at the corner of Water Street and Alexander Street and the streets were alive with people. 

Honestly, nothing beats dining outdoors on a warm summer's evening. Monarca Cocina Mexicana set up picnic benches in the courtyard and served a special Meet Me In Gastown Menu. Other restaurants in the area had similar setups. This was my first time dining at Monarca. The menu is upscale Mexican and the interior of the restaurant is edgy yet still chic.

PNE 2022 Fair Food Tour from Wacky to Healthy

 

The PNE is well underway for its 112th year, and with it comes exciting new foods to try. Fair food vendors are always trying to come up with the wildest creations. I am a sucker for traditional fair foods. Each year I look forward to cinnamon sugar-dusted mini doughnuts and the massive freshly squeezed lemonades. 

My favourite has to be Acai Dude. The Acai High smoothie bowl was refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day. A blend of acai, mixed berries, banana and coconut milk were topped with fresh fruit, peanut butter drizzle and florals. I guess I have become one of those boring healthy people, but I swear, fresh fruits taste so much better and do not leave me feeling heavy like fried food does. 

Brunch at Catch 122 Gastown

Vancouver's food scene is constantly evolving with the addition of new restaurants and closures of familiar favourites. With no shortage of exciting new menus to try, it can be tough to circle back to the restaurants I have dined at. It has been years since I have had a meal at Catch 122, so I am glad that I stumbled back into this Gastown brunch favourite. 

There was already a lengthy waitlist for brunch that morning at Catch 122, but when it comes to good food, I never mind the wait. Considering the fickle food scene in Vancouver, the fact Catch 122 has kept itself relevant for nearly a decade - they opened in 2012 - is commendable and only further speaks to how tasty their food is. 

Rainbow Suncatcher Decal Pop-Up a Success

My first Pop-Up shop for the Rainbow Suncatcher Decals was a massive success! Thank you to everyone who came by, said hi and supported my little venture. When I first started Rainbow Suncatcher Decals, I did not have plans to sell directly to consumers, but this pop-up shop was so much fun that I am considering doing another pop-up or market. 

Now the day itself was overcast with sporadic spurts of rain. Not ideal weather considering I was set up outdoors along the sidewalk. Not to mention the Rainbow Suncatcher Decals NEED sunshine to create the beautiful rainbow rays! 

I cannot talk about the Pop-Up shop without mentioning Habit Trading Co. which hosted me for the day. Christa, the owner brought amazing energy and a positive vibe. Christa helped me set up and decorate and was my all-around personal Hype Women for the entire day. Each time I made a sale, Christa would cheer me on, and give me advice throughout the day. Christa is no stranger to the world of retail, so I tried to soak up as much information as I could from her. 

My favourite part about doing the Pop-Up shop was getting to interact with everyone. Making those in-person connections with the community is something I deeply value. 

What I would do differently for future Pop-Ups?

• TABLE CLOTH - I borrowed one for the day from Habit Trading Co., but I should bring one. 
• SIGNS - Information on the Suncatcher Decals and pricing etc
• PICTURES - Of the rainbow ray effects that the Suncatcher Decals produce
• SUITCASE - save me multiple trips to the car by putting everything into a suitcase
• CHANGE - I primarily use cards for payments, so I did not even anticipate others using cash and would need change

I thought it would be fun to make treats to share with guests, so I landed on the idea of doing rainbow rice cereal treats. I pictured them to be cute, but instead, they turned into a mint green colour and bright coral colour which I then sprinkled with rainbow nonpareils. I affectionately dubbed them my zombie squares and they tasted delicious! 

It was interesting to see which designs shoppers gravitated towards. The top two designs were hands down the Female Floral Vase and the Monstera Planter. Not surprised since Vancouverites have a not-so-secret obsession with plants. The two rainbow designs appealed to the younger crowd who also enjoyed the zombie squares. 

BYES

Khatsilano Returns After a 2 Year Hiatus for its 10 Year Anniversary

Khatsilano has returned and for its 10-year anniversary, the iconic street party was bigger than ever. Every summer I look forward to a couple of events: Canada Day, Celebration of Lights and Khatsilano! The massive street party kicked off at 11 AM and the festivities did not end until late into the evening. Comfortable walking shoes are a must because it takes place between Burrard Street and McDonald Street along West 4th. 

Khatsilano did not disappoint with its multiple performance stages, activity areas, food truck block and phenomenal sales. We all know the shopping on West 4th is superb and every year for Khatsilano, the shops offer amazing deals for that day only. My favourite shop, Hills Dry Goods had fabulous sales and an additional 20% off EVERYTHING in store! I took advantage of the sale and bought myself an organic cotton sweater in a gorgeous pink. I do regret missing the Ganni crewneck on sale for $40, but you cannot get them all. Most of the stores set up little sale tents outside. I found a great sample sale piece from Anian for nearly 70% for my friend. Cannot wait to see him rock it during the winter. Other notable deals include Clearly Contacts, Old Faithful Shop and Ming Woo. 

The Frenchsicle - French's Ketchup-Flavoured Popsicle

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of French is mustard. Not ketchup and definitely not ketchup-flavoured popsicles, but that is precisely what happened mid-morning in downtown Vancouver on June 22, 2022! 

Just outside the Holt Renfrew was a cute little ice cream cart in French's iconic mustard yellow colour. Ketchup-flavoured popsicles aka the Frenchsicle were passed out to those who were brave enough to give it a try. Ketchup is a universally beloved condiment, but reimagining it as a frozen treat is a bold move on French's part! 

What does a Ketchup Popsicle taste like?

Melanie Auld Permanent Bracelet Welding

Dainty jewelry is all the rage right now and I am here for it! Melanie Auld is a Vancouver-based jewelry boutique that has steadily garnered popularity for its charms and layered pieces. In addition to their ready-to-wear jewelry, Melanie Auld has added a jewelry experience to both their Vancouver and Toronto locations and I got to experience it firsthand!

When I heard Welding being offered at Melanie Auld, I immediately headed down to their South Granville location. "Permanent" bracelets are fairly new to Vancouver but have been around for a couple of years in cities like New York and LA. My guess is that the Pandemic slowed down a lot of plans for businesses, but nonetheless, Vancouver finally has the jewelry experience at the Melanie Auld boutique.  

What is WELDING?