Highlights of NYC and Boston, only a month late

More proof I’m a bad blogger: I’m finally getting around to posting pictures of my trip to Boston and NYC, which happened a month ago.

I think I was overwhelmed by all the photos I took and trying to weed out the bad/redundant ones.

Here is the first batch, with minimal commentary, just the highlights (but of course, probably too many pictures).

The rotisserie duck at Momofuku:

We ate until we were sick, but it was so good. I highly recommend it.

SoHo in the rain on a Saturday:
 

This little puppy in a raincoat at J.Crew in SoHo:
 

Mmmm…chocolate

(from the episode Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk, season 3)

You’d think you’d be able to get pretty good chocolate in Boston (L.A. Burdick isn’t bad, for one), but my sister always requests that I bring chocolate from two local Toronto chocolatemakers when I go visit.

I’m happy to do it, even if I turn into Homer in the Land of Chocolate while I’m shopping for the goodies.

At Stubbe Chocolates, I picked up truffles, salted caramels, chocolate-covered Australian ginger, and an assortment of bars.

My sister and her husband ration themselves and make their stash last. If it were up to me, this would probably be gone in a week. It’s amazing that I had these for a few days in my house without tearing into them and ending up in a chocolate orgy.

I also go to Soma chocolatemaker in the Distillery District.

When I’m there, I’m like a kid in some kind of store. Of course I have to get something for myself. I love the English toffee with almonds, the dried cherries tumbled in dark chocolate, and their latest truffle of the month, calamansi and white chocolate in a dark chocolate shell (omg so good).

Blurry because I was shaking with impatience to get at them.

I have so many goodies to bring to Boston that I had to put everything in a box, and it was heavy!

It’s appropriate for what will be a food-centric weekend. As it should be, it’s Canadian Thanksgiving so I have to be gluttonous regardless of where I am.

Hope everyone has a good one and more food photos to come when I get back!

Comfort dressing, vacation photos, key lime pie, and goats on the roof

I spent the end of June/first week of July at Will’s parents’ house in Parksville, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It’s not a very interesting town (aside from the beach, the highlight is the pub with the beer garden overlooking the beach), but it was very relaxing. I did pretty much nothing except lie in bed or on the couch or outside, either sleeping, reading, or watching TV. So relaxing, it was almost exhausting. Getting myself upright to get back on a plane and go home was certainly exhausting.

Gap cami maxi dress // knockoff J.Crew bubble necklace // J.Crew flip flops

I didn’t pack much of interest because I knew I’d be doing nothing but lounging around, so this was the extent of dressing up for going out to dinner one night (pic obviously taken at home). And it’s cheating at dressing up, because it’s basically like wearing a nightgown. As I get older, comfort is rapidly becoming my number one priority. Is it only a matter of time before I go Homer and start wearing a flowered muumuu?

I went straight back to work on Monday (after coming home late on Sunday), and it was rough. I think I’m still 3 hours behind, and I was sleeping in every day until about 10 a.m. Pacific time. I always need a vacation from my vacation, but I never want to use my precious vacation days at home, I want to use them to go places. And possibly more interesting places than Parksville.

It is ridiculously pretty there though (warning – lots of photos ahead).

Horseshoe Bay, leaving on the ferry from West Vancouver to Nanaimo.

Out at sea—well, in the Georgia Strait, at least.

Storming in the distance

Looking behind the boat

Storm clouds coming

Key lime pie at the Cactus Club in Nanaimo, after we got off the ferry. I probably should have had Nanaimo Bars, but I’m still on a key lime kick.

Rathtrevor Park beach, the view on the walk to and from the pub

Parksville main beach at dusk, waiting for the Canada Day fireworks

The Old Country Market in Coombs is a big draw in the Parksville area. I’m pretty sure a bunch of people were high when they decided to put goats on a roof and call it a tourist attraction, but hey, it worked.

The Island Farms ice cream counter is the draw for me.

 
I shared my waffle cone with this black bunny.

Giant gooseberries from the market

Vacation over, work is insanely busy again, but I will try to get back to some semblance of regular posting.

Taking a break from real life

I know I’m not a daily blogger (props to all that are, and thank you for keeping me entertained with my blog reader!), but I try to post at least once a week, and this was an unintentional two-week hiatus. Life gets busy, I don’t make millions from my blog (or anything, let’s be honest), so real life takes precedence.

The first week of June was crazy busy with work, and the past two weeks have also been challenging personally. The good news: no one has died, I’m fine, it’s not anything with Will (we’re great), and everything will be ok in the end…I hope. (I can’t do anything but try to be as positive as I can, as excruciatingly hard as it is to be optimistic sometimes.)

So let’s try to focus on the good stuff that’s happened over the past few weeks. (One of the reasons I like blogging is that it let’s me do that.)

My work trip to Halifax, where I managed to sneak in some sightseeing at Peggy’s Cove in my limited time there:

I’m allergic to shellfish, but my colleague had this 2.5lb monster at the restaurant at Peggy’s Cove.

I had fish and chips instead.

The day was beautiful, which made for some gorgeous views. I think I’m looking out towards where Swissair Flight 111 went down, but I’m not sure.

Gorgeous, but I was afraid I was going to fall and bash my head on the rocks (I didn’t, obviously).

A half-selfie.

It was a really short but exhausting business trip, but it was a treat to go out there.

Since then, back home, and taking photos of flowers around town:

Including this basset hound, which is much quieter and well-behaved than the real basset hound I know.

Also lots of food, of course, mainly pizza and dolci at my favourite pizzeria:

Will likes his with two runny eggs on top.

Chocolate-amaretto budino (pudding) with whipped cream and candied almonds on top, served in a trendy mason jar.

Which I couldn’t finish, so they screwed the lid on and I had the rest at home the next day.

But I’d better watch it with the pizza and sweets, or I won’t be able to fit into any of my summer clothes, which I’m now wearing. Bare legs again! It’s my birthday next week though, so I’ll cut out the bad food after that (fingers crossed).

Banana Republic tank // Baublebar x Anthropologie Seastone necklace // J.Crew Factory Clare cardigan // Anthro Scalloped Stripes Ponte Skirt (Girls From Savoy) // Gap classic ballet flats in surf blue

Not my favourite look ever, but it was fine.

Still trying to get used to this hair too. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either.