A quick trip to my hometown of Vancouver uncovered so many new places. The restaurants! The bars! The shops! Not to mention the scenery!! Excuse the effusiveness, I just read Tom Wolfe’s Back To Blood and his style is contagious. I couldn’t check out 99% of the places I wanted to (that’s an official numeric value I just made up) but… the random sampling of places I did get to proved just how cool lotus land is. As if I didn’t know.

The name of a Willie Nelson song, and strangely satisfying art in front of the Vancouver Public Library.

Happy, shiny Tiffany. Look at the post-purchase glow I have after finding this boutique:

Loft 82 on Granville Street downtown. There’s a few of these super-chic little shops sprinkled in cities north of the 49th parallel, including one of my old stomping grounds — hint:  the airport code is YEG! Anyhow, I couldn’t resist:

Who doesn’t need a little wishbone action in their lives? Then, moseying into the Bay on Georgia Street, which recently had a big luxury upgrade that I -ahem- didn’t really notice, I was distracted by this:

An entire area devoted to selling Nespresso. The coffee that Penelope Cruz is currently bringing sexy to on TV. I had to try it.

Those little individual espresso containers are an environmental disaster, but Dios mio! My instant Dulsao do Brasil was soooo good.

Everywhere I turned, I found a new store that had just opened. Nineteen Ten on Main street sold gorgeous home accessories…

Don’t set your heart on that owl bottle opener, because he went home with me.

Such a short trip! But I did manage to visit Horseshoe Bay. It’s a sleepy, small neighborhood – a nice little stop if you’re on the way up to Whistler or about to catch a ferry to Bowen, Nanaimo or the Sunshine Coast.

For some clam chowder with a view of the harbor, try Olive+Anchor. Formerly YaYa’s Oyster Bar, their comfort food will warm you up on one of those damp, grey Vancouver days.