isolation appreciation // ode to ontario

I give Ontario a hard time.

I very much love traveling, and I often feel stuck at home and uninspired by my surroundings here. But let's be real: there are some really great things to experience in Ontario, and since it's quarantine and we can't even experience those things right now, I figured I'd create a collection of my favourites in an exercise of gratitude and a way to kill time.

kitchener/waterloo

My hometown, where I did my undergraduate degree, and where I will be for the next little bit of my life. Lots and lots of favourite places and happy memories in this city. Here are some of the highlights.

Proof Kitchen

Brch Social

21 Fir

This place has a cool vibe, good music, and delicious cocktails. My favourites are the citrusy ones - try the Street Car or the Paper Plane.

The Museum

Arabella Park Beer Bar

I love Belmont Village. This is a fun place with a cute patio (I wish I had pictures) and lots of beer options.

Four All Ice Cream

Haven't been to the new Waterloo location yet, but it's on my list of things to do when things reopen.

Columbia Lake

The Canada Day fireworks!

Waterloo Park

(and the petting zoo!)

Yeti

I wish I had a better picture of the sparkle wall. This place is so wonderfully weird, and it has great breakfast.

Smile Tiger Coffee Roasters

Settlement Co.

Graffiti Market

I don't love the screen tables overall - I just kind of don't understand what the purpose of video games during dinner is, because you could just do that for free at home. But the space is cool and the patio is lovely.

Balzac's Coffee

It was a sad, sad day when the Philip St. location closed, but I still love and frequent the Tannery location when I'm feeling fancy and like I can afford it. Also, the restaurant next door has switched hands a few times, but it's been good every time I've been.

Lady Glaze Donuts

Loloan

This little-known hotel-lobby-themed bar is very nice and an awesome place for a classy date night.

Sugar Run

Kitchener has a speakeasy! You have to follow the clues on their instagram to find out where it is, and what the password is to get in. I know, but I'm not gonna help you out at all.

The Kitchener Public Library

What an overall great place. I love the piece (below) right when you walk in. Did you know they have a monthly-rotating art gallery in the basement?

Hacienda Sarria

If you're lucky enough to get to go here (preferably on somebody else's dime), take advantage! The space is beautiful, and at one of Mitchell's work Christmas parties, they served the best soup I have literally ever had in my life.

Oktoberfest

DVLB

I did so much of my undergrad studying here, and it will always have a special place in my heart. Good vibes, good music, and good espresso (and if you like whiskey, it's a great place for drinks as well).

Not pictured but great spots in Kitchener/Waterloo: Seven Shores. Famoso. Abe Erb. Victoria Park. Marbles (THE BRUSSELS SPROUTS). Descendents. Maybe I'll update with photos once the world reopens.

london

I've lived in London for the past two years during grad school, and I've loved it. London has the best patio season, and it's 45 minutes away from Grand Bend - aka, it's an awesome place to be in the summer.

Los Lobos

Sifton Bog

This is a very quick but nice little hike.

Purdy Naturals + Shangrila Yoga

Connected locally sourced wellness shop and tucked away, magical yoga studio.

Haven's Creamery

Unreal homemade ice cream.

The Boombox Bake Shop

This place was right by my London apartment. They make a mean iced americano with almond milk, and if you're hanging out until close on Saturday you might walk away with some free cupcakes!

The Western Fair District Market

I love this place. So many cute local shops, a Fire Roasted, and a Nepali kitchen that makes the best hot sauce of all time.

Backroads Cafe (Dundas)

Old East Village Grocer

A cute little grocery store attached to that same Nepali Kitchen and a Fire Roasted Cafe.

Molly Bloom's

Karaoke. Go Monday or Tuesday night. Say hi to DJ Focus for me. Also they have great Christmas decorations and drinks if you're there in December.

The Western Fair

If you're lucky enough to be around when this pop-up fair comes to the Fair District, check it out!

Dos Tacos

This is my go-to I'm-showing-off-London lunch spot!

Reset Social Cafe

Commonwealth Cafe

A classic. And Boxcar Donuts!

Toboggan Brewery

Another of my favourite showing-off-London spots. So. many. tinkle lights.

Covent Garden Market

This market is charming and has lots of delicious food to offer (there's a really good salad stall) and we took a Thai cooking class one night.

J. London

One of the first cannabis stores to open up in Ontario! This place is very cool and welcoming and friendly and not intimidating at all. You don't have to talk to anybody if you don't want to - you can order on a tablet and each page has all the information you'd want.

Sticks and Scones

This Waterloo-turned-London bakery and cafe is probably my favourite. Her cupcakes are absolutely unreal.

Western University Campus

Junction

Bouldering is the best.

The Church Key Pub

CURRY POUTINE. That's all.

Locomotive Cafe

Victoria Park

Not pictured cool spots in London: Backroads Brews and Shoes Cafe. The Black Walnut Cafe. Bertoldi's. Barney's. Garlic's.

niagara on the lake

The Farm

Ask me to take you to my family's peach farm sometime. It's the best.

Downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake

Reif Estates

My absolute favourite winery that makes The Stars, the best sparkling wine of all time.

Konzelmann

Caroline Cellars

Free wine tastings. I repeat, free wine tastings. Also, they make fruit wines, so this is a good place for wine tasting beginners.

Kacaba Vineyards

Jackson Triggs Vineyard

Not pictured in Niagara-on-the-Lake: The Hare Wine Co. and countless other wineries.

Cottage Country

Snug Harbour

Snug Harbour is the cutest little village of all time. There are cute cottages to rent, there's a place to get Kawartha Dairy ice cream cones (Muskoka Mocha!) and there is the adorable restaurant, Gilly's.

Killbear Provincial Park

One of my favourite places in the world.

Grand Bend

Prince Edward County

Vic Cafe

Get the tots.

Glazed and Confused

Terracello Winery

Settler's Cider Co.

The Old Third Vineyard

This is without a doubt my favourite PEC winery. They just make two wines - a red and a white - and they're expensive. But it's in the most beautiful old barn, outfitted with couches and twinkle lights. They encourage lounging and taking your time to take in the full experience.

Ottawa

I lived in Ottawa for four months over one of my co-ops, for probably the best part of the year: September to early December. I left before it got unbearably cold, and a few months was the perfect amount of time to explore the city. Downtown is lovely, and there are lots of cheap/free museums, art galleries, parliament tours, etc. Overall, I liked the Glebe, but my favourite neighbourhood is definitely Westboro. I've been back a few times, for the Canada 150 Day celebration, and to visit friends living there, and it's a special place.

Suzy Q Donuts

Planet Coffee

My favourite Ottawa cafe.

Downtown Ottawa

Chateau Laurier, Parliament Hill, The National Gallery of Canada.

Kettleman's Bagels

Legendary.

Crystal Palace

The famous egg rolls, though.

Not pictured in Ottawa: Bridgehead Coffee. The Byward Market. The Red Door. Shops along the Glebe. Yoga studios in Westboro. Kardish Health Foods.

Blue Mountain

One of the best ski hills in the area (along with Horseshoe Valley in Orillia). Much better, but further away (and not in Ontario, so kind of outside the scope of this post) are Mount Tremblant and Mount Orford in Quebec. Blue Mountain is beautiful, and getting a big chalet in the area with friends is such a good time.

Toronto

Last on the list, and included only grudgingly. Mostly, I dislike Toronto, moreso than anywhere else in Ontario. It's hard to get around. It's busy. It's stressful. It's the cause of all the traffic on the 401. But there are some good things about Toronto, occasionally, sometimes. Here they are.

Sports

Canada's Wonderland

Concerts

Marche

I love this restaurant. You get to pick exactly what you want to eat out of lots of different food stalls, and they make really good cosmos. Look at this beautiful hallway beside it at Christmas time!

The Distillery District: Christmas Market

The Toronto Christmas Market is basically the Nightmare Before Christmas. It's amazing. It's also horrible and busy and crowded and the lines are endless. Worth it once for sure (go the weekend after it opens, for a few hours of daylight and then an hour of dark for all the photo ops). Worth it ever again - debatable. You will need a healthy dose of patience. These are not even close to all of my Christmas Market pictures; they'll probably make their way into their own separate post someday.

Anyway, it's been nice going through all photos saved on my phone for the past few years and taking some time to appreciate the places I've lived and loved. The things always surrounding us may not be as exciting as the things out in the world that we have yet to experience, but they have their moments.

Namaste.

PS: what are your favourite places in Ontario?