This is the sign to the Bakehouse, where yes, people bake things. By the seaside. Good things. Things you’ll maybe wish you hadn’t eaten afterwards, unless you went directly following some some kind of morning activity like walking whiskey along the Ambleside seawall or showering vigorously.

The bread (oh the bread) is on the thick and grainy side with a surprising sweetness that makes you want to say something very cultured, like “bravo,” when matched with warm, drippy butter and homemade jam. You are, after all, in West Vancouver – where else could you accidentally get caught in the middle of a Porsche show?

I like the open plan of the kitchen, the friendly and helpful staff and the three tables outside that you can move according to the sun line without getting yelled at…not even by the Porsche lookers.

The coffee is not the star, but it’s reliable. good and organic. But then again, most everything is good by the seaside.

The Bakehouse at 2453 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
Tel: (604) 925-3031

I love the store Plenty. How to describe it? It’s like the perfect group of really fun and interesting people at a laid-back party, but catered, with great music, food and wine. And that’s a lot to say about a clothing store. Anyway, I just bought this jacket for $69 (on sale from $94) and I have to say it is very Catherine Deneuve without being uncomfortably stand out-ish (in the way that anything a bit dressy can feel in Vancouver sometimes). I love it. Comfy and fancy all at once. Mine is in a khaki tone and I got it on Robson.

Today I love:

Vancouver’s new section of seawall (from Science World to the Cambie Street bridge) for it’s breezy modern appeal, urban furniture and soon-to-be community of restored heritage buildings like this old Salt Plant.

Can you imagine having a beer in here?

Besides small shops and restaurants, the area will also house a London Drugs (Ashleah’s preferred centre of convenience) and an Urban Fare (yes, home of the $150+ loaf of bread, but also known for great samples of tres cher cheese for free).

I highly suggest you take a walk and see what’s happening. It got me excited about Vancouver again after so many months of drip, drip, drip…

Or at least, that was until I saw this picture below (it’s the UK pavilion planned for the World Fair in Shanghai and well-worth a bit of investigation here).

(First and third photo from transportation guru, Gordon Price, from Pricetags. Photo in the middle from here)