 | |
 |
 |
Canada’s Next Great Neighbourhoods1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Itinerary | Home 
Garrison Woods and Marda Loop, Calgary With its mix of condos and single-family homes – and nearby Marda Loop’s shops and restaurants – Garrison Woods, a former Canadian Forces Base, is a testament to New Urbanism. By Karen Ashbee 8:00 Fitness buffs are ready to rock and roll at the Pro Bodies TKO Sports Conditioning class. Run by former Golden Gloves boxing champion Pete Estabrooks and his partner, Kyla Zalapski, this is the place to kick-start the day. 9:00 After a high-powered workout, many flock to the Belmont Diner for a chow-down. This 1930s-style diner makes breakfast the order of the day. It’s worth braving the daily lineups for consistently man-size meals and the all-you-can-eat toast and hash browns that come with every order. 11:00 An Americano at the Kaffa Coffee & Salsa House, located in a converted home that’s more coffee house than shop, is a mid-morning ritual. You almost expect the new Joni Mitchell to show up with a 12-string guitar and strum a few bars. 16:00 33rd Avenue is busy with locals running errands. Vintage fashions can be had at Think Twice, while the paraffin manicure at Elaments is addictive. Those pressed for dinner ideas know that 10-minute meals don’t have to mean reheated pizza: Red Tree Catering offers gourmet takeout like bison short ribs and butter chicken. 19:30 Candles glimmer at Jojo Bistro Parisien, lending a glow to the Provençal yellow walls and bistro posters. A fixture on the Calgary dining scene, chef Mohammed Guelli has been serving up some of the best bouillabaisse and steak frites since 1987. “I like the diversity: We live in a renovated bungalow, but right beside us is a brand-new infill. We have a suburban feel, while being central enough that downtown is only five minutes away. And yes, there’s a Starbucks, but the purists can still go to Kaffa.” – Kyla Zalapski, co-owner of Pro Bodies
Lilac Street, Winnipeg Granola meets grain merchant on Lilac Street, an area known for its restaurants, indie boutiques and Winnipeg-in-its-heyday mansions. By Karen Burshtein 10:00 At café-bakery Bread & Circuses, the tie-dyed serving team welcomes the retired Walter Matthau-type regulars who lord over the round table. 11:30 A bumper crop of new boutiques, including Phillip Adam for cult grooming products, Cha Cha Palace and Chic Clothing have joined such fixtures as Beyond Flowers, Gallery Lacosse and the Green Scene. The Lilac/Corydon intersection is nostalgia-happy: Witness an independent hardware store, haberdashery and Phil’s Barber Shop. Around the corner the paint has hardly dried at trendy clothing shop F&Q. 13:00 The lunch bunch books ahead at glass-lined Gluttons for culinary trailblazer Makoto Ono’s international fare. 16:00 Uniformed students from St. Mary’s Academy have switched their afternoon Kit Kat habit to hot chocolate at nouveau chocolate shop Coco Pod. 17:00 What’s with all the po-mo renovations of the neighbourhood’s postwar duplexes and bungalows? Check out the controversial aluminum-clad look before strolling by the history-loaded mansions around Kingsway, Ruskin Row and Wellington Crescent (two were owned by Titanic victims) and pretty Munson Park. 19:00 Cufflinked carnivores meet at 529 Wellington, a swank steak house in a restored mansion. Bartender Jaimie’s memory is eerily good; don’t be surprised when he suggests the Médoc you had two years ago. Others prefer Cafe Carlo, where chef Dave Hyde, who lives around the corner, does Cal-Ital cuisine. His Fett Chile is addictive. “It’s a mix of ladies in Chanel living in pricey condos and skater kids moving in who live on $100 a month. I walk down the street and see Vespas lined up beside the Mercedes.” – Steve Fitelovitch, graphic designer |
