Habit: Not a lot of comfortable seating, and no perks like wifi, make this a good choice for a latte to go. It’s perfectly located right downtown.

Street Level Espresso: Definitely a to-go cup establishment that embodies the true “hole in the wall” spirit of excellence. As a secret bonus tip, bring the barista a 1973 Canadian quarter and see what happens.

Discovery Coffee: A little less central than the other downtown cafes, but still well worth the visit. Also a sweet spot to pick up some good beans for home.

Caffe Fantastico: I haven’t made it to this one yet. However, it’s highly recommended by trusted sources. Plus I really wanted a 5th cafe to list. So there you have it. This is over in the newly cool Vic West area.

Buon Amicis Coffee: If you can handle walking a few blocks out of the downtown area, then definitely cross the bridge to Vic West and go here. Perhaps the comfiest of the five cafes, they have free wifi, nice chairs and a great latte.

I’m by no measure a coffee connoisseur or snob, but I do enjoy a nice latte sometimes. Sure I enjoy some Tim Horton’s as much as the next guy. Sometimes though you’re in the mood for something top shelf, and sometimes you’re in the mood for convenient and reliable. Know what I mean?

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// shawn

ps:  that photo is street level espresso.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Top 5 Cafes In Victoria BC is a post from: Rerunaround

We had walked past countless sailboats and it was just another morning in the harbour. All the proverbial chat topics were going on, “ohh that one is pretty” and “I could sail around the world on that baby”, and so on. Then amongst all the fancy boats this little beauty suddenly caught my eye and ignited my day dreaming muscles.

She certainly isn’t anything stunning to look at, I admit. I know the photo is a bit busy with all the rigging in the background and it came off my phone so the quality isn’t hot. How often do you see such a cute little sailboat like that though? Definitely older since she’s all wood construction. And even a wood burning stove chimney. You sure wouldn’t get anything like that these days. She isn’t fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but she sure has personality.

I have no idea who lives on there or what the boat’s story is. However, I’ve spent plenty of time imagining how if she were my boat I’d get up early to warm up the stove. Maybe have afternoon projects like replacing some rigging here and there or sanding down the deck for a fresh coat of stain. I wonder how she would sail. Probably fairly heavy compared to newer boats, but I bet she’d be seaworthy enough to go plenty of places. Maybe drift into a quiet inlet for the night. Nobody around but some dodgy looking seals and a random gull.

I have no idea what this particular boat’s name is. I think I’d name her Ingrid though. It sounds about right to me.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Look At This Boat! is a post from: Rerunaround

It’s so warm and sunny today that the closest thing to snow here is the layer of cherry blossoms lining the sidewalks. I had taken completely for granted that I was walking around clean, safe downtown streets. Passing great architecture, interesting shops, and several tempting little cafes. I got to further considering the amazing amount of activities in this region and all the great spots to see. Just in this small, yet beautiful, corner of the world there’s more things I want to do than I can comfortably list.

To illustrate my original point a little bit, here’s what Victoria looks like from that random spot where I paused to let the photographer get his shot. Taking this hasty photo gave me something to do while I waited. It’s by no means the most picturesque spot in town. In fact, it’s a bit average. Which is what I find really exceptional.

No, I’m not canceling my future trips to instead stay here and partake in the myriad local experiences. I am however clear in my mind that as I continue to travel around, I’m not looking for something better, but am instead simply looking around.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Is The Grass Greener? is a post from: Rerunaround

Earlier this week I had a great night in Vancouver meeting my favourite travel blogger, Jeannie (nomadicchick.com). Fortunately for me I procrastinated long enough and she wrote up a little something about the meeting and such. While you’re there, be sure to read the rest of that post too. And while you’re on her site go ahead and read the whole damn site, you won’t regret it. Sweet.

I’ve always been a fan of the public transit system in British Columbia. Of the various cities I’ve visited or lived in over my many years, the transit system in Vancouver and Victoria are easily amongst the best I’ve ever used. Since I landed here on Tuesday, I’ve been relying on the public transit system extensively, and it’s been nothing but super handy. Consequently, I enjoyed this tribute to public transit from around the world over on Uncornered Market.

This week over on Everything Everywhere Gary started a cool series of posts on street food. It’s a really cool read so far. I recommend starting with day 1 here.

Do you love animals? And do you not totally hate the idea of volunteering? Then take a gander at this super cute list of baby animal volunteering opportunities around the world over at Off Track Planet. I have the list saved and I hope to try a couple of these.

I’m really happy that I finally remembered to take a Laviator photo this week. So I’ll be emailing that to Heather! Oh, and did y’all see this review of sleepphones? I am really tempted to get some. They seem awesome! Anyone try them?

Alright kiddies, I hope everyone has a great week. I’m off to watch zombies. Keep on truckin’!

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Week Sauce: Zombie Edition is a post from: Rerunaround

The sore point for me is watching this great scenery sail past while I have no photography skills at all. So a few days ago, I stood on the deck of the seventh floor, right up at the bow and tried my best to get a good photo. With it being a chilly February afternoon, high up on the bow of a fast moving ship, it wasn’t exactly crowded. I have a very tough time taking photos; I don’t feel comfortable taking them, plus I don’t have much of an eye for it. So excuses aside, here are a few that I got which seem fairly nice to me. Let me know what you think!

Unfortunately, photos alone don’t do much to capture the beauty of the area. You’ll just have to go there as well and experience it for yourself.

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// shawn

photo credit: The top photo of the ferry wasn’t taken by me, it links through to the source wikipedia article.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- The Vancouver to Victoria Ferry Photography Experiment is a post from: Rerunaround

I learned that pumpkin beer is delightful. If you enjoy beer – I mean real beer, not budweiner – and you’re not struck infertile at the site of a pumpkin, then I recommend trying out some pumpkin beer. Good friends of mine are wise in the ways of beer, and they assembled a few pumpkin beers for me to test drive. For the record, pumpkin is pretty much one of my favourite things. There was Swans, Phillips, and I think the other was Granville Island. All three were quite good, and each surprisingly different from one another. It was nice though how well the pumpkin flavour fit with the natural beery flavour. It wasn’t out of place or contrary like some of the more gimmicky beer types can be. So if you have the means, I definitely recommend giving pumpkin beer a try, you may just be pleasantly surprised.

I learned that you can put salt on grapefruit. It was a normal grapefruit, not a pink one, and it was surprisingly pretty good. It doesn’t taste at all how you would think. Try it.

I learned that Chupacabra on 6th street in Austin not only makes damn fine cheap tacos, but they also have a good selection of imported Central American beers. Also some from the Philippines, Portugal and elsewhere. Definitely worth a visit since they’re just $2 a bottle! Speaking of taco beers, Adam just showed me this awesome Dos Equis commercial that makes me want to drink it even more.

I learned that playing tons of Wii frisbee golf on xmas day will totally make you want to play it for reallies. I’ve got my eyes open for chances to play now.

I learned that if you can make a bored barista laugh she just might give you an extra cupcake for free. Sweet!

Lastly, I learned that it only leads to frustration if I set lofty or detailed expectations of people. No one can match the expectations of a bored guy with a good imagination, so I need to just let people do their thing and be cool with that.

What did you learn this week? Have a nice new year, and keep on truckin’!

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- What I Learned This Week: Jan 2 is a post from: Rerunaround