Come play in my backyard

A friend said to me recently that it can be a challenge to enjoy your own backyard sometimes. So true! It's not often enough that I set aside time to enjoy Halifax's vibrant downtown. This week, I got to do so with help from another blogger, Amy Wheaton, with whom I was paired up by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. The DHBC generously gave us each $100 to spend as we wished on a Big Day Downtown.

Choco Café

Amy is mom to adorable baby Eli (see pic below), and suggested we meet at Choco Café on Lower Water Street. I'd never been to this chocolate boutique and espresso bar, but with those two selling points, what was not to love? I ordered the Nutty Hot Chocolate, which was both snack and beverage. I chewed and drank my way through the hazelnut decadence while Eli munched on Cheerios (sorry Eli, I win). The jars of candied almonds and brightly wrapped gourmet chocolates on the shelves create a bright and cheerful atmosphere. I took a brownie to go that I am boldly declaring The City's Best Brownie.

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My big day downtown: try something new

I was recently one of a group of 30 bloggers challenged by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission to try something new downtown. They gave us each $100 to spend as we liked, we just had to document our experiences. I know, tough assignment, right? I intended to make my $100 s-t-r-e-t-c-h so planned a day that would incorporate free or low-cost fun with some activities I'd have to pay for. Here's what I came up with.

1. Biking the waterfront boardwalk. I support active transportation. It's good for the body and the environment. Biking downtown also meant I'd save bus fare or parking fees. But getting onto the Halifax peninsula was a traffic-merging, horn-honking death-defying act of insanity (bike lanes, please, Halifax Regional Municipality!). Once I arrived downtown, however, I loved my ride. From the casino you can take the boardwalk south all the way to the Halifax Seaport Market, though you must walk your bike over the short stretch of private property from Cow's Ice Cream past Salty's. It was about 10 a.m. and the waterfront was still waking. Crews were emerging from the holds of various tall ships, rubbing their eyes, coffee in hand, while merchants were opening their sandwich boards advertising fishing excursions, whale watching and plain old boat tours. On my left the ferry bobbed over to Dartmouth while on my right I gazed up at the mixture of Halifax's centuries-old buildings and modern office towers toward Citadel Hill.

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