A visit to a Port City and a wee bit of Bowie

Last Friday, the whole famn damily, including the girl friend, decided that we needed a back to school shopping trip/lunch out. 

Since food was on our mind first and foremost, Saint John became the destination of choice.

Saint John is only 50 minutes away from our little city by car and it has great sentimental value to me.  My mother was born there, my grandparents lived there, and I can remember many happy trips there to see them. 

Saint John is the first incorporated city in Canada.  It is remarkably like Portland, Maine or Boston, Massachusetts, albeit on a smaller scale.  It is sometimes confused with St, John's Newfoundland, which is also a lovely city, but trust me - they are VERY different!

Located on the Bay of Fundy, Saint John is often plagued with fog, but when the fog lifts - watch out - it is lovely!

Things you might want to check out if you go:

Irving Nature Park - trails located right on the bay, this is a great place to watch the seals or the ferocious tide.

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The Saint John City Market

Those of you who have visited Faneuil Hall in Boston will feel right at home...

Barbours General Store is a sentimental favourite of mine...

Located in the heart of Saint John, right down at the waterfront, this 18th century store was moved down river by barge to its current home.  And the person who oversaw the restoration and the contents was my own Grandmother, Huia Ryder (she was a kiwi, Jody and Ruth!), who was an antiques expert and an author in her own right.

Here she is in a picture for one of the first postcards for the store:

She is being served at the counter and my grandfather, Kenny, is playing checkers and wearing the vest!

Another great spot is the New Brunswick Museum.

The picture below is the original site on Douglas Avenue (where my grandmother actually worked), but years ago, the museum moved down to Market Square on the waterfront and in adjacent to the Delta.

It is a good place to visit for a couple of hours and there are always interesting exhibits.

But I must tell you, now that my grandmother is no longer alive, one of the reasons we go to Saint John is the food.  There is a vibrant foodie community there and one of our favourite spots to eat is an Indian/Thai food restaurant there called Thandi's.

Located in an old building in the heart of downtown, the restaurant has a funky vibe:



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hmmm - butter chicken...

son and girlfriend amazed that Barry still has room...

We love this place and I would eat here every night if I could!

After we are done eating, we like to do a little shopping...

For the women, this means a trip the loveliest shoe shop in New Brunswick - The Urban Shoe Myth!



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Boasting both a beautiful locale and a lovely selection, this is just the greatest shoe shop, run by women who LOVE shoes....

They will even host private shoe shopping parties!! How awesome is that????

We did buy a couple of things:


Girlfriend and Daughter both picked up the Steve Madden Troopa boots, which I can tell you are gorgeous in person:

 and I bought a pair of Steve Madden studded loafers, which were on sale for very cheap!

After that we popped in next door to the great little boutique Silver Daisy.  The girls oohed and aah-ed over everything and dropped a little money.  The store also has a lovely blog.

After that we had spent all our money and headed home, Starbucks in hands, Barry at the wheel, everyone feeling quite full and content...

It is definitely worth a visit and a lot of large cruise ships now stop in Saint John!

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As promised, I did wear my David Bowie tshirt today, which I purchased at HMV for $15 about a month ago.  I love Bowie - such an icon.  His song, Wild is the Wind, was the first waltz at our wedding.  I have only seen him in concert once, but he was amazing.  So when I saw this t-shirt, well, I knew I had to have it!

Me and David Bowie in the bathroom.  Where is the blow?  I mean, that is probably how he spent the Thin White Duke Years, right?  Too cool... sigh...

Hope you have a great day and stay safe out there!