I'm a Maritime monkey on a mission to find adventures in my own backyard. I promote Maritime businesses and local vendors in an effort to show why we live in the greatest place in the world. It's a blog that's truly aPEELing for the whole family!
The Halifax Public Gardens are a recognized National Historic Site that is made up of a 16-acre section of beautiful land in the heart of downtown Halifax. Not only is it used for the public to walk through and enjoy, but it is also known as a valuable resource in the study of heritage plants and landscape design. And as if that wasn’t enough, but it’s home to a public collection of Victorian-esque garden artifacts like statues and fountains…designed to maintain the look and feel of the era.
I gotta be honest…there is little else more fun in Halifax than being able to swing from tree to tree in the open air, and the Gardens give me not only the opportunity to do that but to also run free in the wild while still being downtown. And really…how can you go wrong with some of the photo ops that are available?
Officially opened in 1867, The Halifax Public Gardens boast over 100 different species of trees, including unusual or rare species and some centenarians (i.e. trees that are over 100 years old).
What’s more impressive is that the Public Gardens were badly damaged by Hurricane Juan back in 2003. Much of the park was destroyed, which resulted in the Gardens actually closing and having to be redesigned. The gardens reopened on Canada Day in 2004, in part assisted by $1 million which was raised during a radio telethon.
I think you’ll agree with me in saying that the Gardens are truly an oasis within the downtown core of Halifax…
The Gardens today are open from 8am ’til dusk, opening in April and then closing in November (subject to weather conditions, obviously). As the summer has come to a close and fall is turning (slowly!) into winter, some things really change. For example, their water fountain isn’t always running…
If you plan on making your way down to the Gardens for the first time, there are just a few things you should know:
- No pets are allowed. Since I’m NOT a pet, that isn’t a problem. I mean, how many pets write their own blog posts? That’s right…didn’t think so.
- No bicycles or jogging. This is a place where people are to simply stroll and enjoy. The Gardens are attended to and constantly groomed for viewing. Fixing paths or having people run/bike on the grass would hurt the health of the area.
- No weddings. Believe me, there are a TON of people who would LOVE to get married in the Gardens…but it’s just not allowed. Sorry.
- Don’t feed the ducks or swans!! Seriously…these guys have a special diet and anything that you feed them could be harmful. And because they’re unlike me, they’re not really connoisseurs when it comes to what they eat.
- There are public concerts in the bandstand every Sunday from June through to September.
If you want to learn more about the Gardens, you can go to their website or “like” them on Facebook. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places to visit at any time of the year while you’re in Halifax!
*****
Have any ideas on where in the Maritimes I should show up next? Know of a great local business that you think should get some exposure? Are you a small business owner who would like to promote your product? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Just send me an email at RomanChimpsky@gmail.com and let me know!
Hi everybody! A little bird told me that this weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Pete’s Frootique! I couldn’t just let such a momentous occasion go without re-posting about my previous experience at Pete’s.
So happy anniversary, Pete’s! I hope to be able to swing on by again after another twenty!
*****
Pete Luckett came to Canada from Nottingham, England and opened up his first market in Saint John, New Brunswick over 30 years ago. He opened the Bedford location back in 1992 and has two more locations: one in downtown Halifax and a new location in Wolfville. His goal has always been to capture the allure of international cuisine…and I have to tell you that I think he’s done an amazing job!
Let me first tell you what I love about Pete’s Frootique; the atmosphere. It’s not stuffy…it’s not pretentious…it’s not like any other grocery store that you have been inside before.
The signage takes you by surprise as you walk in. It’s so colorful and vibrant…it’s as if you’re about to enter a Florida theme park. You can tell that Pete has a fun-loving personality just by the way the signage jumps out at you.
Another thing about the atmosphere that took me by surprise was that there was a piano player high above the grocery section. Seriously…a pianist was located on a small balcony over-looking the store and she was playing music live for our shopping pleasure. I have never experienced anything quite like that before and I can’t tell you just how impressed I was. It was a little extra “somethin’ special” that is added for an ambiance and overall experience that you just can’t find anywhere else.
Attention to small details was something else that really stood out to me. Sure, the fruit and vegetables looked about as fresh as you could possibly expect…but there was something else that I had never seen before: open fruit. After bathing in the bananas I swung over to the orange section and there they were…fruit after fruit…all with one piece cut open in two so that people could see what the fruit looked like on the inside. Have you ever seen that before?
It isn’t just the small details, either. When creating the Frootique, Pete’s first goal was to capture the down-home personality and heritage of the Victorian Market he left in Nottingham. In doing this, he has some very unique and creative designs and decorations throughout the store.
One of the other things I noticed was that the staff of Pete’s seemed genuinely happy to be working there. They were outgoing and friendly and eager to assist. I walked by the butcher shop and there were a couple of people milling about as one of the butchers talked shop with another customer. When finished, he loudly (and with a smile) offered to assist anybody at all who wanted help or had a question. It was just so much different than the usual “meh” reaction I get from other grocery stores.
Something that impressed me tremendously was the promotion of local food products. It wasn’t just that there were some local things here and there, there was signage at almost every turn that said “LOCAL”…so if you wanted to buy local (and really…who doesn’t?) then you know what’s locally produced and what isn’t. That simply isn’t something that you see everywhere…and that was quite impressive.
Above all else, I think, the thing that impressed me the most about Pete’s Frootique was the amazing selection of food items that I simply can’t find anywhere else. Every single aisle has something new on a shelf that I never heard of…some amazing-sounding product that you can’t wait to try. And the great thing is that you will probably find something new every single time you visit.
To top it all off, once your grocery shopping experience is over, you simply walk ten steps and you’re in front of some of the best food and healthy beverages that the city has to offer.
You can try Pete’s European Deli, which (per their website) “is dedicated to providing the highest quality in food with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and unbeatable service.” Nathalie, a friend of mine from Moncton, tried a sandwich over the weekend at the downtown Halifax location and couldn’t say enough good things about it (she was also super-excited about the new store in Wolfville).
The other option when leaving is to try something at Pete’s Power Juice Bar. The Juice Bar offers an assortment of delectable fruit smoothies and veggie juices with the freshest ingredients direct from the Frootique. Just to put some “nutritional icing on the cake”, you can also throw some great supplements like flax or acai into the smoothie just to give it a little extra pep.
Here is the best part about my visit, though. After paying for my items, I asked the cashier if every employee was actually as happy as they appeared to be. Without missing a beat he gave a genuine “Yes” answer. He said that it was a pretty great place to work and there wasn’t a reason to not be happy.
How can you top that?
So if you happen to be in Bedford, Halifax, or Wolfville…or if you’ve never had the opportunity to experience the unique shopping that is Pete’s Frootique…I can’t recommend them enough to you. Give them a try. Just walk in and look around. I think you’ll be glad that you did.
*****
Have any ideas on where in the Maritimes I should show up next? Know of a great local business that you think should get some exposure? Are you a small business owner who would like to promote your product? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Just send me an email at RomanChimpsky@gmail.com and let me know!
I was swinging my way around Canadian Tire on Quinpool when I realized that I was so bloody hungry that I was beginning to turn angry. Or as I like to call it: HANGRY.
I decided to grab something quick and made my way over to Wendy’s. For whatever reason, they were closed. After throwing some poo their way, I decided that I was so hangry that I would head into Bramoso Gourmet Pizzeria and wait for a pizza.
Having never eaten there before, I was intrigued by the “we’re an art-house pizzeria” decor, I enjoyed the “it’s jazzy but not really jazz” music being played, and I was captivated by the “look at the awesome choices” menu that was available.
I ordered myself a beverage and waited for my “bistro-sized” GLADIATOR pizza.
Now let me preface this by saying just how friendly my waiter was. He wasn’t the fastest and it took a little while to actually get my order, but he was extremely friendly and took care of me.
When the pizza finally arrived, I was blown away by just how good it looked. Then I breathed in deeply and was taken aback by the aroma. Then I took a bite…
WOW!!
Honestly, this was one of the best pizzas I can remember having. Every single bite was bursting with flavour…it wasn’t just meat on a pizza dough with bland tomato paste on it. No…this thing was Flavour City!!
I absolutely relished every single bite and took my time to chew because I never wanted this pizza to end.
Bottom line, this pizza was frickin’ awesome and I can’t wait to try them again!
Check out Bramoso Gourmet Pizzeria on Facebook and Twitter, too!
*****
Have any ideas on where in the Maritimes I should show up next? Know of a great local business that you think should get some exposure? Are you a small business owner who would like to promote your product? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Just send me an email at RomanChimpsky@gmail.com and let me know!
Hey gang!
No…I haven’t disappeared off the radar quite yet. In fact, I’ve got some exciting things coming up over the coming weeks and months. I’ve got a new laptop and I was able to recover just enough photos to get things back up and running again.
But before I dive into the late-summer fun I had, I wanted to re-post about something I wrote about last fall. The reason why I’m re-posting is simple…it’s a great cause and a great product and I’m behind them 100%.
So please, take just a moment to read about Hope Blooms. Once you’re done, schedule an appointment to go down to the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market this weekend and purchase some amazing salad dressing before they’re gone for the year!
**********
While wondering around the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market recently (as I often do), I came across some children at a table that I hadn’t seen before.
So I stopped to take a quick look around and was impressed not only by what I saw, but the story behind it. Let me try to recap by using a direct quote from their website (they explain it a lot better than I can)…
The North End Community Garden was started in the inner city of Halifax in 2007. Our mission includes engaging at-risk youth and the community around them in building an environment where “hope blooms”, where possibilities are actualized and through the connection back to the basics such as growing their own food, working together, and skill development, that they can see through their own actions that they can build a better future. The youth learn to grow their own food, take it to market, feed their community, and grow a small social business from the ground up, literally becoming active change agents in building their dreams and futures. They feel challenged, respected, and accountable as they strive to have a successful venture.
The garden / salad dressing enterprise, started in 2010, ”Hope Blooms” is a registered charity under the Health Centre. Profits go into buying seeds, soil and ingredients for the salad dressings as well as recently starting a scholarship fund for inner city youth. This venture is youth driven: the youth are major decision makers at all levels, from choosing what to grow to attending “board meetings” to developing and taking their homemade salad dressings to market, they are contributors every step of the way. The youth are also at the centre of all media attention, not the adult leaders.
In the first year of the garden / entrepreneurial project there were 9 at-risk youth signed up. The second year 16 worked with the project. This past year 27 at-risk youth signed up and every youth consistently worked in the garden went to summer business school for one week hosted by the Black Business Initiative and volunteered in the business component.
The youth have been featured on the front pages of local newspapers, on local television stations, and have been now asked to speak at venues in and beyond their community about their venture. The growing number of at-risk youth involved has doubled in the past year and we now have over 50 youth interested in starting in 2011 with both growing the garden and learning to operate their own social enterprise through training in Hope Blooms.
So you can easily see why I was immediately taken with this story. When I initially saw their booth at the Market (which is located on the main floor in the back row against the windows on the far wall), I wanted to see if their product was good. I mean let’s face it…this is all a great story and nothing else if the salad dressing isn’t any good.
Thankfully, their dressings are awesome!!
The first one I chose was Fresh Basil Pesto. Instead of drizzling it over my salad, I decided to use it as a glaze over some baked haddock. Oh my goodness…the taste was out of this world!! I then had it with a chicken/spinach/avacado salad and let me tell you…this product is simply fantastic!
This past weekend I picked up some Maple Sage Balsamic, which I haven’t tried yet but smells incredible and I can’t wait to finish it off!
But here’s the catch…this is only a part-time business. What that means is that Hope Blooms salad dressing is only available for a limited time (their last day at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market is December 17th).
So if you’re out and about and care to take a local food adventure, I highly recommend giving this a try. If you miss out, don’t worry…they’ll be back again next fall.
I, for one, can’t wait!!
*****
Have any ideas on where in the Maritimes I should show up next? Know of a great local business that you think should get some exposure? Are you a small business owner who would like to promote your product? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Just send me an email at RomanChimpsky@gmail.com and let me know!
