Vancouver ---> Seattle :: Towns With Taste

[trip style = weekend getaway + urban + wine tasting]

If you read Trip Styler on a regular basis {Thank You BTW}, you know we're fond of weekending in Bellevue, Seattle and Portland. Sadly, the cross-49th, 3-hour tour from Vancouver to Seattle is usually done as timed, precision journey between the two coastal cities. So focused on the destinations, there is no time left for the tasty towns along the way.

Last week I was asked to write an article for the travel section of The Daily Meal, a NY-based foodie publication, covering the culinary stops that would beckon drivers to abandon their B-line journey in lieu of a short break or lingering meal.

Nine stops at haute pastry shops, roadside coffee bars, hearty sandwich cafes and modern wineries make up just a few of the Towns With Taste {between Vancouver and Seattle}. Dig in!

Related Content Spotlight Seattle Spotlight Portland {part one} Spotlight Portland {part deux} An Ode To The Ace Portland Vancouver to Seattle Must-Stops

Spotlight :: Bellevue {Washington}

[trip style = weekending + urban + active & adventure + wine tasting]

Sunday morning did not start off like any other day. With my life jacket firmly fastened and my paddle gently sweeping through the glassy water, I spotted turtles instead of people and herons in place of buildings. On this peaceful morning, my main mode of transportation was a bright yellow kayak. The only reminder of the modern world was the entrance and exit to the Mercer Slough, where I paddled underneath what seemed like a bridge. Later on when I drove over this "bridge", I learned it was actually a series of concrete spaghetti-like structures that happened to be part of the I-90. In one glance I was away from it all, gliding through lilypads, and in the next glance, in the centre of it all, standing in the shadow of tall glass highrises.

This juxtaposition became my ebb and flow when I was invited to explore Bellevue this past weekend. One second I was admiring toy-like metal and mechanical animals dancing in a dim, strobe-lit room at the Bellevue Arts Museum, and the next moment I was in traditional and modern tasting rooms, twirling, sipping and sloshing the season's best in Woodinville Wine Country---only 15 minutes away.

If you spend 48 hours in the former whaling town, you'll discover activities you'd sooner associate with a waterfront metropolis than a quiet suburb. Previously I would just go to shop, eat and sleep. Now my Visa is happy to report that I've taken off the blinders that gave me shopping tunnel vision, to stop and look at what else is out there, counterbalancing the shopping with exercise, culture and upscale dining.

Bellevue's small-town-within-a-metropolis feel is what keeps me coming back. It's a worthy alternative to nearby Seattle, and one I've probably been to a half dozen times over the past year alone. In one weekend, I can shop and walk, eat out and kayak, drink coffee and taste wine, buy at Nordstrom and browse Jimmy Choo. Like the Mercer Slough flowing into Lake Washington, Bellevue is a setting where multiple trip styles converge. It's a place occupied by some of the biggest names in US business---Microsoft, Expedia and T-Mobile to name a few---but it has a lot more to offer than just Windows 7, travel search engines and former Bachelor couple Jason and Molly.

Shop The Bellevue Collection - A fusion of sophisticated shopping, dining, nightlife and upscale hotels. The Bravern - A luxury shopping experience resembling more of a Spanish villa than covered outdoor mall, anchored by Neiman Marcus, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch, Salvatore Ferragamo and Hermès. Don't miss the melt-in-your-mouth gelato at Vovito Caffe & Gelato. Nordstrom Rack - The Seattle-based department store's discount outlet.

Dine Purple Cafe And Wine Bar - A funky restaurant specializing in wine pairings and local seasonal ingredients. Try the Phyllo-baked brie. Bis On Main - Known for its consistent American French cuisine and the owner's art collection. If you were going to spot Bill Gates in Bellevue, it might be here. Monsoon East - Saigon-inspired Vietnamese cuisine in a modern setting. Barking Frog - With an impressive wine list and northwest cuisine to match, only 15 minutes from Bellevue. Must-try: deconstructed movie-theatre popcorn ice cream dessert. Cupcakes Royale - Rich and cakey cupcakes born in Seattle, bred in Bellevue. Try the Salty Caramel! Munchbar - shows MMA by day and cranks turntables by night. This resto-lounge and its cultured sister Piano Bash {dueling piano bar}, are your answer to nightlife in Bellevue. Try the crispy mac n' cheese bites or mini grilled cheeses with a tomato sour cream dipping sauce.

Stay Hyatt Regency Bellevue - $$ - Friendly staff, recently renovated with a serene winter bamboo garden. {See my trip advisor review here} Westin Bellevue - $$ -  Nice rooms, large pool and great weekend packages. {See my trip advisor review here} Sheraton Bellevue - $ - Efficient lower cost option. {See my trip advisor review here}

Do Kayak or Swim - at Enatai Beach Park only a 5-minute drive from downtown Bellevue. Walk - along one of the trails in the 320-acre wetland nature park known as the Mercer Slough. Jog - on the half-mile park loop at the tree-lined Downtown Park---a 2-minute walk from the Hyatt or Westin. Stroll - along Main Street and browse the smaller, boutique shops like Glassybaby, where each famed glass tumbler is handmade by a team of four, and multiple local restaurants feature their votives. PS - I hear locals collect every colour! Sip - drive 15 minutes to access 70+ wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville Wine Country. Visit - the Bellevue Arts Museum, where the building is an impressive as the three storeys of art it holds dear. Don't miss the museum store---a great place to find unique gifts for people of all ages.

Getting There Bellevue is three hours from Vancouver and 20 minutes from Seattle.

[photo{s} by @tripstyler]

Travel App Tuesday :: Tiffany's New York

[trip style = urban] Before you think I've lost my 18k rose gold marbles featuring a love-themed Tiffany & Co. app for travel, read on...

Daydreaming about Tiffany & Co. usually involves key necklaces, diamond rings and of course, the iconic little blue box. Now, there's a little blue app for that including a lovely surprise for travelers who favour trip style = urban: a guide to New York. {Also see Trip Styler's guide to NYC here.}

With 21 refined Tiffany-inspired suggestions for couples seeking cocktails and canoodling, magnificent meals, cultured activities and/or grand gestures in the Big Apple, I'm head over heels for the selections. And if you think everything's expensive, think again, much like the everyday and special occasion pieces the NYC-based jeweler offers, the picks follow the same pattern.

I have another trip to NYC planned in the late-fall with my sister, and even though this app is geared at couples, we look forward frequenting suggestions like art and city gazing at the MET's roof-top garden, and having a drink at the deco Bemelman's Bar.

PS - Navigate to The Art of Romance, then Tiffany's Tips: When Love Gets Serious to find 40 ways to better understand and impress your significant other---simple but helpful little reminders.

Details

• free
• no wifi connection required
• available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
• to access the NYC travel suggestions, navigate to "Tiffany's New York" in the app, and view by list or map
• though the app is designed for couples, the NYC restaurant, lounge and things to do suggestions could be used for anyone who appreciates curated suggestions

— Get more travel tips & updates like this by subscribing to RSS or email, liking us on facebook or following us on twitter. —

Other Travel Apps Every Tuesday we feature a new travel app. Don’t forget to peruse the other 75+ travel apps we’ve reviewed from travel first aid, to luxury and boutique hotel finders, to border waits and trip itinerary management. Here are the most recent:

• WindowSeat
• High-End Camp Cooking
• Vancouver Street Food
• livingsocial escapes
• Free Wifi Finders

A Love Letter to Vancouver

[trip style = staycation + sightseeing + urban] {more pics below}

{Editor's Note: Vancouver's recently been given a bad rap in the media. Though I travel from Vancouver a lot for Trip Styler, it is my home and I relish returning to my city. For this reason, I want people to know the truth. I'm extraordinarily proud to be from Vancouver and am not ashamed to be a Canucks fan. During last week's post Stanley Cup final kerfuffle, it is so unfortunate the actions of a small few were used to represent the whole. 99.9% of Vancouverites are horrified by the rioters' actions Wednesday night and took to the internet and street to quickly remedy the outburst.

Through social media a giant clean-up party was organized the following morning. Thousands got up at the crack of dawn to clean up the smut from the city, bringing their own garbage bags and brooms. Vancouverites have also put together websites, blog posts and Facebook groups {with 100,000+ fans} in an effort to identify and pass on to Police, those captured on photo and video during the incident.

Finally, Vancouverites literally saw the writing on the wall, and wrote love letters to the city on the plywood boards affixed in place of the smashed windows at The Bay {Canada's oldest department store} in the centre of Vancouver's downtown. There are so many black Sharpie-penned notes, it was hard to find a place to write. {If you would like to write your love note to Vancouver on the wall, but can't get there, do so here.} And in an act that would make the 3M company proud, thousands of Post-it notes were stuck to a Vancouver Police car thanking the force for their dedication, efforts and mutual love for the city. This is my Vancouver, the real Vancouver.

In celebration of the city, here is a post I did last summer about Vancouver, updated with a ton of info and pics for summer 2011!}

Sometimes it’s fun to be a tourist in your own city. It provides the sense of getting away without a road or plane trip. If you want to make the experience seem all-the-more authentic, strap on a fanny pack {kidding}, grab a map, showcase your camera, sport some runners, don a hat and re-invigorate your love for Vancouver.

[Note to Vancouver tourists: most Vancouverites don't escape far from the city in the summer. Unless they weekend in the mountains, lakes or islands nearby, the city is too beautiful and too fun to leave when the weather heats up.]

Do

• Start your day off right at Granville Island. Drink freshly squeezed juice, sip a cappuccino, grab a croissant or doughnut and become part of the weekend-visit-to-Granville-Island ritual.
• Vancouverites are known for embracing outdoor lifestyle. That’s why we live in a place with the ocean and mountains minutes from the city. The Stanley Park seawall is a big part of this. Take advantage of the park’s 400 hectares and cycle or walk oceanside past marinas, lakes, totem poles, forest, boats and beaches. Muster-up a little extra energy and go past Stanley Park into Coal Harbour toward the new Vancouver Convention Centre to check out the green roof and gaze at the larger-than-life art pieces {see pics below}.
• If you’re an arty type, or just want to dip your toes into the city’s blooming art scene, check out The Vancouver Art Gallery, gallery row on South Granville Street or real estate mogul Bob Rennie’s personal art collection (free, open for tours Thursday and Saturday, book ahead) in historic Chinatown. Apparently, Rennie’s collected enough art to host continual, unique 3-month shows for the next 20 years. The gallery design alone is art.
• If all you want to do is relax, spend a day at the Vancouver’s newest and most fabulous hotel spa at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Pre or post spa session, relax by the outdoor pool and take in views of Vancouver's harbour and the Olympic Cauldron.
• After a long day of traipsing all over the city, chill out and catch a flick at the Scotiabank Theatre downtown.

Eat

• Breakfast
  • The irrefutable local faves for brunch are Yaletown’s oceanfront Provence or Crosstown’s Cafe Medina.
  • For something a little more casual, visit Belgian wafflerie Patisserie Lebeau near Granville Island or Thomas Haas in Kits. Famous for his chocolates, he also makes the best pastries I’ve ever tasted. Seriously. Channel your inner Parisian and sip a cappuccino and savor a flaky croissant, then walk it off along Broadway towards UBC to discover clothing, flower shops, bookstores and restaurants. Don't miss the wood and mirrored ceiling creation.
• Lunch
  • Most of the summer, the city welcomes warm, sunny weather, making locals passionate about dining al fresco. Combine art gazing and eating at The Vancouver Art Gallery’s cafe with a statuesque and flower-filled outdoor patio, or refuel at The Granville Island hotel's Dockside Restaurant on their newly renovated, oceanfront patio.
• Dinner
  • Located in historic {and in Vancouver that means 120 years old} Gastown, Boneta offers an open, funky space and excellent fare. And, do NOT miss one of Canada's most well-known chefs and proud recipient of Canada's Best New Restaurant, David Hawksworth, at his new self-named eatery right in the heart of downtown.
• Dessert
  • This is a bold statement, but potentially rivaling Italy’s gelato, locals flock to Mondo Gelato {renamed “Gelarmony”} for their dose of heaven – I mean gelato. You just must.

Pictures New Vancouver Convention Centre Walkway

The Lego-like orca at the new Vancouver Convention Centre

The slightly ironic rain drop at the new Vancouver Convention Centre

Dockside Restaurant patio

Boneta Restaurant in Vancouver

Hawksworth Restaurant

Related Vancouver's Hidden Gems Vancouver's Must-Eat Markets, Cafes & Restaurants {published in The Daily Meal}

[Photos by @tripstyler]

Travel Beauty :: Beauty Bars Around the World

[trip style = urban]

Being the beauty junkie that I am, I look for small beauty boutiques in every city I visit. Nothing gets me more excited than discovering unique products, especially in far-flung places. Here are some of my favorite beauty haunts I hope you visit one day! {Beauty bars pictured left to right, top to bottom.}

Larchmont Beauty Center {Los Angeles, California} I first discovered this beauty haven on a visit to LA and fell in love. I ended up moving to LA---and living around the corner from this boutique---so it pretty much became a weekly stop for me. This store is small, but somehow fits the most incredible range of beauty products I've ever seen. From big brands like Bliss Spa, Nars and Kerastase to lesser known brands like Yon-Ka and This Works, to cheaper drugstore products---you can find it all here. Fred, the owner of the store, knows his stuff, as do all the staff. Bonus: this boutique is a celeb favorite, the above picture is Christina Ricci leaving the store.

Neal's Yard Remedies {London, England} The location for this fabulous green beauty bar is an eco-chic gal's paradise. The bright colorful courtyard in Covent Gardens is hard to find, but once you do, you'll love what you see. Enjoy Neal's Yard Dairy, Salad Bar, Bakery, Bookshop and of course Remedies---my favorite. The yard, which has been dubbed "London's Secret Garden", came to be in the late 70s when an organic food store opened and was so successful that other ethical businesses joined. Neal's Yard Remedies has it all, from herbal potions you can concoct yourself {speak to one of the beauty experts and tell them what you're looking for}, to delicious bath and body products and cosmetics. All organic of course. I used the Wild Rose Beauty Balm daily when I lived in London.

Carthusia Perfumes {Capri, Italy} I stumbled upon this amazing perfume factory and store in the center of Capri on my honeymoon. Carthusia dates all the way back to 1380, when a queen visited the island of Capri and asked the Father of the Carthusian Monastery to create a bouquet of flowers for her. The water within which the flowers had been placed acquired a scent of the notes and this eventually became the first perfume of Capri. The same methods once used by the Carthusian monks are still employed for the production of the perfumes today, using all local ingredients from the island. All the scents are lovely, but my favorite is the Aria de Capri, which I bought as a solid perfume. Its fresh scent blends peach, jasmine and mimosa blossoms.

The Organic Pharmacy {Beverly Hills, California and London, England} This organic pharmacy was created by a homeopathic pharmacist from the UK. Every item they sell is organic and made with non-toxic ingredients. Not only do they sell their own range of standout products, they also custom-blend herbal remedies based on your needs. The pharmacy itself is stark white and clean looking, just like a typical European pharmacy, but the products are a lot more interesting. I love the Carrot Butter Cleanser, it's thick, rich and luxurious, and leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft. They also do some beauty treatments at the pharmacy, I did a pre-pregnancy scan to find out how balanced my body was before I got pregnant. Very cool and interesting. Sign up for their free newsletter online to get really helpful information on organic beauty and new products.

Les Ateliers de la Souris Verte {Paris, France} I stumbled upon this beauty boutique and classroom totally by accident, and was instantly charmed by how adorable it was. Customers can buy pre-made homemade beauty products or sign-up for a class to learn how to make their own. Everything is natural and made with pure ingredients. Products are formulated with rich essential oils and natural fragrances, and range from bath and body, to hair, to skincare and baby care. They serve French cheese and wine during classes---I can't imagine a better way to spend an evening in Paris!

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Trip Styler Loves BedbugLogic Protection & Treatment Spray On a recent trip to NYC I noticed there were crowds outside several well-known hotels with signs saying bed bugs had been found there---not what a guest checking-in wants to see! In no time I was looking up bed bug registries online and googling bed bugs to learn more about them. With all this bed bug buzz {try saying that 5 times fast!}, I was pretty excited to hear about a product that is "scientifically proven to knockdown 100% of bed bugs in seconds" and "conclusively render 96% of bed bugs dead after two sprays"...I was sold. Seeing as I'm always traveling back and forth from NYC, BedbugLogic Protection & Treatment Spray destroys bed bugs within seconds of contact with natural, biodegradable enzymes and essential oils. The formula isn't harmful to humans, animals or the planet and is 100% non toxic. Just spray on hotel linens and you can be sure that if any bed bugs did exist, they have now moved on to a better place. The spray comes in the following sizes: 2oz ($6.25), 8oz ($18), 24oz ($32), 32oz ($38) and 1 gallon ($78) and is available on Amazon.com and BedbugLogic.com. Obviously, I'd recommend the 2oz size for travel! - Lauren

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is already whipping up her next concoction post!}

Related {Travel Beauty} Travel Beauty Hair Tips from Celebrity Stylist Michael Shaun Corby 4 Products You’ve Never Heard Of In-Flight Essentials Q&A with 3floz Founder Olive Oil-Inspired Skincare

[Photos public domain]