Waterloo by Abba has been buzzing in my head as I near a painful eight months of being away from a city I now consider home, Waterloo. During my 16 months in Waterloo I fell absolutely in love, much to the surprise of my University of Waterloo friends. They're pretty convinced I have some form of Stockholm syndrome. I've decided to get it all out in one post instead of annoying my friends, peers, coworkers and WalkHome staff by talking about Waterloo all the time.
Bike Trails took me everywhere.
One of the managers at McAfee biked everywhere and I wanted to be like him. I biked everywhere and as much as possible.
I was very fortunate to live right by Waterloo Park, which had a small outdoor zoo comprising of llamas, peacocks, and the cutest silliest silkie chicken. My weekend bike journeys would start there and end up in the beautiful Victoria Park which was only another 15 minutes away. These bike paths also took me to my favourite sewing studio Spool and Spindle, a bike trail coincidentally made a bee line from my house to the studio.
Bike Trails took me to Spool and Spindle.
The studio offers classes for people of all experiences. You can go in for everything from sewing basics like pillow cases to dresses. The staff there are knowledgable and easy to approach.
Spool and Spindle also takes suggestions for workshops. For example, I really wanted to learn how to sew a bra which is technically challenging. I suggested it, and a few months later it happened. I took the class and found my love for sewing again.
When I returned to Kingston and volunteered for the Vogue Charity Fashion Show, Spool and Spindle generously provided support to me and the other designers by providing us with sewing supplies for our collections (which is self-funded by the students since all proceeds go to the charity). Ultimately, helping us support Sexual Assault Center Kingston.
It made me so happy to know that I had their support, even when I was in Kingston.
Fresh Produce.
There are so many family-run farms providing fresh produce in the Waterloo Region. It's kind of unfair to every other city. St. Jacob's market is full of fresh produce from local farms, but that's not the only place you can go. I personally loved Pfennings Organics which actually has a grocery bin delivery service where you can get fresh locally grown vegetables delivered straight to your door. This was great for me because I hate making a trek to the grocery store only to find some old produce leaving me vegetable-less. I also loved Charles Quality Meats which sold farm fresh meat.
Great Eats.
There is no shortage of great places to go eat.
Favourite Sushi : Ken Sushi House
Favourite Bakery: Ce Food Experience
Favourite Chinese Restaurant: Lanzhou Noodle bar
Favourite Place when I want to eat as much meat as possible: Lancaster Smokehouse
Favourite Cafe: Matter of Taste
Favourite Bubble Tea: Noon Moment
Also, for the record the best shawarma in the Waterloo region is iShawarma. Any other opinion is wrong and unjust.
Honourable mention to Bao Sandwich Bar which has a very fun selection of modern asian fusion food. I honestly think I've advertised them so much to my past coworkers and friends that I should be paid.
Craft Beer Everywhere.
Waterloo has an astonishing amount of local breweries. Akin to the Niagara regions wine tours, you can go on brewery tours here. Or you can just stop by at Abe Erb or Beertown. It's great to go with coworkers and friends. The rotating menus ensure that there's always something new and fun to try.
Wayside and the MACA community.
I'll admit it, maybe my perception of Waterloo is heavily skewed because I lived in a great neighbourhood. In September, MACA neighbourhood reps came to introduce themselves to students in the neighbourhood. They even dropped off care packages with essentials like dish soap. I took the opportunity to ask them about ways I could volunteer, ended up getting in contact with people from Wayside where I managed to start an after school program for teaching Computer Science at the local middle school.
I tried to volunteer as much as possible with Wayside. They build community by providing safe places and opportunities to share and connect. It's truly a charity that takes a critical look at the problems of the people who they are trying to help and addresses the problems with an open mind and genuine compassion. I love them so much I even signed McAfee up to help them out on our volunteer day. I spent an evening helping kids with math, then we cooked and had dinner together. It was a great experience that warrants it's own blog post.
Bike Trails took me everywhere.
One of the managers at McAfee biked everywhere and I wanted to be like him. I biked everywhere and as much as possible.
I was very fortunate to live right by Waterloo Park, which had a small outdoor zoo comprising of llamas, peacocks, and the cutest silliest silkie chicken. My weekend bike journeys would start there and end up in the beautiful Victoria Park which was only another 15 minutes away. These bike paths also took me to my favourite sewing studio Spool and Spindle, a bike trail coincidentally made a bee line from my house to the studio.
 |
| Picture Taken at Victoria Park |
Bike Trails took me to Spool and Spindle.
The studio offers classes for people of all experiences. You can go in for everything from sewing basics like pillow cases to dresses. The staff there are knowledgable and easy to approach.
Spool and Spindle also takes suggestions for workshops. For example, I really wanted to learn how to sew a bra which is technically challenging. I suggested it, and a few months later it happened. I took the class and found my love for sewing again.
 |
| A gown I made for VCFS in Spool and Spindle's Studio Space |
When I returned to Kingston and volunteered for the Vogue Charity Fashion Show, Spool and Spindle generously provided support to me and the other designers by providing us with sewing supplies for our collections (which is self-funded by the students since all proceeds go to the charity). Ultimately, helping us support Sexual Assault Center Kingston.
It made me so happy to know that I had their support, even when I was in Kingston.
Fresh Produce.
There are so many family-run farms providing fresh produce in the Waterloo Region. It's kind of unfair to every other city. St. Jacob's market is full of fresh produce from local farms, but that's not the only place you can go. I personally loved Pfennings Organics which actually has a grocery bin delivery service where you can get fresh locally grown vegetables delivered straight to your door. This was great for me because I hate making a trek to the grocery store only to find some old produce leaving me vegetable-less. I also loved Charles Quality Meats which sold farm fresh meat.
Great Eats.
There is no shortage of great places to go eat.
Favourite Sushi : Ken Sushi House
Favourite Bakery: Ce Food Experience
Favourite Chinese Restaurant: Lanzhou Noodle bar
Favourite Place when I want to eat as much meat as possible: Lancaster Smokehouse
Favourite Cafe: Matter of Taste
Favourite Bubble Tea: Noon Moment
Also, for the record the best shawarma in the Waterloo region is iShawarma. Any other opinion is wrong and unjust.
Honourable mention to Bao Sandwich Bar which has a very fun selection of modern asian fusion food. I honestly think I've advertised them so much to my past coworkers and friends that I should be paid.
Craft Beer Everywhere.
Waterloo has an astonishing amount of local breweries. Akin to the Niagara regions wine tours, you can go on brewery tours here. Or you can just stop by at Abe Erb or Beertown. It's great to go with coworkers and friends. The rotating menus ensure that there's always something new and fun to try.
Wayside and the MACA community.
I'll admit it, maybe my perception of Waterloo is heavily skewed because I lived in a great neighbourhood. In September, MACA neighbourhood reps came to introduce themselves to students in the neighbourhood. They even dropped off care packages with essentials like dish soap. I took the opportunity to ask them about ways I could volunteer, ended up getting in contact with people from Wayside where I managed to start an after school program for teaching Computer Science at the local middle school.
 |
| Samus savouring the MACA neighbourhood |
I tried to volunteer as much as possible with Wayside. They build community by providing safe places and opportunities to share and connect. It's truly a charity that takes a critical look at the problems of the people who they are trying to help and addresses the problems with an open mind and genuine compassion. I love them so much I even signed McAfee up to help them out on our volunteer day. I spent an evening helping kids with math, then we cooked and had dinner together. It was a great experience that warrants it's own blog post.
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