The Urban Cowgirl's Make it a Double

Same person? Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump; Bare Naked Ladies Steven Page...?

Napa is Crapa Compared to the Okanagan

Having just returned from a 5 day road trip to the Okanagan (B.C.’s wine country for my international subscribing possums), I’m left with sand in my shoes and an impressive wine rack. With my BF in tow, we hit up some spectacular spots, which inspired me to compile…

The Urban Cowgirl’s Favorite Places to Play in the OK

Sun worshiping at Skaha Lake is a must for soft, sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and the often obnoxious (yet entertaining) wake boarders whizzing by waling an eclectic mix of G-unit and Jimmy Buffet.

Hit the sleepy but quaint village of Naramata for lunch before embarking on your tour through the Naramata Bench wineries. Starting off at Kettle Valley for an out-of-the-garage wine tasting…very grass roots. They also serve Geverztraminer slushies which sounds tacky but is surprisingly tasty. Move on to Lang Vineyards for a glass of Optima, whilst enjoying stunning views of the vineyard and Okanagan Lake. Next up, La Frenz for the must try/must buy Chardonnay Reserve; delicious and creamy and oaky – oh my! Cap off your day with dinner at the Barrel Bistro at Hillside Estate Winery. We sat on the patio, surrounded by cherry trees with a grand view of the vineyard and the lake. The food, accompanied by the fabulous wine pairings, put us both into a culinary coma. Excuse aime moi monsieur, are we in Bordeaux?

Penticton offers up some delish dining options with Salty’s Beach House on Lakeshore Drive (the strip), a tourist fave for years, owned by a seasoned traveler who has developed his menu based on international cuisine. Where else can you order sangria, paad thai and seared ahi tuna all in the same sitting? Also, the Hooded Merganser (did you know that’s a duck?), aka ‘The Hood’ is situated next to the Lakeshore Resort, built hovering over the lake with a good atmosphere and food to match. Star sighting – Sean Kingston eating dinner with his crew before performing at the local club The Blue Mule. I use the term ‘star’ loosely.

Lastly, an Okanagan road trip isn’t complete without a stop in Keremeos to stock up on fresh fruit for a fraction of what us city slickers pay. C’est bonne.

Photo credits – Urban Cowgirl

Things that make me go hmmmmmm

Oh Vancouver. Our fair city, voted ‘most livable city' in the world, several times over. Hardly! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hatin’ on my hometown, however I have observed some rather bizarre occurrences as of late and felt the need to share some minor rants, albeit very tongue in cheek.

May I present the Urban Cowgirl’s Shitty in Vancity Top 5

5) 3D baby. A local Vancouver spa is offering packages for scoping out your unborn embryo whilst enjoying the spa experience. Watch the 3D spectacle unfold on a 42” monitor (optional gender assessment included). Having seen some of my friend’s alien-esque 3D baby images, this is simply disturbing. I’m not interested in sharing spa space with expectant mothers talking placentas and episiotomies. Can’t this be exclusive to prenatal class? Too much information.

4) Taser gun toting Translink employees. Have you seen these guys? Packing weapons reminiscent of The Terminator as they watch over you, with a militant look in their eye. Take head my fellow loser cruiser passengers - you best be buying a ticket when hopping aboard local transit. The people of Poland would certainly agree.

3) Stiletto’s in Yaletown. This supposed trendy part of town offers the appropriate atmosphere to rock your Micheal Kors and all your fabulous footwear. However, this is near impossible given the cobblestone walkways and uneven streets, making what should be a confident strut turn into a sloppy stagger. My poor BF has fallen victim as well, as I cling to him ever so spastically, just to stay upright. Sheesh.

4) June weather. I’m not going to elaborate, let’s just leave it at that.

5) Gregor Robertson wins Vision Vancouver candidacy. Dear god, how do nutbars like this end up in the race for the mayor’s seat of ‘the most livable city’ in the world? The thought of this man representing Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics makes me dry heave. See my previous blog on good ol’ Gregor for some insight into our upcoming civic election. Vote for Peter (Ladner)!

That’s all possums – I was feeling cheeky this week. Clearly.

Since when are spandex pants sexy?

I wear them, you wear them. Guy or gal, you don’t find many Vancouverites without an article of clothing from Lululemon in their closet. It’s just not west coast. Perhaps it’s inhuman, or surely unheard of? This carefully marketed collection of glorified exercise pants and over priced hoodies remains popular with its multi-national franchise continuously expanding with no end in sight. What I want to know is – what’s their secret?

The urban myth that every gal’s backside looks good in ‘Lulus’ is simply not so people. For example, uber skinny gals with little or no buttocks do not look good in Lulus. The pants do not have magical powers that lift and inflate your gluts to perky proportions. Nope. In addition, gals with ghetto booties should also steer clear of the spanky spandex, as once again this is not a flattering look for you either. So who wins? I’ll tell you who, founder and Vancouver-based yoga enthusiast Chip Wilson, that’s who.

Good on him, I mean, I’m not slagging the guy for developing a successful business. What boggles my mind are the brilliant marketing campaigns that have arose as a result of the Lulu phenomenon. I dig their sustainability efforts and handy, reusable bags, notably the first of many companies to adopt this very tactic. Wilson even engaged in a rather clever PR stunt, emerging from a coffin last week during a press conference to announce his charity event Chip’s Not Dead Yet, raising funds for BC Children’s Hospital. Very clever Chippy.

However, I find it worrisome that people will wear these painted on pantaloons out to dinner, at nice restaurants no less. Wha? Not acceptable. This only gives Torontonians and Montréalers more ammo when dissing us west coasters for our lack of style. Deux pouces vers le bas.

Thus, I’d like to make a public plea – rock your Lulus responsibly; for physical fitness purposes only.

And with that possums, I’d like to share with you Madonna’s latest video, Give it to Me featuring Pharrell Williams, as leaked to the net this past week…and it’s hot. Damn Madge, you are one fierce 50 year old.

Bootin’ it in Bogota or Leggin’ it in Lima

Last night I attended an event celebrating the launch of the Nike Human Race in Vancouver. A race to save humanity? Not as such. But a 10K run round Vancity whilst 24 other cities around the globe run the race concurrently.

Having traveled to half of the cities participating, I decided to sign up. However, this may have been slightly induced by the continuous stream of wine being poured into my glass. Nothing like a little après work wine haze to inspire ones greatness.

Thus, let the training begin. It’s not like I’ll be hoofing it through a marathon or anything, it’s just 10K – right? Less beach lounging and patio surfing…more running. Shit, what have I done?

Vancouver is the only Canadian city participating (what’s up TO?), so I’ll be saying G’day to my mates in Melbourne, Pip Pip to my pals in London and Nay-ho-ma to my homies in Shanghai, as I stride ever so gracefully (or grasping for my last breathe of air) over the finish line. The race is scheduled for 7pm (a twilight run), August 31st. Cities listed below:

Austin - Bogotá - Buenos Aires – Caracas – Chicago – Istanbul – London - Los Angeles – Lima – Madrid – Melbourne - Mexico City - Munich - New York – Paris – Quito – Rome - São Paulo - Seoul – Shanghai – Singapore – Taipei – Tokyo – Warsaw - Vancouver

SATC – the wait has officially ended as I saw the film over the weekend, to which it exceeded all expectations. I have never seen so many frocks and stiletto clad women in Vancouver…ever.