An Eat Pray Love Day in Vancouver

• By
• Desiree Daniel

Image by Refuel

The buttermilk fried Polderside farm chicken at Refuel is one of the mouth-watering highlights in my Eat Pray Love experience.

Taking a page out of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, one Vancouver mom takes a day off (the mom equivalent to a year) to seek her own Eat Pray Love experience in the city of glass

When I first read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat Pray Love, I remember thinking: Italy to eat, India to meditate and Bali to just be—yes, this lady is onto something. Liz’s journey abroad in search of pleasure, devotion, balance and, ultimately, herself, resonated with me. At that time, I, too, was looking for a more grounded me.

But times have changed. I got married, had a baby, and my work (and housework) has accelerated to another level. It had been some time since I thought about Liz's lessons and my favourite quotes from the book. That is, until I saw the movie and rediscovered Liz’s journey through Julia Roberts's eyes.

A day of solace and self-discovery

The need for balance, alone time and space to explore my soul is something I haven’t indulged in much over the past 10 months, so I decided to take a page out of Liz’s book, literally, and create my own Eat Pray Love experience. Obviously I couldn’t take off for a year to live in Italy, India and Indonesia (although tempted), but I could take a day to enjoy Vancouver and time to myself. I figure as a working mom to a very busy 10-month-old whirlwind, taking one day off pretty much counts as a year, right?

Naturally, being a Virgo, I didn’t quite get the Italian philosophy il bel far niente and scheduled almost everything I missed doing in the past 10 months into my free day. It was going to be a busy day of eating soul food and seeking solace, but I was going to love every minute.

Eat Pray Love in Vancouver restaurants and a spa

10:30 p.m. It is the night before my big day and I hit the hay with the glorious intention of sleeping in.

5:00 a.m. Baby wakes with a zest for life. She has no desire to go back to sleep—a.k.a mom needs to wake up.

5:31 a.m. You can fight the flow or you can go with it. I decide to begin my day early, which means Babe will be joining me until Nana gets here.

6:00 a.m. We walk the south side of the seawall near Olympic Village and snag one of the giant white loungers that overlook False Creek. During the day, these chairs usually have a waiting list. (FYI, seats are wide open at six in the morning.) We sit together and take it in. The city is asleep.

6:45 a.m. Starting to enjoy being awake at this hour. As we cross Cambie Street Bridge, the tired “I just wanted to sleep in!” voice is replaced by the gentle rhythm of a runner’s footsteps and subtle waves of the floating sailboats. When you stop your thoughts, things rush in.

8:00 a.m. Something has come up and Nana won’t be able to babysit until the afternoon. My immediate reaction is to have a temper tantrum. I resist by looking over at my daughter’s big hazel eyes. She is one of my most important loves and it only makes sense she would share today with me. For the next stop I choose a favourite place of hers and mine.

9:30 a.m. En route to Little Nest on Commercial Drive to eat, and praying there is a free table.

10:00 a.m. Line-up out the door. Maybe we should wait…

10:01 a.m. Tired of waiting, we decide to walk the Drive. We buy fresh veggies, herbs and fruit at Santa Barbara market, sourdough light rye at Uprising Breads and a cute hat and jumper at Dandelion Kids. Something happens when you become a mom. Even on days you have coined “your day” you are still drawn to things for your kid.

11:00 a.m. Walking up the hill, we’re delighted to see space at Little Nest! We run. And I order…

11:15 a.m. Babe dives into the quaint kid area stocked with wooden toys, and I dive into “Meaty Soup,” which is a green minestrone showcasing a beautiful mix of fresh herbs, zucchini, beans, pasta, grated parmesan and a hint of lemon, and a raisin baguette with fig and rosemary homemade jam on the side. As I eat, I think of Liz and her pizza experience in Naples.

12:45 p.m. Dropped off Babe and I only have a few hours to myself before meeting my other love for dinner. Funny thing about having a free day, I want to share it with the people I care about the most. As Liz learned, “To lose balance for love is sometimes part of living a balanced life.”

1:01 p.m. Now that I am on my own my mind starts spinning…work, errands, baby, repeat… I decide to travel via Aquabus. I love boating and this is as close to it as I can get today. It does the trick—being on water takes me right out of my head and into the moment.

1:30 p.m. I want to get in touch with a little bit of the “old” me. This means heading to Kitsilano, finding a coffee shop and maybe even joining a yoga class. Back in the day, like Liz, I practiced yoga to find union between mind and body at Vancouver Healing Center and Open Door. This was where I would go at the end of a day to clear tension, breathe easy and open my mind. I think about how long it has been and how much I could really benefit from an exhilarating yoga session…

2:00 p.m. Instead, I get a pedicure at Bloom Essentials. Liz needed chanting; turns out I just needed a good foot rub.

2:50 p.m. Pretty toes lead my way up the street to Epicurean Caffé. I used to spend hours in this Italian bistro—it’s as close to Rome as you can get in Vancouver. I hunker down with a Cappuccino and Vegetali con Bruschetta e Bocconcino and spend the better part of the afternoon embracing il bel far niente.

4:30 p.m. Wander over to Kits Beach and take a seat on a large piece of driftwood. Those daily worries begin to migrate back…work, errands, baby, repeat. But I decide to stop and let them go and focus on the view of English Bay, West Vancouver, and the ocean. I fall asleep.

5:43 p.m. My head flops sideways and I am jolted awake. This was the closest thing to a nap I have had in months. I gladly take it.

5:45 p.m. Already? I’m late…

6:00 p.m. Head up to Fourth Ave. and meet my husband for dinner at Refuel.

6:15 p.m. I am starting to feel like all I did today was eat. Feeling a little guilty, and wondering how I will get through the next meal.

6:16 p.m. After reading the menu, my appetite comes back with a vengeance.

6:45 p.m. We share a bottle of zin, Doug’s crispy pork ribs and the buttermilk fried Polderside chicken. All I can say about this soulful home cooking is that no, I didn’t get to meditate today, but these flavours are very close to heaven.

8:30 p.m. Roll out of the restaurant and decide to see a late movie. My husband lets me pick. Although I’ve already seen it, I jump at the opportunity to watch a chick flick and end the night with (of course) Eat Pray Love.

An Eat Pray Love journey in BC

If you have the time, consider taking your Eat Pray Love experience on the road. We don't call it Beautiful British Columbia for nothing, and our province sure has a lot to offer those who are seeking nourishment for the body and soul!

Suggestions for an Eat Pray Love BC getaway >

---

As a Vancouver-based writer and new mama, Desiree Daniel’s inspiration comes from watching her little one "discover" life. With babe in tow, Des can be found exploring the city, tackling the outdoors and nesting at home with the fam. Twitter