Guest Blogger: Sam from Sugar and Sam

 

Meet Sam from Sugar and Sam! Sam runs a blog full of sweet and simple recipes aimed at bringing you delicious and easy tasty treats. Based on Kathleen's blog from a couple weeks ago about community and the classic NW vs. SW debate - here's what Sam had to say! 

 

I’m a NW girl.

I have fond memories of getting snow fogs from Higher Grounds and sitting by the river, working through university at Buffalo in Market Mall, playing in the Silver Springs soccer league and wasting days away with friends in Bowness Park.

If you asked me five years ago where I would be living today I would have said: “maybe a condo in Tuscany, or sharing an apartment in Kensington”. Never would I have imaged I’d end up in a duplex in the SW with my boyfriend and our animals.

When you live somewhere for a long time you develop a laundry list of ‘places’. The spots that you know you can count on to provide a certain product or service, give you the most breathtaking view of the city, or even much needed serenity after a busy day.

My boyfriend and I had been together for three years when I moved in so I already knew the basics – where to get groceries, the nearest bank, how to get to work – but beyond that I was at a loss. It took a while, but I started to find my places again. Here are my top discoveries as a NW ex-pat.

 

When I want a damn good cake 

One of my best friends is a born and raised SW girl so when I first told her about my discovery of Glamorgan Bakery she looked at me and said “yeah it’s amazing…how did you not know about it?” 

Glamorgan Bakery is the place you’ve driven by 100 times and never looked at twice, but you should. They have truly legendary cheese buns, are a contender for the best cake icing in Calgary and are somewhat of a legend here in the SW. 

 

 

When I want to sweat 

Growing up in the NW, there was only one place you went to get a workout in: The YMCA in Crowfoot. Things have changed since then and since boutique fitness studios started popping up everywhere. Spin went from lights on, peddle-as-fast-as-you-can workouts to chic, self-development sessions. I’ve tried lots of different workouts and fitness studios but YYC Cycle in Marda Loop has been the only one that stuck. It’s truly a judgment-free studio, with friendly staff and a fun, calorie crushing workout. Oh, and they’re opening up a new location in the deep south!

 

When your fur baby needs a check up

Glamorgan Animal Clinic  takes the [Glamorgan Bakery quality] cake as being the best vet within city limits. Dr. Kevin MacAulay is fun, caring and professional and the front of office team makes even the most stressful vet visits a bit better. A prime example of this is when our then 3 month old puppy who we had owned for all of two weeks broke free while we were at work and ate a dozen chocolates we left on a shelf (puppy parent amateur error - dogs are skilled climbers when food is involved). It was about 5:00 on a Friday, they were minutes away from closing when we called them in a panic. Our dog, who had ballooned up like a pregnant goat, got an appointment within 15 minutes, and 30 minutes after that had all of the chocolate out of her system. They were understanding of our situation, completely judgement free and didn’t seem to mind staying late to help. Finding a place to take your animals that you trust and feel good about is so important, and I would recommend Glamorgan Animal Clinic to anyone and everyone, even NW dwellers.

 

When you want to drink good coffee and blog

It’s tough to find a good spot to grab tea and blog. It needs to be quiet enough that you can get a table without racing other people, yet busy enough that there is constant chatter; plus there has to be big windows and of course good quality drinks and food. Marda Loop’s Phil and Sebastian is the coffee connoisseur’s dream and you couldn’t hold a candle to their donuts and fresh pastries. 

 

So have I embraced the SW as my current home? Yes. Am a reformed NW girl ready for life in the SW? Absolutely not.

 Kathleen, the regular Local Laundry blogger, said it best in her blog from a few weeks back:

 “[…]these communities we grew up in never really leave us. I find it safe to say, no matter where we go; we always go back to where we came from.”

The NW will always feel like home to me and I’m a regular on Realtor.ca just in case my dream home pops up there. But I’ll always be thankful for my experience in a different part of YYC. And frankly, if you don’t suffer from a bit of out-of-quadrant-FOMO, you should. We live in a growing and dynamic city with so much to love in all quadrants. Next time you’re looking for a place to buy a cake or get a workout in (or the latter followed immediately by the former), drive a little further and see what else is out there. 

 

-Sam

If you liked this or you love food as much as I do follow me on Instagram @sugarandsam or my blog at: http://sugarandsamblog.com

 

We love to collab so if you or someone you know would like to be featured as a guest blogger give us a shout at info@locallaundryapparel.com!