Patios

Barley Works

59 King St N, Waterloo
Food $$$ Drink $$$

Best beer on tap: We’re a fan of the honeybrown ale, brewed on site along with over 10 other beers.

You can also drink: Beer is kind of the main event at this microbrewery. That said, the Raspberry lager is a fun alternative for beer adverse folks.

You’ll mostly find there: A mix of students and workers from Uptown after their shifts are done.

Ethels

114 King St N, Waterloo

Food $$ Drink $$

Best beer on tap: You can’t beat a Grasshopper on a boiling hot day.

You can also drink: Ethel’s is home to one of the best Caesar’s in the entire city. Good to start the night or the morning.

You’ll mostly find there: Ethel’s is great for people watching thanks to an eclectic mix of regulars and bemused visitors. Ask nicely and you may even get a bumper sticker to commemorate your visit.

Beertown

75 King St S, Waterloo

Food $$$$ Drink $$$$

Best beer on tap: Delirium Tremens is the Belgian beer with the pink elephant on the label — you might be seeing a few after drinking this 8.5% beer.

You can also drink: The Fruli Colada, a beer cocktail made with the superb Belgian strawberry ale.

You’ll mostly find there: The tech sector and their kids on their night off.

Jane Bond

Food $$ Drink $$$

Best beer on tap: The hipster beer of choice: Rolling Rock.

You can also drink: The bar’s namesake cocktail, the Sweet Jane.

You’ll mostly find there: A chill young crowd who enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the back patio.

Shoeless

253 King St N, Waterloo

Food $$$ Drink $$$$

Best beer on tap: Truth time: The beer selection is standard for any sports bar. We’re here for the view right down King.

You can also drink: The Coronita Margarita. It’s your regular marg with the added fun of a bottle of Corona.

You’ll mostly find there: The last hopeful Blue Jays fans nursing a drink between innings.

Marbles

8 William St E, Waterloo

Food $$ Drink $$

Best beer on tap: The Mill St Tankhouse ale has become one of the most popular Ontario microbrews — for good reason.

You can also drink: Sangria, both red and white.

You’ll mostly find there: City of Waterloo and Region of Waterloo employees on their lunch break – and dinner break.

McCabes

352 King St W, Kitchener

Food $$$ Drink $$

Best beer on tap: It’s an Irish pub, so naturally we have to go with an Irish drink. It’s a bit too warm for Guiness — Harp goes down much better during the warm months.

You can also drink: Lager and lime — that’s a Harp with lime in it.

You’ll mostly find there: Kitchener urban dwellers knocking down a pint or two.

The Boathouse

57 Jubilee Drive, Kitchener

Food $$ Drink $$

Best beer on tap: Boathouse is another bar that carries a wide range of the fantastic Mill St products.

You can also drink: Anything – it’s worth it to enjoy this beautiful patio right on the lake in Victoria Park.

You’ll mostly find there: Music fans mingle here with joggers and cyclists taking a break after getting off the Iron Horse Trail.

Events

[ai1ec cat_name=”Summer 2013″]

Fashion

With summer comes something terribly exciting brand new wardrobe options.

But finding the right mix of clothes can be tough. We wanted to find fashionable clothes for all at the right price, which is why we went to StylFrugal and White Tiger Vintage.

StylFrugal, just off King St. in downtown Kitchener, is a consignment clothing store owned by Helena Kwiecinski. Her store is stocked with great finds that other people have passed up as their closets change. Here you can find TopShop dresses mixed in with unique vintage pieces like a Montreal Expos warm-up jacket.

For those in the market for an even more vintage look, White Tiger Vintage offers a beautifully curated collection of vintage wears. With its pretty picture window and bright yellow interior, this downtown Kitchener shop owned by Miranda Campbell is a fun destination for unique fashion finds.

Flirty dresses colour the store with bright fabrics and floral prints next to men’s striped shirts with vintage tailoring. Shorts and pants are on display in a mix of styles and fabrics, including high waists and bold patterns. Slouchy woven shoes and a plethora of classic purses, antique-inspired jewellery and retro sunglasses are there to complete your look.

We used both stores to create looks that will take you from a.m. to p.m. This summer is all about being bold, especially when it comes to patterns and colours. For conservative events, consider our polka dot dress or colourful sunglasses. During late night, you can get a little more adventurous.

With a wide variety of sizes and styles, you’ll find everything you need, local and inexpensive to boot.

White Tiger Vintage, at 248 King St. E., is celebrating two years of business on Saturday, June 8 with a trunk sale. The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a 25 per cent sale on everything in stock.

StylFrugal, at 30 Ontario St. N accepts clothes on consignment. You can visit their website at stylfrugal.com

Road Trip

SMALL TOWN CHARM
Fergus, Ontario
Driving time:46 minutes

Fergus is tricky to get to on public transportation. Some private bus companies do however offer busses from Guelph to both Fergus and Elora. However it is both cheaper and faster to bribe one of your friends with lunch to drive you there.

See: The Fergus Highland Games and Scottish Festival

If there was ever a time to go to Fergus it’s during the second weekend in August when the town goes full “kilt” for the weekend to celebrate their Scottish roots — as if the name wasn’t a dead give away. Activities include bagpipe playing, highland dancing, heavy competitions (that’s where they lift a tree trunk straight up) and a lot of scotch drinking and haggis eating – we hope at least. (fergusscottishfestival.com)

Eat: Fergus General Store and Market

The Fergus General Store and Market isn’t just a market and general store. It’s cafe and a visual riot for the eyes — the store is filled with every possible thing you could think of, from vintage toys to candy to vegan soaps. But what of the food? We’re happy to report it is excellent. What the market does well is amazing comfort food. The mac and cheese is as close to your mom’s as it will ever get, and the sweet mashed potatoes are light, fluffy and perfect. The Market also serves lighter fare (like an amazing taco salad) along with a great coffee bar. (227 St Andrew St W).

Drink: Brewhouse on the Ground

We’re suckers for drinking where there’s a good view. It’s a hard to find a better one than right over the Grand River. The Brewhouse also offers a variety of ales and draughts, and also does monthly tastings. It also boast some amazing food deals, including cheap wing night on Tuesdays and even cheaper fish and chips on Friday nights. (brewhouseonthegrand.ca)

NATURE TRAIL
Tobermory, Ontario
Driving time: 3 hours and 37 minutes

Driving is certainly the easiest way to get into Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. However, you can take a Greyhound (greyhound.ca) into Owen Sound and from there either rent a car or take regional transportation.

See: The Grotto

The Grotto is a place that truly needs to be seen to be believed. Deep in Bruce Peninsula National Park, the waves of Lake Huron cut a cave formation out of the rocks. The result is a stunning pool of water, completely blue and clear and sheltered by beautiful white cliff face. It looks like something that belongs in Jamaica rather than northern Ontario. Word of warning: the water is cold, and weak swimmers will want to be careful on some of the less calm days. But it’s worth the hike just to see one of the most stunning hidden gems in Ontario.

Play: The Glass Bottom Boat

Tobermory has earned a reputation as a scuba divers paradise. The water is amazingly clear and thanks to rough waters where Georgian Bay opens up into Lake Huron, full of shipwrecks. If you want to a chance to see the wrecks, not to mention the marine life of the lake without strapping on SCUBA gear, you can take a glass bottomed boat tour around the area (blueheronco.com). After disembarking the boat, check out some of the great restaurants around the ferry dock which unsurpisingly have some great fish options on the menu.

Stay: Bruce Peninsula National Park

There’s no point in going out in nature if you’re not going to enjoy it! Bruce Peninsula National Park is a truly beautiful place, and thanks to its relative remoteness, one where you’ll get to see nature’s beauty on full display. There are also plenty of activities, including hiking the Bruce Trail, going to the aforementioned Grotto, bouldering and just sitting around the campfire eating s’mores. For the less adventurous — yes, there are plenty of motels in the Bruce Peninsula. (pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/bruce/index.aspx)

URBAN ODYSSEY
Detroit, Michigan
Driving time: 3 hours and 5 minutes

Detroit is a straight shot west down the 401. It’s also the best served by public transit. You can catch a Greyhound bus (greyhound.ca) from the Charles Street Terminal in Kitchener and travel via London straight through to Detroit. Alternatively, you could also take VIA Rail (viarail.ca) to Windsor, and then take the Tunnel Bus shuttle that’s offered by Windsor Public Transit ($10 return).

See: The Motown Museum

Detroit’s music roots are long and storied. Most notably, the city is the home of the Motown sound, catchy pop tunes made primarily by African-Americans in the early sixties. Hitsville U.S.A. was where Berry Gordy set up shop and made records with Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and the Jackson 5 among others. The studio has since been turned into a museum dedicated to one of the most important era’s in music history (motownmuseum.org). Consider it a jumping off point for your musical tour of Detroit, the place that also birthed electronic music, Eminem and much more (detroitsoundconservancy.wordpress.com for more info.)

Eat: Bastone Brewery

Technically in Royal Oak rather than Detroit proper, this amazing restaurant is worth the trek out of Detroit’s core. It takes its name from a Belgian town and the menu – and beer selection – is entirely inspired by our Belgian friends. All the beer is brewed on site and stands toe to toe with the best European beers you can drink. The food is just as good. Standouts include the chicken and waffles plate, which will easily feed you and a friend. (bastone.net)

Stay: Honor and Folly

Tucked into the historic Corktown area, this charming little hotel is small but warm and cozy. We hear their owners are proud Detroiters, willing to tell you everything you need to know about the city. A huge benefit of this hotel? It sits on top of Slows BBQ, arguably the best BBQ joint in all of Motown. It’s also conveniently placed to explore the nearby Heidelberg Project art installation, a whole neighbourhood that has been transformed into an urban art space, and the Cass Corridor, which is slowly revitalizing after decades of disrepair and misuse. (honorandfolly.com)