I ended up at #OpenCity Halifax by total accident.

Way back in January I managed to grab tickets to The Walrus Talks event in Halifax, assuming that if I wasn’t yet back gallivanting around Europe, I would have something to look forward to. So, I twisted my sister’s arm and we took a little road trip to the city, because my hometown is in the middle of nowhere and I’m the only fun thing that happens here and just so happened to arrive in time for #OpenCity Halifax which is one of my favorite life events ever.

Back door restaurant grub, discounts at all the local shops, sand dollar making workshops, free hand massages, you name it. All the Halifax hipsters cool kids hit the streets for the day and celebrate local businesses. I had a list on my phone, space in my belly and the wrong walking shoes on. Also, my sister had never heard of eating chicken + waffles together before, so it was up to me to educate her.

Our first stop was The Brooklyn Warehouse, where the menu du jour was Chicken + Waffles (with honey butter and blueberries!). I’ve eaten my fair share of this dish and it’s always good and this one was great and yes, I would eat it again a million and one times.

My sister is also a new convert. *pats self on back* Servings were 9 bucks and got eaten in the car on our way to stop #2!

Side Note: I had been to Brooklyn Warehouse one other time but the only thing I really remember was that my niece was with us and she kept putting ketchup on her pickles. *shudder*

We got to the CycleSmith parking lot just in time for the booth from Agricola Street Brasserie to run out of their Vietnamese salad. Oh well. I’m sure it was great. The upside of showing up too late (the one Open City no-no, besides not having cash) was that CycleSmith decked out their entire back parking lot with food trucks, live music and BABY GOATS. Life on the east coast is so effing charming sometimes. We just do what we want out here because no one in the rest of the world knows where Nova Scotia is anyway. So, goats for everyone!

Stop #3 on our little city tour was stuffing our faces with Carnita Tacos at East of Grafton. We got there mid-day and the place was almost empty so I feared the worst and assumed they were sold out. This is the very worst part…all of the city’s food offerings are available until they aren’t, so you just try to hit your favorite spots first and hope for the best. Oh the stress.

They still had tacos! We sat at the bar, handed over our 7 bucks and ate. So sorry to the vegetarians out there, but I love eating pigs. The tacos were loaded with cilantro, which you may or may not know, (obvs not) is one of my favorite foods. Yes, I know it’s a herb, but I love it like it’s a meal.

Down the street we managed to snag a few bites of a Duck Confit slider from Bistro le Coq (for only 6 little loonies…) and then made our first shopping pit stop at Biscuit General Store, where the entire place was discounted for the day.

Before I moved to London, I lived in Halifax for two years (after years of swearing I wouldn’t ever live there). I lived right downtown and would frequent some of these businesses on a daily basis (Biscuit was my jam, plus they always have free popcorn!)

It’s only a short few years later a whole slew of new businesses have opened up. The downtown core is always changing (they have an Urban Outfitters now…when did that happen?!) and events like #OpenCity give you a chance to tour your own sometimes overlooked stomping grounds and find new favorites. This #OpenCity was my third one and if I’m around these parts of the globe for the next one, well, you’ll find me on a street corner somewhere stuffing my face.

Tomorrow’s post: All about the Walrus Talks tour (where I fangirled over Molly Johnson…)!