Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger
  • ~ Home ~
  • ~ What I Think ~
  • ~ What I See ~
    • Events
    • Food
    • People
    • Places
  • ~ What I Make ~
  • Blog Series
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Niagara Weekend Getaway | DAY 1: (Pt. 1) Revisiting COWS NOTL

12/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Despite having personally proposed the  trip over a month in advance, my physical and mental states leading up to the weekend was far from aligning with vacation mode. Fatigued from the past weekends of cookie box prep, pilates-induced shoulder injury as of late, and overall distressing situations associated with adulthood, my mind was anywhere but prepping for a relaxing getaway. Truthfully, there would be no difference in packing efforts between an overnight stay and three-week vacation.

Laundry, photo backup, and last-minute ticketing arrangements would ensue until the late evening.
"What is the plan?"
"Pick you up when you wake up and are ready."
The response was music to my ears. After all, early morning departures were not my cup of tea.
Picture
Picture
​I had, in fact, awoke earlier than anticipated, which enabled a departure that was not only punctual, but early, albeit only a few minutes sooner.

​On the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake, I proceeded to launch my seemingly endless stack of concerns into the unassuming lap of the sleepy polar bear, who could barely follow my mad jumble of thoughts, let alone process them. The issues had primarily emerged from the past weekend, and were named off one by one for individual resolution. A consensus was achieved prior to our arrival at COWS, though it remains a mystery whether application would follow suite.
Picture
Picture
​Our arrival coincided with the sighting of a few floats (and complimentary holiday parking in the asphalt lot on Market Street), but we hadn't thought much of them
Picture
Picture
Shops within the cozy, streamer-lined district adopted European visuals in the forms of brick exteriors and architectural storefronts. It wasn't until spotting reusable totes bearing the renowned four-letter alcohol acronym that it dawned on me: NOTL had an LCBO!

"Do you want to check it out?" asked the sleepy polar bear knowingly.
I didn't even need to respond, and promptly pulled open the doors to inspect the eco bags I had spied from the glass window.
Picture
Picture
​An initial reluctance was present at seeing the spread, but a certain rare Mimosa offering changed that instantly.
Other seasonal (and store) exclusives were picked up along the way: a 4-pack of Black Sapporo, Big Rig's Broken Sled Gingerbread Stout, Grand River's Midnight on the Grand Black Lager, and Cowbell's White Mocha Coffee Chocolate Nitro White Stout.
Picture
Picture
​After relieving our hands of the my weighty purchase, we retraced our path towards COWS, chancing across a 50% off t-shirt promo in honour of the 10th day of Christmas.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​In spite of the times I've frequented the fa-moo-lous (yes, I went there) Atlantic native, this was the first visit during the holiday season, seeing as we had skipped NOTL during last year's Downtown Niagara adventure.
Picture
Picture
View the full album HERE !
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Festive garlands and a Santa hat-donning cow welcomed us into the shop, while the Charlottetown-based chain's own version of Christmas sweaters - or rather, cotton long sleeves and crewnecks - were neatly hung and folded in a seasonal section in the middle of the shop.
Picture
Picture
​Thoroughly perusing the assortment, the sleepy polar bear followed closely, smirking knowingly as I approached a plush Neapolitan ice cream cone.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​​We each took to one of their holiday-exclusive tops: a vibrant red patterned crewneck for the sleepy polar bear and an oversized, baby blue gingerbread cow top for me. I was quick to expand my selection of Cows socks by slapping a navy, snowflake version on top of the pile.
​The next order of business was, obviously, to obtain ice cream. Cookie Moonster was the creamery's take on the classic choice, complete with cookie dough bits for chewiness and texture variation; the cyan-coloured Single Scoop was requested in a Peanut Rim waffle cone by the sleepy polar bear.
Picture
Picture
My pick adopted a cup format. Torn between Gooey Mooey and Caramel Moochiato, the staff behind the counter offered to combine the two flavours into a Single Scoop to combat indecisiveness, and further relieve himself of having to distinguish their individual profiles.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Gooey Mooey assumed the top half of the scoop, boasting a delectable creaminess, occasionally interrupted by crunchy bits of chocolate. The bottom half was a slick, sticky caramel-based formula; Caramel Moochiato retained minimal notes of coffee, instead contributing intense sweetness that would render me unable to entertain the thought of hot chocolate, or even the all-too-intriguing Toasted Almond Latte from Balzac's.
Picture
​I took note of the menu options and simplistic construction of the roastery's Vanilla Nanaimo Bar, then headed down to the basement level for bathroom usage.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Returning to ground level, I found the sleepy polar bear outside, happily munching away at a Beef and Lamb Gyro.
I observed the scene with one raised eyebrow: a ravenous creature indulging in successive bites of a pita, face smothered in presumably tzatziki sauce.
Picture
Picture
Turning down a sampling opportunity, I headed into the nearby leather ottoman boutique instead. The stout, patchwork elephants were, in fact, quite sturdy - surprisingly so.
Picture
Picture
During the the previous night's planning phase, we had concluded 3 PM to be the latest acceptable arrival time at the Niagara Power Station. Weaving about several floats, we pulled out of the Market Street lot at the 2:27 PM mark. At seeing passerbys gather along the sidewalk edge, it occured to us that a street event was possibly looming. Google affirmed my suspicions: Niagara-on-the-Lake's Santa Claus Parade was to coincide with our date with our visit, though not necessarily the timing.
Picture
Picture
​However, we could not dally. Awaiting us at the other end of an approximate thirty-minute drive was the next item on the itinerary. Along the way, we passed the Rainbow Bridge, where vehicles queued to cross south over the border.
Picture
Read Part 2 HERE !
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Who Am I?

    Formerly an avid owner of several interest-based portals, Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger presents precisely the elements expected. From experiments in the kitchen to miscellaneous musings, from IGOT7 reflections to developments in transportation infrastructure, it's all consolidated here. Welcome to the raw, unfiltered side of Quirky Aesthetics.



    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013


    Categories

    All
    Ahgabond Adventures
    Ahgase
    Arctic Aquarium
    Atlantic Canada 2018
    Barrie
    Beauty
    Birthday Buddy
    Calgary 2023
    Chinese New Year
    Conquering COVID 19
    Daily Randoms
    Eyes On You World Tour 2018
    Food
    Friends
    Hallyucon
    Hamilton
    Hong Kong
    Iron Ring
    J Movie
    K Drama
    K-Drama
    Korean Beauty
    K Pop
    Los Angeles 2017
    Macau
    New York 2018
    Ottawa 2019
    Pilates
    Random Rant
    Restaurant Review
    Seoul
    Shopping
    SSMC
    Taiwan
    Vacation
    Vancouver 2013
    Vancouver 2014
    Vancouver 2015
    Vancouver 2016
    Vancouver 2020
    Vancouver 2022


    trazy.com

    RSS Feed


WHAT DOES "QUIRKY AESTHETICS" MEAN?

Quirky =  a term that commonly refers to something/someone distinctly different and unique
Aesthetics = the visual aspect of things



Together, Quirky Aesthetics refers to the things, events, and happenings seen and perceived by this blog's creator - quirky perspectives in a visual form.

Contact ME

​Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!
Join Now
© Quirky Aesthetics. All rights reserved. Last modified: August 10, 2015.