This weekend we spent the day in Abbotsford, BC. It does take quite the drive to get there from our home in North Burnaby, so whenever we visit, we like to pack in a full day.
And this week we had a great vehicle to help make the drive, and the inevitable traffic, to and from, all the more enjoyable.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe gave us plenty of room with its seven seater passenger capacity. Abundant cargo space to help bring back our shopping, leftovers, and grocery purchases for the day.
In the front, the driver and passenger seats are wide, filling out the equally spacious cabin. Although the seats themselves could have used more support for our extended road time. The passenger seat lacked lumbar or any lower back support, and what little the driver side had seemed to deflate throughout the drive. There was a need to continuously check and re-inflate with the automatic button.
My favourite feature was the centre console. Everything was at the ready and within your fingertips, positioned at a comfortable height, and in line with the cushioned arm rest. This was especially evident with their wide phone cradle. Two elevated rubber platforms to place two phones on. Designating one for the driver, and the other for the passenger. One allowed for wireless charging, the other was just a pedestal to keep your phone from sliding. But you could plug in a C-cable for charging and/or auxiliary connectivity to the SUV.
However, this was a little moot as we found neither options capable of fast charging. The whole hour plus drive there, without using my phone, I gained one percentage while being plugged in. Whereas my partner, who is using his phone to not only play music, but also navigate with Bluetooth maps, found his phone went from 58% to 62%, barely a dent. More progress, but overall not enough to make a difference when trying to gain battery power in between destinations.
The physical drive was as boxy and chunky as the car looked. A little stiff, but the wheel was responsive. The suspension was great as the elevated stance took on speed bumps, potholes, and any uneven pavement with little effort. As a passenger you barely felt it, and as a driver my partner barely slowed down.
We did appreciate the driver assist features, given the long straightaway and congested stretches of road. There was very little effort needed to steer with the lane assist. And the Santa Fe was always at the ready, slowing down as an obstacle was detected in front of us. And this slowing was a smooth transition that did not feel urgent or forced, but a guiding hand, instead. Our confidence in our vehicle grew from this.
The only modern convenience we were missing was the cooling seats. It was a hot day, and after a few rounds of pickle ball, we came back into the 2024 Santa Fe looking forward to air-conditioning to cool off too. Climate control was quick to deliver, but without the cooling seats the sun was quick to have flesh sticking to leather.
We eventually got to our destination safely with comfort and enough binning to compartmentalize our purse, wallet, water bottles, and any garbage we picked up from snacks on the way.
When we finally got to Downtown Abbotsford we bee-lined it to Jubilee Park, wanting to take in their local farmers market on Saturdays. The best way to appreciate the community, or any given city/area is via these markets, where you can meet the vendors, appreciate their artisan wares, and support them outright.
Today there is a lot of farm grown crops: small batch heirloom tomatoes and carrots, corn on stalks, and berries by the basket. There was samples of homemade fruit salsa with chips, clay sculpted jewelry, accessories for pets, and dog treats made from human grade products and produce.
With the walk we got a good warm up, so decided to hit the nearby courts. The sport of the year is definitely pickle ball. It is essentially tennis played with a lighter ball and racket. It uses the same court, but with lower nets. You can wear the same gear, but expect having to buy the specialty square paddles and hollowed out swiss cheese balls. And if you are looking for one, many of the local gift shops sell colourfully decorated sets.
This was our first time playing a full match of pickle ball, and we found the need to get use to the weight and distance of everything. This was a fun match played in the newer, open to the public courts located at Jubilee Park.
After our cool down within the Santa Fe (as mentioned earlier) we decided to grab a refreshing beverage and a snack. I like Brgr Brgr for their beer and burgers. Although coming out of a fitness activity, we decided to make it more lean.
Instead, we ordered three pieces of their chicken tenders that comes with a side of honey Dijon mustard. Plus a glass of apple juice. It felt like a kids meal, but definitely hit the spot. The breading on the chicken tenders weee herbed and coarse, it gave a nice crispy texture, hiding the cuts of quality white breast meat underneath. Most of the flavour come from the dip, which is more roasted mustard than sweet honey. For my preference, I prefer it the other way around. The apple juice delivered, provided the cooling, sweet hydration we needed, while pinging on childhood nostalgia.
We then decided to do some shopping in Downtown Abbotsford. I like all the unique boutiques, and find such stores great places to look for gifts for those with everything. At my age and the age group of my friends, you have your own home and are curating your space, so often there is not a lot you need. The specialty shops offer unique finds and novelty pieces that are fun to have, that anyone can appreciate when given as a gift.
Looking for the perfect host or hostess gift, or something for that foodie your life? Then Yes Chef makes for a great gourmet resource. From artisan seasonings, preserves, and snacks; to all the various containers and dish ware needed to serve them.
They also host cooking classes in this space, and I will be back to attend one such class the following week.
At Forage & Faire, they have an impressive apothecary wall housing various botanicals and herbs, dried for their essential oils. Here, they have natural remedies for what ails you.
We picked up a roller ball that promised to energize and perk us up with a scent. My partner is highly smell sensitive, so appreciates a good smell. Here, he was like a kid in a candy store, being able to sniff everything and pick out a favourite.
At Lotus and Lemongrass, the home decor gift store, we continued on with our aromatic trend and purchased a home purifier/diffuser. A product we both have never seen, and one the owner was well-versed in, and took the time to explain to us. Like a diffuser you soak your wick in either a scented oil or a neutralizing alcohol mixture. After giving it some time to absorb into the wick, you light it for two minutes to allow the oils to burn and the scent to rise up into the air. After two minutes you blow out the flame, put on the protective lid, and allow the ember to continue to burn. You do have to come back and blow it out eventually, but with the time in between your air is either purified as promised, or scented; in this case, with an ocean breeze.
Living in a smaller space and cooking pungent foods, this was a godsend for my partner. He likes my cooking, but admits the smell of oil and food fills the entire floor when I do. So, he found this new purchase not only practical, but effective as well.
Our shopping further built up our appetite and we were ready for a full, sit down meal. We were originally planning to stop by Amici for dinner, but were hungry now and ahead of our planned schedule, so came for a late lunch instead.
Full review of my new favourite spot for causal modern Italian cuisine in a separate post.
We were eyeing Caffé Gelato Bar next door for a sweet treat after dinner, but our meal left us too full and needing to pass on both this and the possibility of tiramisu before.
Instead, we decided to help our digestion by stopping at the neighbourhood Lepp’s Bakehouse. They are a family-owned and operated bakehouse and delicatessen specializing in sourdough bread, fresh sandwiches, and baked goods. I wanted to pick up some fixings for meals next week.
I was tempted my all the fresh bread, but sadly we already had some loaves at home. So I sought out some cold cuts and cheeses to make sandwiches with. We also picked up a bottle of the Mac Attack sauce, as I am always excited to try a new condiment.
And we picked up one of their meat quiches to get a taste of how their baked goods travel and fair days after.
Then it was time to head back home, appreciating how much we got done and what a great time we had in Abbotsford. I cannot wait to return for our cooking class.
