My Summer ’17 East Coast trip changed the entire course of my life and it all started in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
I’ll take you on this journey with me but, let me start at the beginning.
Spring
After my Costa Rican sabbatical last summer, I got back together with my on-and-off boyfriend of three years. Don’t ask me why. Anyway, after months of unofficial dating I confronted him with the talk.” The: “Where do you see this relationship going?” conversation. At the mention of marriage and kids he scoffed at me and said,
“You should never have kids because you would be the worst mother ever.”
That’s when I think we both knew that it wasn’t the relationship we wanted. Shortly after we celebrated my birthday on April 2 and the next morning we got in a fight before he left for work.
I never heard from him again. He just ghosted. I didn’t text him and he never texted me, and we hadn’t seen each other since.
Summer Vacation
This summer I wanted to do something fun so my girlfriend, Jonni, convinced me to go for a visit out East to see her in Halifax. We planned a trip starting at the Cavendish Beach Country Music Festival in Prince Edward Island. We were going to rent a campsite and go camping over the weekend at the festival.
Now I’m not really a country music fan, but I did swing through Fort Worth Texas last year on my way home from Costa Rica. I decked myself out cowboy style with authentic boots and hat that I had no problem rocking back to Toronto–it wouldn’t fit in my luggage! Needless to say, I was pretty set for this country western getaway.
Charlottetown had been calling me for some reason so, I flew down a few days early and told Jonni to pick me up there. She was pretty upset I didn’t drive with her from Halifax but the flights to Charlottetown were way cheaper. I knew the real reason I wanted to go out east was to go to Charlottetown, but I didn’t know why. I always had this strange pull to go there, like a longing.
Charlottetown
I arrived in Charlottetown early July and booked a dorm at HI Charlottetown Backpackers Inn for about $55. It was already pretty full because of the concert and I got one of the last beds. The hostel had a great vibe and I would recommend staying here if you’re on a budget. The hostel re-opens May 18th for the summer 2018 season.
I showered and put my stuff away, then got ready to hit the town.
We love our tacos in Toronto so, I was on the hunt for this tequila and taco bar called Sugar Skull Cantina. I saw a girl walking and eating ice cream so I figured I’d ask her. She wasn’t sure what I was talking about but she googled it as the ice cream was dripping down her hand.
“No eat your ice cream!” I said before it had all melted.
“Oh I know what bar you’re talking about, it’s this way. I’m going to come with you,” she said.
“That’s great! I don’t know anyone here.”
We drank margaritas and ate tacos on the patio–it was very Toronto, (we love our tacos!)
A few tacos and tequila shots later, I was ready for the next spot.
Later that night she took me to a bar called the Hopyard–FYI it’s basically the best bar in town.
It’s got a rotating stock of beer with taps along the wall that double as cool decor. They change their menu every week and offer snack-sized munchies for $8–with loads of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
In the middle of the bar they have crates of vinyl records that you can browse through and buy. If you find something you like you can ask the bartender to spin it for you–like an updated jukebox! It speaks to the hipster in all of us.
Anyway, I came back from the washroom and there’s a guy sitting next to my seat but I don’t think much of it. He apologized and slid over politely and I returned to the conversation with my new girlfriend. At some point, the guy and I started talking because I was trying to take photos for my blog. My voice began to raise three octaves and I started feeling a little hot and bothered by the attention. The girl I was with got the hint and took off, leaving me in a strange city with this handsome stranger.
We drank, we danced and had an awesome time. I knew I couldn’t bring him back to the hostel because I was sharing a dorm room with three people and they would surely kick us out. He said he lived with his parents so we couldn’t go there. We ended up taking a cab to his friends abandoned house they had been renovating.
When we got there, plastic sheets were covering all the furniture and it was pretty dusty to say the least. I was kind of regretting not going back to my comfy hostel bed downtown. He ripped off the sheet covering the couch and I guess somehow we both fit and slept there. He took off my boots for me, which is one of those things that, for me, is the sweetest thing a guy can do. I wear badass boots and always have, but it gets tricky taking them off after a dozen or so drinks at 2 a.m.
I swooned and we cuddled on the couch until morning. With a raging hangover, I cabbed back to the hostel around 9 a.m. for the 10 a.m checkout. I had to get ready for Jonni to pick me up around noon. Walk of shaming in the backdoor I was busted by the guy that runs the hostel.
He looks up from his book. “Was he cute?” He asked.
“Oh yes, he was very cute.” I replied with a smirk.