Now that Spring is finally upon us and the days are warmer and sunnier, we can break up our working days with time outside. Working in an office, I find it’s so important to find some time to get fresh air and exercise throughout the day, and luckily for me, my office is downtown Prince George and I have a great escape – a downtown core full of amazing small businesses and restaurants to visit!
Whether window shopping, cafe hopping or searching for the perfect gift, the small shops we have within walking distance to many downtown offices offer it all. I recently went on my favourite lunch hour walking route and want to share the best of what our downtown offers to you!
I started on the corner of Victoria Street and Third Avenue, where my office building is located, and headed down Third (southeast). First stop was Northern Hardware, a true staple of our downtown. The Northern carries such a variety of goods that I can’t even begin to list them all here (if you’re looking for something obscure, chances are you’ll find it here), but my favourites are the gifts and garden section – there’s always something fun to be found.
Next, I continued down Third Ave and took a right onto Quebec Street. Feeling the first pangs of lunchtime hunger, I stopped for a quick bite at Wasabi Sushi and Wonton House. They have an amazing menu and even a big selection of ready-made trays for lunch on the go.
Inhaling the best California roll ever, I jumped back across Quebec and slightly further down Fourth Avenue to Dandy Lines – a beautiful and elegant gift store with home decor, clothes, children’s gifts and more. One of my favourite parts of this store is their new corner of “manly stuff” – a fun selection of outdoorsy and woodsy themed items.
You can spend a couple hours on Fourth Avenue alone, so if you’re on your lunch hour, be mindful of the clock! This particular block has an array of great local shops, including Urban Treasure, Alison’s Embroidery & Gifts, and Kathy’s Quilt Shop.
Continuing down Fourth, I turned left onto George Street and immediately ducked into my favourite bakery – Pastry Chef – for a sweet treat!
Feeling the end of my hour nearing, I headed up Third Ave, back towards Victoria Street. Before ending my tour though, I had to check out the great selection of used books at the Final Chapter (between George Street and Dominion Street) and the fun new clothes at Plateau Clothing (between Dominion Street and Quebec Street). Before I knew it, I was again in front of Northern Hardware but took a detour, turning right down Brunswick Street to grab a “second lunch” (that’s a thing right? It should be when there are such amazing food offerings downtown) at Amigo’s Taco Shop – I can’t pass up a Combo Burrito and Mexi Fries, the perfect quick fix for your Mexican cravings!
Ok, I’ll admit it, I didn’t fit all of this into a single lunch hour – the walking, sure, but not all of the amazing shopping stops. It just means you’ll have something to do every lunch hour of the week when you work downtown Prince George!
