Oh Canada, our neighbors to the north. Wait, it is the north correct?
Hold on a second let me figure this out. So I go south down I-75 until I reach
either Canada or Florida. That makes
sense, let me start over.
Oh Canada, our neighbors to the north/south. The last time I was in
Canada I was more concerned with how much I could drink and still get through border
patrol, than what Windsor had to offer. This time I decided to take a
drastically different approach and visit during the day. Not only visit during
the day, but not visit a single bar. I know what you are thinking and no I
don’t know why I decided to do this.
Let’s start with security. As always it was a breeze getting into
Canada. They checked passports, asked a couple of questions, and sent us on our
way. The security on the way back was quite different but I will get to that
later.
My first stop was back to my old party spot, Ouellette Ave. I remember
Ouellette being filled with bars, bars, and more bars. I was not at all
prepared for the changes that took place. Yes, the street still has many bars
and clubs. The difference is that shops and new high rise building dominate the
landscape.
The first stop was BB Sneaker Boutique. I don’t know how many sneaker
heads read this blog but I will make this perfectly clear to all of you. Spend
the money on tolls, deal with security, do whatever you have to do, just go to
BB Sneaker Boutique. This place makes Burn Rubber in Royal Oak look like
Payless. Imad Saddy runs a top notch store full of unique sneakers and
accessories. Check out all of Imad’s contact information at the end of the
blog. You need to go and I need to go back.
As I was leaving the sneaker shop, something dawned on me. Certain
things are legal in Canada that are not legal in the US. No, I am not about to
talk about prostitution or weed. Calm down people. However, I am going to talk
about Cuban cigars! That’s right people. Cuban cigars are legal. So we decided
to take a stroll over to Habanos. Habanos isn’t the largest cigar shop, but they
do have a very nice selection of Cuban’s. Habanos also provides a very nice
seating area on Ouellette. If you are into cigars, I highly recommend Habanos.
Just remember, don’t bring back the cigars! I think you would be violating some
sort of embargo which probably isn’t good.
After indulging on some Cuban nicotine, the next logical stop had to be
coffee. I mean what goes better with nicotine than caffeine? Now I did spot a
Starbucks within ½ a block from Habanos but this is an adventure blog. As much
as I wanted my usual, I decided to stroll over to The Coffee Exchange. I admit
that I am a coffee snob and that I am pretty lame as a result. That being said,
I am also pretty damn knowledgeable when it comes to good coffee. I will tell
you this right now, The Coffee Exchange does not have good coffee. Plain and
simple it isn’t good. The Coffee Exchange has the best coffee I have ever had
in my life. Without a doubt, the best iced coffee ever. I would spend the $10
in tolls, and deal with security just to have another one. This coffee is
haunting me…like night terrors…cold sweats.
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| The Coffee Exchange |
Last thing on the agenda was checking out the recently developed river
front. I will say that this would be an excellent date spot. It really would.
They have sculptures, picnic areas, and bike paths. On the other hand, this was
not a place for a couple of dudes reviewing stuff for an adventure blog. It was
a little awkward and I did accidentally lock myself in the bathroom. This
resulted in a nice cut on my hand trying to break my way out. Yes, I also wish
I had a YouTube clip.
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| Penguin Sculpture on the river front |
Finally it was time to return to the homeland. As expected, security
sucked on the way back. Every car was
getting trunk searched and the lines were pretty long. My story was a little
different than the others. I didn’t get searched one but twice! Come on, what do you think happens when you look at a border patrol officer and say “I have a social media
marketing class in which I have to write a blog. Mine is called Adventure Detroit.
I decided to come over to Windsor and review the downtown area.” Also, a piece of
advice, when they ask how you know the people in your car, do not say church.
Even if that is the truth, just lie. After my 15min car search was complete we
were free and clear to go.
Overall, Windsor is pretty nice. If I you want to get out of the house,
visit some new places, and just do something different, go to Canada. You might
discover some new places or have another funny story to tell. Who knows?
Habanos
286 Ouellette Ave
Windsor, Ontario N9A 1A5
519-258-9878
BB Branded Lifestyle & Sneaker Boutique
347 Ouellette Ave
Windsor, Ontario N9A 4J1
519-253-3960 (Shop)
INFO@BBBRANDED.COM
facebook.com/bbbranded
twitter.com/bbbrandedstore
instagram.com/bbbranded
The Coffee Exchange
266 Ouellette Ave
Windsor, Ontario N9A 1A%
