Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/108099
1. 2. » shopping around Discover OLD WORLD CHARM 3. Victoria's Cook Street Village features one-of-a-kind shopping and restaurants in a European-like setting TEXT JESSICA KRIPPENDORF PHOTOgraphy DENNIS GREEN 4. Tucked away in Victoria's Fairfield neighbourhood is Cook Street Village, an earthy, eclectic, commercial corridor that attracts the sort of visitors who live and breathe by a simple mandate – relax and enjoy. As the largest of four commercial nooks in Fairfield, Cook Street Village offers a slower pace, an array of restaurants and shops, and a neighbourhood atmosphere that blends small town ambience with Old World European flavour. The Village runs along five cosy blocks between Leonard and Oscar streets. Heritage homes, many of which date from the Victorian and Edwardian periods, typify the residential portion of the street. In fact, Hampton Court, one of the city's most distinguished heritage apartments, marks the southern border. "I simply love the feel of that area," says Ines Hanl, principal with The Sky is the Limit Design. She frequents the area for its delectable food, atmosphere and funky clothing stores. "Lots of sidewalk coffee, the ocean only a stroll away, lots of unique businesses – for me it's somewhat Mediterranean." Wisteria and English ivy drape over veranda railings and wooden shutters on large character homes adjacent to Beacon Hill Park – a 62-acre recreational paradise established in 1882 with stone medieval bridges, lush gardens, a petting zoo and playground, and miles of trails for walking and horseback riding. Beacon Hill Park reaches the ocean just six blocks south of Cook Street Village. To the east along the ocean is Clover Point – the 1843 landing place of Sir James Douglas where sun, wind or wild weather can await depending on the season. Once home to some of Victoria's first dignitaries, Cook Street Village retains its historical significance in many ways, not the least of which is the commercial sector's composition of boutique-style family-owned businesses. Its layout is rare in a large urban setting. None of the streets running perpendicular to Cook Street bisect it, creating a welcoming atmosphere for pedestrians and plenty of corner space for outdoor eating and classic large-scale architectural design. Both commercial and residential buildings boast traditional claddings, bay and oriel windows, pitched rooflines and beautiful chestnuttreed boulevards that encourage the lost art of strolling. The buildings 10. 5. 6. 7. 42 | BC HOME & garden February 2013 p42-45_Cook Street Victoria.indd 42 are se arrang Sev fresh, The lo meats sage. T plenty ful aw the wi wande Fo hood o reclaim and ac appea Fro and sa lifetim 13-01-23 11:12 AM