Autumn Essentials for a Transit/Walking Commuter
So I am house/cat sitting again. Don’t think I blogged when I was doing the same back in September when Sean was in New Brunswick. It was a hectic time full of living out of a suitcase, working the Madonna shows, and catching up after a week of playing “tourist” in my town with the Scots. That was when Matt and Dori went on a more than well deserved vacation to southern Italy. They are currently on a plane to visit Dori’s family in Japan, so Sean and I are taking care of their adorable cat Musubi (a.k.a. Rice Ball).
Matt and Dori have an awesome recliner that I am taking full advantage of while Sean is at a load-out. Which is wonderful because it was a long week. And as much of an endorphin rush as I got at 8am yoga, autumn has brought out the bear in me and the last thing wanted to do was get out of bed at 6:45am. It’s dark in the morning now and all I want to do is hibernate. But aside from that, I love autumn. Even the rain.
The sound of the rain is actually one of my favourite sounds, even when I’m out in it. But that doesn’t mean I want to get wet.
As a transit and walking commuter, I’m always super grateful to have what I consider the Vancouver essentials at this time of year. Especially when waiting for the skytrain or walking home from the station.
Coat: Warm and ideally water repellant; maybe with a hood. Most good quality coats will cost a bit more money, but it’s worth it to be warm and dry. Make the investment. It rains a lot in Vancouver and the damp (even the sunny cold) is down to your bones chill. (People who aren’t from here, particularly Aussies that I have met, don’t believe me about the cold until it happens. And then they are happy I made them go buy a coat.) If I’m being completely honest, I have more than one autumn/winter coat. I love coats. LOVE. As many as I have, my favourite is my lululemon Apex coat. I’m going in to my fifth autumn/winter with it, and it was worth every penny. The rest of my coats are mostly wool. I also have a Goretex jacket for hiking and such. I am from Vancouver after all… A good place to look for a coat is MEC. If you want more of a city coat, The Bay sells nice ones, and if you want a really lovely wool one, go to Aritzia.
Umbrella: One small for my tote bag and a larger, more sturdy wood-handled version. Always good to be prepared. I don’t like getting wet, mostly because my hair is curly and really the last thing I need is for it to get frizzier than it can get without the rain. Costco sells a set by Shedrain of a small and medium sized umbrella for $15. The Umbrella Shop (couple locations in Vancouver) sells beautiful umbrellas.
Boots: You are invincible if you are wearing a pair of wellies. Splashing your way down the sidewalk in a pair of galoshes is a very powerful feeling. I sound silly, but it’s true. If you have a pair, you know what I’m talking about. And they protect your legs where your coat doesn’t cover. My boot of choice is from Hunter. They are a bit pricey here in Canada, but I ordered my purple ones from Zappos.com and picked them up at our P.O. box in Blaine. It was way cheaper. (The flowered ones are from the UK when we were there last December – amazon.co.uk is amazing.) I also have a pair of waterproof leather boots from Kodiak (Canadian company). It’s not fun to have wet feet.
Bag: A water repellant tote bag is super important. No one wants to get to work or get home with soggy gym clothes, damp books, or wet lunch containers. I have a really great bag from lululemon that I feel like will last me forever. It has been through all kinds of weather.
Sunglasses: Yes, I’m serious. I carry my sunglasses in a glasses case in my purse. The glare in the sky on a cloudy day is brutal, at least for me. And the sun comes out when you least expect it. Sometimes when it’s still raining.
Time for a nice big mug of tea. Hope everyone has a great weekend!