Breaking Bad
Gorgeous flowers from The Flower Factory overlook the stunning view of Canada Place and Burrard Inlet.
Sometimes you just need a break. Even for a day.
Being busy is generally a good sign, especially if you’re busy doing things you love. But hey, even if it’s only doing half the things I love, I’ll take it.
I nearly always do my editorial photo shoots on the weekends because I have a day job to tend to during the week. On top of that, they’re generally scheduled on weeks when I don’t have the kids. So net net, I rarely get a weekend to myself.
This past Saturday, however, was one of those rare occurrences (like once a year) where I decided to actually decompress - well, right after a shoot, that is. It just so happened that we were shooting product and editorial at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver. The Pac Rim, as I like to call it, is like my home away from home. The rooms at the Pac Rim are very familiar as I’ve stayed there countless times when my boyfriend would come and visit me all the way from Paris where he lived for five years before relocating to Vancouver (I know what you're thinking - why the hell would he leave Paris??!) Plus, I know most of the staff at the Pac Rim, from the doormen to all the bartenders behind the Lobby Lounge bar - one of the best known spots to have a cocktail in the city. Grant Sceney, the head bartender there (and ranked number four bartender in the world) makes the best cocktails I've ever had - and I've had a few in many places (Paris, New York, London, LA, Hong Kong, you name it). Nothing compares to what he can make.
The bathroom of the Signature Room, at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, where the photo shoot took place earlier and where my boyfriend and I decided to take a staycation.
Anyway, my photographer, Airisa, and I spent three hours hidden in one of the Pac Rim’s Signature Rooms - the ’10’ rooms, as they’re called by insiders. These corner rooms are flooded with natural light and have spectacular views of the North Shore mountains, Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park and the five sails at Canada Place. You’ll often hear the hum of a float plane taking off or landing in the harbour. It’s quite a sight to see. I can’t wait to share some of the amazing photography that Airisa was able to capture while we were in there, hidden behind floor to ceiling glass while the rain and wind pounded outside. The shots are pretty dramatic and not like these ones I've taken in this particular post. Haha!
Three hours later, Airisa left and my boyfriend joined me. Why waste a perfectly gorgeous room? It was a great way to rekindle our romance in a room that seemed like home to us by this point. The Pac Rim team was amazing, and knew exactly what we needed - a bottle of bubbly on ice and some delicious candy from Sugarfina welcomed us when we returned from an errand. Workout gear from Reebok - top, bottoms, socks and running shoes - all in my size, were delivered at the door. I was so busy I forgot that being a President’s Club member (it’s a free program, btw!) means they have your sizes, etc. on profile if working out at the hotel’s gym is something you care to do.
A wonderful welcome by the Fairmont Pac Rim team.
I actually didn’t visit the gym this time. We ate and drank and slept. Ate some of the finest sushi at the Lobby Bar, had a cocktail, had some more of the bubbly, took a bath in the huge Japanese soaker tub, and passed out for the night. When we awoke, I felt so refreshed. Sadly we couldn’t sleep in because of endless errands to run - on a Sunday no less! But even though it was short-lived, it made me realize how important it is to stop - albeit a brief moment - to be still. To let your mind go and not think about anything. Be blank. And breathe.
I realized how busy I was this past week when I totally forgot that I was also staying in the room after the shoot. If I had indeed realized that there was going to be light at the end of the tunnel following a week of mayhem, I don't think I would have been so stressed out. It was just fortuitous timing that this all happened at the same time. The lesson I've learned, though, is that you don’t have to buy a plane ticket or drive a long way to escape. You can do that by staying in your city. You just have to block the time and make the choice to be still. To reflect. To be. Here are some words of wisdom from someone who has a day job, a design company, a vintage goods company, a lifestyle blog, two kids and a boyfriend - if I can take time out to smell the roses and break my bad habits, anyone can.
Just do it.
xx
C.
