The Nosy Neighbour Staycation Challenge & my Quidi Vidi Adventure

Here’s a fun summertime challenge for you. Be a nosy neighbour in your city, town, or village. With COVID-19, staycations are the way to go!

Pick a neighbourhood, leave the car behind, and discover it in the same way a tourist would for the very first time – keeping safe social distance & practices, of course.

Playing tourist always brings out that childlike curiosity & wonder in me – important elements to the intuitive life.

Have fun with it – see where you’re inspired to explore and who you’re curious to talk to. If you can, stay overnight for a fuller experience.

That’s what I did!

It was a cold and rainy July 16th when my friend Leslie & I headed to Quidi Vidi, a neighbourhood of the city of St. John’s that used to be its own village. Now, it’s a mix of fishing stages reminiscent of the seasonal fisheries of the 1600s to upscale inns, restaurants, artisan quarters and a famous brewery.

We stayed at the historic Christ Church that I’d been curious about for years. Did you know it was and Airbnb in the summer? You’ll get an inside look at this beautifully appointed residence owned by Aiden & Elizabeth Duff and managed by my friends Gordon Martin & Linda Chantal Hewitt of People Place & Things.

I also found myself interviewing a few of the locals for some colourful and delicious til bits. Trust me, for a nature photographer, this was a stretch of my comfort zones, but a lot of fun. Both my guests were very cooperative, informative, and kind.

Thank you to Skipper Ring, storyteller, tour guide & musician who shares stories of growing up in Quidi Vidi, beating an 80-year record in the Royal St. John’s, Regatta, and crafting the lear fence along his stage.

Thank you also to  Sam Primmer, one of the managers at Mallard Cottage, currently #22 in Canada’s Top 100 restaurants. Our 3-hour feast was a welcomed splurge – both our first time there and my first restaurant meal since early March due to COVID-19.

So treat yourself with this 24-minute video as I take on the role of nosy neighbour in Quidi Vidi village for a day. 

Oh, and if seeing Skipper Ring’s breath in mid-July discourages you from coming to Newfoundland & Labrador, don’t let it. We got sunshine & outdoor swimming weather right after it!

So what neighbourhood are you inspired to explore in your city, town, or county? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Where did you go? What were you thrilled to discover?