Dom’s #LoveMyHood Ottawa Guide – Bench

Ottawa is the prettiest “big small town” out there. Truly, it is. It isn’t unusual to visit any part of the city and run into someone you know each time, or meet a new person who just so happens to know everybody you know. It is this sense of warmth and community that make Ottawa the great little city it is.

My parents brought me over to Ottawa from London, England as a little kid. Since then, I’ve spent my life here, enjoying its beautiful scenery, very cool neighbourhoods and burgeoning food and style scene. From art galleries, to great restaurants to nearby cottage country, Ott City has it all.

I thought it would be fun to feature a “Weekend in the Life of Dom” post, where I share a glimpse into the typical things I do in my hood on a normal weekend. Even better? I’ve partnered with Bench, an active-wear-inpired brand with a very cool urban vibe to model some of my favourite looks from their current collection. So, get cozy, ladies and gentlemen, and enjoy the tour of my favourite suburban and urban hoods – Manotick, Barrhaven, the Glebe and Downtown Ottawa!

Meet Shadow. He’s my Puppy-In-Law and resident cottage mascot. We try to get up to the family cottage near gorgeous Shawville, Québec as often as possible. Handsome Shadow is my best buddy, never leaving my side…except for when I get in the water. This past weekend was sunny and gorgeous, so we headed over the bridge to Québec cottage country on Friday afternoon.

It was a scorcher this weekend, so I pretty much lived in my bikini with my “Dom-ified” beach cover-up, my Hold My Hand Jacket from the Bench x Jess Glynne capsule collection.

Back in Ottawa on Saturday, I took advantage of the sunny weather and went for a long walk in the pristine Rideau Valley Conservation Area near my house in Manotick. I wore my Indulgent C Leggings with my Profitability B Jacket. This little combo has been my fitness wear all-star this summer.

The Profitability B Jacket is gorgeous with its blue design reminiscent of the galaxy. Its drawstring waist really highlights the curves too.

I love starting my day with a workout first thing in the morning on weekends, so I have the rest of my day to do as I please. With the weather cooperating, I grabbed Ryan and we headed to one of our favourite neighbourhoods – the Glebe.

The Glebe is a vibrant little part of downtown with tons of great restaurants (the Pomeroy House is a total fave), cute cafés and endless boutiques. The Glebe also has a bunch of vibrant graffiti walls livening up this already eclectic part of town.

Located near Bank Street and Third Street, this graffiti wall of rainbow-coloured matryoshka dolls is one of my favourites. A beautiful backdrop to offset this kick-ass Bench outfit. This stunner of a bomber jacket is the Rather B Cropbomber, also part of the Jess Glynne x Bench’s capsule collection. This awesome bomber is reversible – one side featuring this fun, metallic gold colour, the other side a jet black cotton with the large Jess Glynne x Bench logo. I paired the bomber and crop top with the gorgeous draped Brokenheart Skirt.

This outfit was perfect for our lunch on the patio while we took in live music at local favourite Irene’s Pub.

The following day, we decided to return to this neck of the woods and strolled south through the Glebe to the newly renovated Lansdowne Park. Lansdowne is home to the Redblacks, Ottawa’s football team. The Newly overhauled stadium is now surrounded by parks, cafés, restaurants and stores. Drawing in thousands over the weekends, people from all over Ottawa visit to take advantage of the great farmer’s market that housed within the Aberdeen Pavilion each weekend.

Ryan was anxious to check out Craft Beer Market that recently opened, as he is a huge fan of India Pale Ales (IPAs) and Craft features one of biggest selection of IPAs in the city. We put our names down on the waiting list, and I enjoyed a lemon green tea next door at South Street Burger Co. while Ryan checked out the cycling gear at the Sporting Life.

I’m relaxing here, keeping cool with my iced tea, while wearing this awesome Forever Waiting SS Tee. This cropped t-shirt is a real head-turner with its transparent front with cutouts in a mosaic pattern. It’s incredibly soft and I pretty much find any reason to wear it.

After lunch and a couple of drinks at Craft Beer Market, we make our way back to the burbs and marvel at how Ottawa has everything – a thriving urban centre and beautiful suburbs surrounded by rivers and scenic forests.

This is my hood and I love it.

A huge thanks to Bench Canada for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions come straight from the heart.

*Photography courtesy of Jake Stone Creative.