I do apologize for the hiatus. Mostly I was sulking at the prospect of moving away from this beautiful place I call home. See, I had my apartment on the market this summer in hopes of finding myself with a larger home – we’re expecting our 2nd child now. Instead I ended up coming to the realization that I wouldn’t find what I want in this area just yet and would prefer to live more modestly in the place I love rather than move, especially if it meant leaving the Shore.

So I’m back to stay, and so is Urban Shore.

Now that the excuses are out of the way… I got out this afternoon to enjoy the neigborhood and dig up some info for you. A few new places have cropped up over the summer and a few places have shut down. Add in a some changes of ownership a little new construction and the City of North Vancouver’s urban hub is taking on a fresh look. Here are a few tidbits:

The North Vancouver City Library celebrated it’s 1st anniversary today. In the last year it has circulated more than 1 million items and now offers free WiFi throughout the entire Civic Plaza (.PDF) during library hours. Connect to the wireless network ‘PLAZAIR’; no password is required.

Bella Candela Grill on Esplanade has shut down but plans to re-open as a take-out/delivery place. I’m curious to see what will crop up there; I’ll keep you posted.

I got a message in August from Paul Mon-Kau of The District Social House that he has sold Kantine Urban Cafeteria. So far it doesn’t look like much has changed. The menu is a little different but still very affordable. Branding is the same but the website doesn’t seem current. There was a nice buzz there this afternoon, which was nice to see. I’m a big fan of the Esplanade Plaza, but it seems to lack in foot traffic a little.

I’ve always been a HUGE fan of the New Apple Farm Market at 20th and Lonsdale for produce and specialty/asian and organic foods, and I’ll dedicate an entire post to it at some point, but I just noticed a brand new produce store across the street from Starbucks at 13th & Lonsdale: Anna’s Fresh Produce at 1342 Lonsdale Avenue carries only produce. Their selection isn’t super extensive but their prices are awesome… just about everything was under $1.00/lb – coloured peppers were all $.79/lb and pineapples were 2/$3.50 for the ones I just spent $4.00 each on at another grocery store. Definitely going there for produce next time.

Thanks to all my readers for your support. I am back and excited about the future of Urban Shore. I hope you are too.

Don’t forget to check out Urban Shore on Flickr and now you can follow Urban Shore on Twitter @urbanshoreca.