In our annual Hangout Handbook, Exclaim! asks some of our favourite artists to discuss the hidden gems in their hometowns. Here, Aidan Knight outlines his picks in Victoria, British Columbia.
Climb the Johnson Street Bridge
Most equate Victoria with the Parliament buildings, but there's great iconography in this janky old blue bridge, a malnourished friendly giant. It's also perfectly climbable — I'd recommend up the walkway side near midnight, with friends and a few bottles of Hoyne Pilsner. (www.johnsonstreetbridge.com)
Relish Food & Coffee (920 Pandora Ave.)
As a band, we spend every day asking "Where's good to eat?" and get pretty middling recommendations. How about house-smoked bacon, smoked trout and poached eggs, and a bread pudding french toast hybrid that has me ready to kill anyone who gets between me and the perfectly roasted peaches that adorn the top? It's pure evil. (www.relishfoodcoffee.com)
Hoyne Brewery (2740 Bridge St.)
Our friends Sean and Chantal opened a little brewery in 2012 and it's been incredible to see them grow into a beloved entity. They deserve prizes for "Being So Nice" and "Very Bold Flavours 2013." Couple prizes I just made up. Not real awards. (hoynebrewing.ca)
Aidan Knight is a Victoria-based singer-songwriter who has lived in the same 15-block radius his whole life. He plays the Rifflandia music festival in Victoria, BC this September.
Climb the Johnson Street Bridge
Most equate Victoria with the Parliament buildings, but there's great iconography in this janky old blue bridge, a malnourished friendly giant. It's also perfectly climbable — I'd recommend up the walkway side near midnight, with friends and a few bottles of Hoyne Pilsner. (www.johnsonstreetbridge.com)
Relish Food & Coffee (920 Pandora Ave.)
As a band, we spend every day asking "Where's good to eat?" and get pretty middling recommendations. How about house-smoked bacon, smoked trout and poached eggs, and a bread pudding french toast hybrid that has me ready to kill anyone who gets between me and the perfectly roasted peaches that adorn the top? It's pure evil. (www.relishfoodcoffee.com)
Hoyne Brewery (2740 Bridge St.)
Our friends Sean and Chantal opened a little brewery in 2012 and it's been incredible to see them grow into a beloved entity. They deserve prizes for "Being So Nice" and "Very Bold Flavours 2013." Couple prizes I just made up. Not real awards. (hoynebrewing.ca)
Aidan Knight is a Victoria-based singer-songwriter who has lived in the same 15-block radius his whole life. He plays the Rifflandia music festival in Victoria, BC this September.