I have been wanting to visit the newly re-designed Lansdowne Park for sometime and especially Whole Foods. I visited Whole Foods for the first time in NYC and loved it! I admit to being an organic gal and truly believe that food is the best thing you can do for your health. I try to eat organic whenever I can but I am not a fanatic and frankly, sometimes it is just way too expensive. So, today was the day!

For starters, I was amazed by the maze of the underground parking lot … just a little confusing. When I finally found an elevator I ended up in Sporting Life, which was a really cool store. I could totally just live in athletic gear … it’s so fashionable (but pricey). I then bundled up again to run across the avenue to Whole Foods – Wow! It was packed! Young, old and everything in between. The store is quite overwhelming with aisles upon aisles of everything healthy you could possibly want or need. Since I wasn’t planning on doing a full on grocery shopping, I just took my time and looked over everything.

As far as produce, I was surprised to see that not everything is organic and honestly, you can find most of what is on offer at Farm Boy. I picked up a small container (about 1 cup) of mixed berries – $9 ouch! Back on the shelf, organic or not! Next was the cheese … and I love cheese! Everything was overpriced by at least 1$ or more. I usually shop for cheese at La Bottega in the Byward Market, which has an amazing selection of both European and local cheeses for much better prices. I did buy a spreadable Chevre Cheese from Cross Wind Farm, which is produced in Keene, Ontario. It was something different and I do believe in supporting local artisans and farmers. Very delicious and highly recommended. I also purchased a box of kale and walnut non gmo flatbread by Lesley Stowe to go with my chevre … yum! After picking up bit of sliced roasted turkey and pita pockets for the kids lunches, I headed over to the prepared food section to get a bite. Nice salad bar, hot and cold snacks and meals etc. but the take out containers are really huge and there are no signs anywhere that tell you where to pay for the food. I finally asked and found out that it is sold by weight at the cash. Doesn’t matter what it is…it is all by the weight? I chose a grain salad with chickpeas and veggies and it was very good. I chatted with Mayor Watson in the check-out line, then had my salad in their cute café.

I liked the meat section, which had some interesting choices, and the incredible selection of snacky foods. I looked for Chaga Mushrooms, a supplement that I had been investigating, (info for another post) but they only had the tea … 20 bags $39!

Then came the fun part! I bundled up again and took the same route through Sporting Life to get to my car. I am sure I could have gone directly underground from Whole Foods but then I would have never found my car. I paid $5 for parking and proceeded to leave. (By the way, apparently you can get 90 min. free parking if you spend over $20 in Whole Foods, but the cashier has to validate your ticket … who knew?) I waited over 20 min. to exit … arghhh! I was told by the parking attendant that the 67’s game was sold out because Conner McDavid was playing and that was why there were so many people. Just my luck!

All in all, not a relaxing Sunday afternoon experience. I probably would have been better off in the Aberdeen Pavilion for the Sunday Farmers Market … obviously the market isn’t hurting Whole Foods judging by the crowds. I could definitely see myself strolling through Lansdowne (once the construction is completed) on a nice spring day and popping into Whole Foods for a few unique specialty items, but weekly shopping, no way … even for an organic gal!