Suburbia’s a mine of hidden gems

When it comes to lifestyle, Vancouver gets all the glory for cool shops and great eats. But we thought it’d be fun to scour the ‘burbs for some hidden gems. Here’s our roundup of great places to eat, shop, stroll and wander that may have flown under your radar.

LITTLE WHITE HOUSE, FORT LANGLEY

A perfect slice of French heaven. Wander through this airy house filled with beautiful objects with a touch of je ne sais quois.

The boudoir is filled with flirty dresses and blouses while the living room is arranged with French country tables and vintage treasures (all for sale, of course). Then head upstairs to the chambre for bed linens and lingerie artfully arranged on the bed. The bathroom, with its beautiful light and claw foot tub, is the place to rummage for French milled soap and other toiletries.

Everything in this “home” has been lovingly curated by Cheryl Krecsy and her daughter Natasha, who share a love of France (not to mention an apartment in Montmartre). Each year, they bring back from their travels to Europe and the U.S. French or French-inspired products.

“I created Little White House for women,” says Cheryl Krecsy. “[It's] a place for women to go and tune out of all the stresses they have.”

The house was originally owned by Dr. Benjamin Marr, Langley’s first resident doctor. Krecsy purchased it six years ago and transformed the house into a boutique and tea room, while largely keeping the original layout intact.

The Salon Café, which is housed in the original coach house, is a rustic and elegant setting to take in afternoon tea, with a weathered wooden pitched ceiling, sparkling chandeliers and round white tables.

Plus everything on the menu is made in house, including macarons de Paris that required nine months of trial and error to perfect, says Krecsy.

The Little White House is located in the village of Fort Langley, which isn’t just for school kids on field trips. It feels like a quaint American Main Street with heritage storefronts turned into modern cafés and shops, including the popular Wendel’s Bookstore and Café.

9090 Glover Rd., Fort Langley; littlewhitehouseco.com

RIVER MARKET, NEW WESTMINSTER

The Royal City appears to be on the cusp of resurgence with major condo developments underway, bringing in a younger, more urban crowd to the city.

With massive renovations complete at River Market (formerly the oft-deserted New Westminster Quay), it’s now hoping to capitalize on the momentum, styling itself as a place for foodies to gather.

Eateries that have set up shop here include Vancouver’s Wild Rice and Re-Up BBQ, plus fish ‘n’ chips shop Fathom Seafood, the Great Wall Tea Company, Crepe des Amis and a Spanish/Mexican bakery called Paloma. “It’s full of independent business owners who are trying really hard to put out really good products.

“There’s excellent gelato, excellent bread, we’re trying to do great barbecue next door, we’re doing fish ‘n’ chips here. It’s a hub of really good stuff, it just kind of needs to be discovered,” says Jose Rosales, co-owner of Re-Up BBQ and Fathom Seafood.

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Romney names Ryan as running mate

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has introduced Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, choosing a politician who is viewed as a bridge between the Republican establishment that backs Mr Romney and the small-tax, anti-big government Tea Party movement that distrusts him.

Mr Ryan is the architect of a deeply conservative and intensely controversial long-term budget plan to cut trillions in federal spending, and his conservative credentials are highly regarded by fellow Republican House members.

Many polls during the primaries of winter and spring found that Mr Romney’s own credentials were suspect among the party’s core, Tea Party supporters.

With his pick, Mr Romney sought to boost his own image among the conservatives, repair an image damaged by negative Democratic advertising and shift the trajectory of a campaign that has seen him lose ground to president Barack Obama.

Mr Ryan came out swinging, blaming the president for the country’s sluggish economy. “Regrettably, President Obama has become part of the problem, and Mitt Romney is the solution” to an economy that has yet to make a strong recovery from the worst recession in decades, he said.

Mr Romney exulted in his choice, telling cheering supporters gathered before them that “I did not make a mistake with this guy”.

In the campaign to come, Republicans will present economic solutions “that are bold, specific and achievable”, Mr Romney said. “We offer our commitment to create 12 million new jobs and bring better take-home pay to middle class families.”

The ticket-mates made their first joint appearance at a naval museum, the initial stop of a bus tour through four battleground states in as many days.

Having Mr Ryan on the ticket could also help Mr Romney become more competitive in Wisconsin, a state Mr Obama won handily four years ago in the state-by-state race for the presidency, but that could be much tighter this November. At same time, Democrats have been eager for Mr Romney to choose Mr Ryan, so they could pin what they see as an unpopular budget plan that calls for deep cuts in government spending and overhaul entitlement programmes to the Romney campaign.

At 42, Mr Ryan is a generation younger than the 65-year-old Mr Romney. A seventh-term congressman, Mr Ryan is chairman of the House Budget Committee, and primary author of conservative tax and spending blueprints that the Tea Party-infused Republican majority approved over vociferous Democratic opposition in 2011 and again in 2012.

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