The Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle Is Back!

    

Last week I was invited to be on Vaughan Mills first shopping shuttle of the season! For those of us in Toronto we all know that Vaughan Mills is a shopping destination full of great deals. But we also know that it can be a hike to get there... especially without a car! Enter: The Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle.

The shuttle is clearly, and creatively branded! I'll take those sun glasses please!

The shuttle departs daily from June 1st until September 30th at 10 am, returning from Vaughan Mills at 3:00 pm. Afternoon service leaves downtown at 1:00 pm and leaves the mall at 6:00 PM. Service will then resume just in time for Christmas shopping on November 24th running through to December 26th with the exception of Christmas day. 

The bus seats 55 passengers, and it is important to be back on your assigned us as the busses do indeed fill up.

I arrived at about 9:30 AM to 123 Front Street thinking I would be early only to find a gaggle of people. I will admit that I walked right past them because they were outside of a big white bus, and I was expecting the bus to be branded. Thankfully I knew one of the other bloggers going on the bus and saw her a few feet away. She let me know that I should check in with the nice people in the red shirts (who work for a tourist bus company). They gave me a wrist band and signed me in. 

Check in and reserve your spot on the bus with the nice people in these red City Tour guide shirts!

While we were waiting for 10 AM to roll around I had a chance to speak with the City Tours guides. I learned that most people who take the bus up to the mall are tourists, though some locals also take it. In particular I was told there are often quite a number of Brazilians on the bus (cool fact?). They advised that the best time to get there is about 8:30 AM to reserve your seat on the bus. Once your name is on the list you can hangout at Starbucks.The bus does fill up almost every day and the first day was no exception!

Introducing our fantastic bus driver, Ann! 

The ride on the bus was pretty quick-- in part because traffic was light by then, and in part because there was such great conversation to be had with those around me. A special shoutout to our driver, Ann. She is such a sweetheart, and she really cares about the shoppers on board. On the way back one of the tourists couldn't get to her locker (I don't know the full story) but she was nearly in tears, and Ann helped her get everything taken care of. Did I mention that the bus has free wifi? #thebest

When a mommy blogger, beauty blogger, travel blogger and fashion blogger go to the mall...
Joined by Sarah of Real Life Runway, Lella & Amanda of Momming Inc, and Solmaz of The Curious Creature. 

Once we arrived we were greeted with gift bags! These bags were pretty cool and included an umbrella, a luggage scale, a glass water bottle, and a $20 gift card. Unfortunately these bags aren't a regular thing with the shuttle -- they were special for the inaugural run!  The bus drops you off and picks you up at Entrance 6. 

Now let's get down to the shopping! Armed with a generous gift card to the mall, I went with a plan to buy two things: a pair of shorts for my boyfriend and some summer clothes for me for our vacation. I was looking for something preppy for him. For me? I was on the lookout for comfortable, easy to wear clothes that would look cute in photos but also be something I can tour around in. In particular I was imaging the hot sun in southern Spain in July...

I spy a few pieces that I brought home from Joe Fresh!

Sneak peek in the change room where I tried on just about everything in the store! I fell in love with this flattering and feminine blue dress. Expect to see it in an #OOTD soon xoxo

I went to a number of stores and was not quite finding what I was looking for, and then I walked into Joe Fresh. All women's pieces were 25% off, and I probably tried on about 30 things. In particular I find they make really good summer dresses. I also grabbed some active wear, skirts and shirts. Expect to see either a try on or look book video & post soon!

As for the boyfriend, shorts were on 2-for-1 at Brooks Brothers. I found him a khaki pair and a navy pair that he just loves!

I stopped in for a quick lunch at The Pickle Barrel (one of my favourite restaurants!) and then I had an hour before the bus left. I took a quick walk through Sephora, but let's be honest, this girl does not need any more makeup. I ended up back in Kate Spade (I had actually gone there as one of my first stores but decided if I loved something I could come back). I bought a really tiny black purse (perfect for summer!) and a wristlet. I checked the time and I had 5 minutes to power walk back to Entrance 6. 

I felt like four hours was the perfect amount of time to spend shopping-- especially for tourists. If they are trying to make the most of their time in the city they get back at about 4:00 PM and can still catch a show, go to dinner, or otherwise enjoy the city.

This is what a happy camper on the bus home looks like!

The ride back was so relaxing. After a busy day shopping I basically melted into the cozy seats. If I wasn't with other bloggers I probably would have had a nap, but instead we chatted all the way home! Once we were back at 123 Front I hopped back on the subway at Union and went home. 

Stay tuned as I will be sharing some of my favourite pieces I picked up in outfit photos over the course of the summer!

You can find all the information you need about the shuttle here.

Vaughan Mills kindly provided me a gift card in exchange for covering the shuttle launch.All opinions are my own.