Edmonton

I’m going in July 2008. have passport, will buy a ticket when they drop a little more.

I went to visit my then-boyfriend’s family and support him as him grandmother passed. Kind of a downer visit.

but she was very old and very sick, so it was not all terrible. I did get shown around, and had some great food. And met the extended family. which would have been better had he and I actually gotten married. but, no, that would not have been good at all.

i somehow convinced my parents to let me go on a road trip with two older friends to the west edmonton mall. it was educational: i got super drunk for the first time (on cheap vodka, no less!); also our campsite in edmonton was adjacent to a very horny couple. the mall was very cool, but was still a mall.

i was bourn here.

not that exciting but good if you go with some one you know. don’t go the mall, its just like every other mall. explore the place on your own and don’t go to touristy places. It’s all about creating memories in random places.

..and I’m not sure even many of the locals realize this. I had my worst customs experience ever here, because the guards would not believe I was visiting here other than business. Someone please tell Canada customs/douanes that there are people who want to visit Edmonton to just visit Edmonton! Thanks! :)

I had a lot of fun here, but compared to Calgary, which has a slightly more vibrant nightlife, there are a lot more great things to see by walking around randomly near the river/downtown than in Calgary. I never would have discovered the amount of great parks and isolated attractions. So if you’re going to Edmonton, you’ll have to be adventurous, but you will definitely be rewarded. It will obviously help if you know someone in the city, but that’s not a requirement if you have a drive on your own.

The most shocking thing was the beautifully designed ETS/LRT light rail! There aren’t too many lines, but the stations were lovely. But it seems it’s barely used. (Hey, if you guys could kick down some of that here to Seattle, that would be greatly appreciated!)

And Edmonton isn’t just about the frickin’ West Edmonton Mall! There are way too many shopping malls in downtown interconnected thought glass Ped-Ways as it is. I came here to see the city.

Whyte Ave and Jasper Ave are must-walks in the city, however.. especially the historic part on the west end/bend of Jasper, which is near the gateway to one of the riverside parks.

I could go on, but I’ll spend time uploading photos this weekend. In any case, thanks to all for the recommendations.

AND…

I got the see the Northern Lights! Not the Canadian pro-hunger-relief charity group from 1985, nor in Edmonton on the ground though. I saw them on the plane from Seattle to Edmonton somewhere over Jasper. It was incredibly trippy and something I’ll never forget. I’ll elaborate more when I write my entry for finishing that goal. :)

I discovered I wanted to be an actor while living out here. The theatre scene is great. I’m out here as I type this.

I bought my plane ticket recently, so I’m on my way!

This is kind of unfair… but I’m going here next week. :)

I just wanted to start on a good note.

I went to Edmonton during the summer of 2007 to meet a guy I knew online. It was a blast! We kept getting into the same situations we did online, only in real life we didn’t have any ‘easy out’ options. Very fun, I hope to go back.