Winter in Edmonton

Winter in Edmonton is best described as awful. I am a cold weather type and it's now late March and I'm so sick of snow it makes me stressed. Winter starts here in November..and the temps rapidly fell to -35C and stayed there..not for days but for MONTHS. I was fortunate that I was living in a place where I have heated underground parking..otherwise I would have not been able to start my car. Nothing sucks more than going out to a cold car and waiting 20 minutes for it to warm up. It gets so cold here..that the car freezes and when it hits a bump in the road it feels like your neck is going to break

Edmonton also SUCKS at cleaning their streets. There are no snowplows in this city at all. The streets get covered with snow and the tires of cars form ruts which freeze in the snow. Once your tires are trapped in these ruts, it's often hard to get out of them..and the bottom of your car scraps the snow. I ripped off a piece of plastic on my bumper because of it.

The odd day when it warms up a bit, the snow in Edmonton streets combines with the sand they toss on the road to create what is..a form of frozen mud. It sticks to everything and gives the appearance of living in a 3rd world nation. I sent pictures to my friends in the east & they were shocked...specially given that Edmonton sits on top of billions of barrels of crude oil and should by all accounts...be rolling in the money. I guess it's going somewhere else

The city also fails to clean the sidewalks as do many people in front of their house. I watched a woman in a wheelchair get stuck in the middle of the street in mid winter and I had to wonder into the street to help her out. She was a senior and clearly stressed by the situation..and I was appalled that no one else got out to help, they just sat in their cars.

The number of injuries from these conditions is also startling. No less than 4 people at work had broken bodies/skulls thanks to the ice. One woman fell and hit her head and was passed out in the snow for over 20 minutes. Another work mate dislocated his shoulder after falling. I too..felt the brunt of winter and tore the tendons in my foot. I spent over 5 weeks limping in crutches thanks to the "sidewalks". If you've never broken a foot, I can't begin to tell you how hard it is to live when you can only limp around. Getting food, washing clothes, etc, are all very trying..and it's exhausting to hobble up the street to Safeway to buy something to eat. It's a 20 minute marathon that should take 5 minutes.

The Edmonton winter gets a 0 out of 5 stars from me. I am VERY glad I won't be here next winter.

On The Way Home

Since mid November, I've been living in Edmonton doing some work up here. Calgarians seem to dislike Edmonton and there are glaring differences between the 2 cities.

The biggest problem with talking about Edmonton from a Calgary perspective is that Edmonton folks get VERY upset at the comparisons between the two cities. Any type of debate or argument quickly turns heated & it becomes a "Calgary versus Edmonton" thing. I'll be the first to admit that Calgary can be a bit snobbish at times and does give Edmonton a raw deal but some of it is deserved.

So, until I return to Calgary, the following is all about Edmonton..

Calgary in the Future

Skyline in 2012.

Calgary in Photos Today

Calgary in 2007

Calgary in Photos

Calgary in 1969

The end is near

In March of 2007, I started this blog..to talk about my experiences moving from Waterloo, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. It took time to get to know this city..and indeed, it's got it's issues. I love this place, I had a great time out here, even if at times, the costs blow you mind

I found this on Youtube..it dates back to the early 80s in the last oil boom. The skyline 25 years ago was somewhat lacking compared to today..and the city looks so small. It's grown..and for the better.

Hello Calgary...you know that we love you.

Ducky's Pub Part 2

We arrived at Ducky's Pub, 4th and 21st in the Mission. Ducky's is in a small plaza next to the Great Canadian Diner.

When you walk up to Ducky's you're greeted by a pub with iron bars over the windows..and security along with 20 or so smokers out front. To the average passerby it probably looks like a dump.

Ducky's is a unique place. I've eaten there and I think they have 4 things on the menu. It's not a place you take the family for dinner. Ducky's has a clientele that's ..... well everyone that's not at the martini bar up the street. 50 year old guys talking about work...to pink haired glam rocker chicks..to girls having a night out...etc. In short, anyone goes there. The tables resemble the ones in cheap cafes you'd find in a truck stop. The decor..is a few very large TV's, tables, and a pool table with some VLT's.

But Ducky's..is a breath of fresh air in Calgary. It's a place where people go..to have fun. It's not pretentious...it's a place where you can be you. I was in the bathroom going pee & a female walked in to talk to the guy she was with. She..was trashed but saw me pissing and said "is it OK?". I replied, sure. I didn't attempt to walk in the female washroom..;-)

Ducky's is home to karaoke 7 days a week. It is...THE most bizarre place. The choice of music ranges right across the map..and it gets more amusing when the dance floor actually fills up with dancers, dancing to poorly sung Akon songs. The clientele of the bar (should I use that word) have a wide variety of musical tastes...I watched one table rock out to BackStreet Boys..then to Ozzy..then to Black Eyed Peas. The singing..is...terrible, but that doesn't seem to matter.

I don't know about the future of Ducky's pub. I had heard the plaza was going to be razed to put in more swank condo's, but I suspect with the market cooling off, this won't happen. All I can say is GOOD..because a neighborhood needs more than rich art stores and martini bars.

If you like karaoke, if you like dancing to karaoke, or perhaps you're just sick of the rest of the club scene in Calgary...try Ducky's. And if you smoke, you'll probably leave with some new friends. It's a pretty social place, no one seems to take offense to anyone & I've never seen any type of problems at the pub.

Five Stars for Ducky's, in a sick, twisted..but GOOD way. Beer runs about 7 bucks.