The weather in Edmonton has been fantastic today, 26 degrees Centigrade, sunny with a nice breeze. Not what we were expecting but very welcome before the frozen north on Thursday.
The city is set in a valley with the North Saskatchewan River running through the middle. We are staying in the downtown area, in the historic Fairmont Hotel MacDonald (see below) that overlooks the river.
It seems that Edmonton was originally a Hudson Bay Company outpost where they found coal in the Victorian times which was mined extensive until the decline of coal mining that started during the Great Depression with the mines along the river all moving out of Edmonton by the mid 20th Century.
Edmonton now has many parks along the river where the mines once were which give a nice feel of open space in the middle of the urban areas.
I am sure that you are all aware that the Oilers are the Edmonton ice hockey team and we visited their home at the Rogers Place in the aptly named Ice district. Rogers Place also hosts music concerts with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Fleetwood Mac playing there in the next few months. Unfortunately, there is nothing on this month for us to go to.
We did see Wayne Gretzky though, one of the Oilers and the NHL’s greatest players who was inaugurated into the Hockey Hall of Fame after his retirement in 1999. He is lifting what looks like a milk churn but is actually the Stanley Cup which the oilers won 4 times.
Near Rogers Place there is a novel site called the Open Air Neon Sign Museum. So as not to lose the city’s heritage from the early 20th century, with sponsorship and the use of the side of the Telus building, they have restored and hung neon signs that were once placed around the town when neon signs were the latest tool for promoting a shop, business, theatre or railway. It is very effective and much better than the graffiti that often adorns the side of buildings in so many cities.
We are off to Fort Edmonton tomorrow which is, I understand, an area where they have recreated streets from various times in the history of the town.
Looks like a lovely city; I especially agree with you about the the scourge that is graffiti!! There is a vast difference between street art and vandalisation of people’s property and anyone who cannot distinguish between the two should do an art appreciation course!! Weather looks very kind. Enjoying being an armchair traveller….may WiFi smile on you for a bit yet so we get to travel along.
Providing an art course… now that’s a good idea!