Things to do in Edmonton, Alberta?

Gonmun

So I've sort of received a promotion with my work and will be taking my first ever plane trip. I'm going to be heading out to Edmonton, Alberta for about a week and from what I understand I might have a bit of free time after my training.

So my question to the people of H/A, that is if there is anyone familiar with Edmonton or live there. What is there to see and do. I know that there is West Edmonton Mall but what about places to eat? Stores I should check out? Anything you folks can suggest is greatly appreciated.

SmallLady

West Edmonton Mall

that's all you need to know.


edit: seriously, it even has bars and WATERSLIDES. you could live there.

Bartholamue

Unfortunately you aren't going to find anything of interest here aside from WEM and downtown. Edmonton is pretty isolated in terms of culture and high brow stuff (well, in my experience, anyway).

There's the Muttart Conservatory for plant life, Hotel Macdonald for a huge hotel, and white ave for bars and lots of hemp stores. Aside from that I'd say just driving around the city could be good fun.

Gilbert0

SmallLady wrote: »

West Edmonton Mall

you could live there.

You can. It has a hotel

Foomy

what dates are you going to be in edmonton?

theres a lot of festivals and such in the summer.

other than wem you could check out some of the art galleries, or museums, The Muttart Conservatory is pretty nice, the zoo is nice, fort edmonton has some great stuff in it too. Telus World of Science usually has some nifty exhibits going on.

Theres also a few good golf courses around the city if your in to that.

Or you could just go a walk/run/bike ride in the river valley.

I'd check out travelalberta.com they have listings of all the festivals, good places to eat, things to do, etc. or just give them a call, the phone numbers on the website, pretty helpful people there.

Topia

SmallLady wrote: »

West Edmonton Mall

that's all you need to know.


edit: seriously, it even has bars and WATERSLIDES. you could live there.

I kinda disagree. I moved here a month ago, ish, and was bored with the WEM before I even got here. It's cool, once, for a while, but it's appeal isn't for everyone.

The Red Piano resaurant inside the WEM is pretty neat though, dueling pianos, fucking alligator for dinner.

The travelalberta.com tip left by Foomy is good, there is always something going on.

If you are into the nightlife you don't HAVE to go downtown, there is also Jasper Ave and Whyte Ave are pretty good, but downtown is where most of the nicer clubs are at.


Also, if you're lonely, Dirty Pretty and Lucky 13 on Whyte Ave (well, Dirty Pretty is just off Whyte) never have a shortage of slutty 20~ year olds. :winky:

Kris

Foomy wrote: »

the zoo is nice

Salmoned for lies. I like my city, but the zoo is tuuurrable.

supertall

If you love hanging out at a mall, WEM is alright. On the weekends it's packed full of people, and really, it's just a mall.

Falhurk

Gilbert0 wrote: »

SmallLady wrote: »

West Edmonton Mall

you could live there.

You can. It has a hotel

And a live indoor firing range.

I lived there for 11 years and still don't have a better recommendation than the mall.

Bartholamue

Heck, I've never moved and I'm 24. I think going to Fort Edmonton Park is fun once, but just to see retro E-Town.

pkoochin

Depending on when you're going you may be able to catch an Eskimos game. The June 17th game against the Roughriders will surely be fun to watch, even though it's only pre-season.

http://www.esks.com/

KetBra

If you are going to Whyte Ave you have to eat at Da De O's.

Favorite restaurant in Edmonton.

wunderbar

a lot of the good things here have already been said.

Jasper Ave and Whyte Ave for shopping + bars

West Edmonton Mall, Mutart Conservatory, Fort Edmonton Park. The River valley park system is the largest such park system in North America, and is beautiful during summer.

We have a Baseball team, the Edmonton Capitals. Not MLB by any stretch, but if you're a fan of the game tickets start at $9, might make for a decent evening.

Sarcastro

Aside from WEM, if you want a bit of shopping you can head down to the South Common (23rd ave) theres some great places to eat there. For the more independant stuff check out Whyte Ave, or just off Whyte. I liked Culina's (and Il Portico, but it closed) the brunch at Cafe Deville is outstanding.

The downtown core for clubbing is pretty cliquey, but the upside is you can find whatever you're into scene wise. There's more than a few pick up joints on Whyte. I'm not sure what I'd consider 'landmarks', I means, its a reasonably sized city with all the major chains and stores you're probably used to. Biding your time should be pretty easy, really.

When are you headed up?

vsove

If you're heading up over the summer during festival season, there's usually quite a lot to do. Edmonton is a city that comes alive in the summer and closes down during the winter - considering how long winter lasts, of course, this can be something of a problem.

If you want a really great restaurant experience, check out Skinny Legs and Cowgirls. It's a little pricey, but the food is outstanding and it's a very small restaurant, so it's always low-key.

Kris

Stay the hell away from 118 Ave, btw. :P

Bartholamue

CorpseRT wrote: »

If you are going to Whyte Ave you have to eat at Da De O's.

Favorite restaurant in Edmonton.

I concur. Their sweet potato fries are amazing.

Angel177

Up yours Chris, I LIVE on 117th, ok its not a great area but its getting better, There are some great places to eat, that yeah they look a little..unpolished but the food rocks, there are some neat local musicians that play at The Carrot, a local volunteer run cafe, on a friday and saturdays open mic is good as well.

Raziel

Kris wrote: »

Stay the hell away from 118 Ave, btw. :P

I used to live near 118 ave, before I moved away from that city. Shortly before I moved into my place, one of my neighbours took a bullet through his front window.

Sarcastro

Angel177 wrote: »

Up yours Chris, I LIVE on 117th, ok its not a great area but its getting better, There are some great places to eat, that yeah they look a little..unpolished but the food rocks, there are some neat local musicians that play at The Carrot, a local volunteer run cafe, on a friday and saturdays open mic is good as well.

I'm going to agree with this. The area has a bit of a reputation, but its really not all that bad, spent a year near there myself. And the food does rock. Some of the best little diners and soul food around. Cheap and hearty.

Cyd Cyclone

Sarcastro wrote: »

Angel177 wrote: »

Up yours Chris, I LIVE on 117th, ok its not a great area but its getting better, There are some great places to eat, that yeah they look a little..unpolished but the food rocks, there are some neat local musicians that play at The Carrot, a local volunteer run cafe, on a friday and saturdays open mic is good as well.

I'm going to agree with this. The area has a bit of a reputation, but its really not all that bad, spent a year near there myself. And the food does rock. Some of the best little diners and soul food around. Cheap and hearty.

You're more likely to have trouble on Whyte than on 118 lately.

Gonmun

Sorry about the wait for a response and thank you all for the advice. It certainly sounds like there are a few things I can do while I'm there.

To address the question about my timing, I will be leaving Moncton on June 7th (Sunday) and will be there until late on the 12th (Friday). So I'll have about 6 days there. Hopefully when I arrive on Sunday I'll be able to try and get used to things and maybe get a chance to look around a bit.

Edit**

Does anybody have suggestions on cabs in Edmonton btw? I'm trying to get prices so I can figure out whether I can afford to cab it back and forth from the hotel to where I'm training or if I should get a rental car.

Decius

Where's your hotel, and where's your training? I could probably give you a rough estimate.

Edit: Also note that our street system is on a grid with almost everything in a NW quadrant, and avenues run E-W and streets N-S. That means that the avenues get higher in number the further north you go, and the streets higher the further west you go. Makes it quite easy to find something in the city.

Gonmun

Yeah, I spoke with yellow cab out there and it's looking like it'll be cheaper to try and get a rental car. I'm gonna be staying at the Four Points by Sheraton. I'll be going to the Esso Refinery for training each day and from what they quoted I'd be looking at close to $50 a day round trip for cabs when I can get a rental car with unlimited mileage for $36. That and to get a cab round trip from the airport to the hotel and back it would be close to $90.

Cyd Cyclone

For reference, as they're never labeled all that well, Jasper Ave is 101 Ave and Whyte Ave is 82 Ave.

Decius

Cyd Cyclone wrote: »

For reference, as they're never labeled all that well, Jasper Ave is 101 Ave and Whyte Ave is 82 Ave.

And just don't go to Terwillegar or Millwoods. Those roads are all sorts of fucked up, what with their names and curves and shit. Crazy bastards.

Cyd Cyclone

Decius wrote: »

Cyd Cyclone wrote: »

For reference, as they're never labeled all that well, Jasper Ave is 101 Ave and Whyte Ave is 82 Ave.

And just don't go to Terwillegar or Millwoods. Those roads are all sorts of fucked up, what with their names and curves and shit. Crazy bastards.

Ever look at Millwoods on a map? There's only 2 entrance/exits. I here the fire department has trouble getting in there.

Wank

Millwoods is a fucking nightmare, agreed.

Whoever said white ave and west ed, yeah, that's about all I've ever done in Edmonton.

Kris

I'll never understand how, but it seems like anyone who grows up in Millwoods knows how to get around it like the back of their hand, no matter the area. My girlfriend, who grew up in the 'woods, has saved my ass countless times while trying to navigate that godforsaken place. :P

Oh, and if you're at WEM, check out the dragon at Silvercity. I believe he breathes fire every 15 minutes or so, and it's cool to see at least once. Stand up on the balcony in front of it too. Shit gets hot!

wunderbar

Castledowns is almost as bad as millwoods for the roads. There's a reason why most new developments don't do that. And yes, the fire department has a bitch of a time getting in/out of millwoods. My uncle is a firefighter and he hates working SE Edmonton because of that. I also hear from a friend who is a cop that it can be pretty easy to lose/avoid the police down there, because of the fucked up roadways. Thank god I don't have to venture into that area very often. I have a friend who goes to MacEwan south and I pick her up after school every so often, I get lost getting out of there almost every time.