Blog du Jour: Edmontonian at Large
I’m going to sound like a total pretentious douche when I say that I find this site, Edmontonian at Large, to be incredibly charming – but I do, so live with it. LIVE WITH MY DOUCHEBAGGERY.
Even though it’s a little out of date (it hasn’t been updated in about 6 months), I’m passing this URL out to everybody I know, because it has brought me endless amusement over the last week. Now join me, won’t you, for a tour of Edmontonian at Large.
Our hero, blog authour James from Nova Scotia, takes walking tours of a variety of Edmonton neighbourhoods and chronicles his adventures with photographs. Granted, it’s not exactly an action film or anything; James from Nova Scotia isn’t going all Erin Brockovich and digging up neighbourhood secrets, but it’s fun to see his pictures, and it’s a refreshing change to read about someone showing such genuine, unbridled appreciation for the simpler things in life. James from Nova Scotia friggin’ loves Edmonton! And he wants you to love it as well!
My favorite part of the whole thing was how I found myself nerding out when James hit neighbourhoods that I frequent, like Allendale or Abbottsfield: “I’ve been to that Zellers! I bought a coffeemaker there!” “I’ve been to the Albert’s Family Restaurant in that stripmall! It was no Smitty’s (that one’s just for you, @SmittysEdmonton), but it was alright!”
Anyway, take a moment out of your busy work day (I know you’re not working, citizens of the Internet) and check out Edmontonian at Large. Maybe if we flood the site with love, we can get James from Nova Scotia to do a few more tours.
North- SIIIIDE!
Just had to share this: a great photo of downtown, taken from Ada Blvd. Thanks Lorraine!
The Summer of Infrastructure
Ugh. I know it’ll all pay off eventually, but doesn’t it always feel like every major thoroughfare in the city gets fixed at once? I thought I was the only one wanting to punch someone in the face from the backlog of traffic in my ‘hood (they’re ripping up parts of both Whyte and 99th respectively); but it turns out they’re dealing with it up in Beverly as well.
This photo comes from Lorraine, who says optimistically, “These pictures are of the road work on 118 Ave. from 50 St. – 42 St. Despite all the mess, crisp, new white sidewalks are starting to grow from the rubble.”
Hmm… okay, glass half full, you may have a point there. Despite the inconvenience, soon Widynowski’s Sausage House (& neighbourhood) will be shining like a bright, new (albeit sausage-y) diamond. Let’s try to remember that next time we’re stuck in traffic, people.
Whyte Avenue’s Empty Lots
This lot at 99 and Whyte has been empty for a decade.
Since I first moved to Edmonton there’s been this big empty lot at the corner of 82 Avenue and 105 Street. It used to be a gas station.
The old gas tanks left a lot of contamination in the soil and so it continues to sit, the underground being cleaned by Imperial Oil (Esso), and will likely remain a fenced-in field for years to come. What an eyesore in the city’s showcase neighbourhood.
(For a thorough rundown check out this 2006 story from Vue Weekly.)
Former Platz Shell now a shell of itself.
Now a second gas station on Whyte Avenue is closed up and I dread a new empty lot will take its place. Platz Shell Service (9950 82 Avenue) has moved on. The crew picked up and headed up to the Ottewell neighbourhood.
A thought did strike me, however, as I pondered the other two gas stations on Whyte (an Esso at 99 Street and another at 109 Street). If the future is going to include more mass transit (and I think it should) and walkable neighbourhoods such as Old Strathcona, aren’t we going to see more empty lots where gas stations once sat?
Let’s hope they aren’t all as dirty as the one entering its second decade of decontamination.
Gone are the days of full service.
