That quote is a Simpsons reference.
Before we say goodbye to Regina, which I did at 5:30 this morning so as not to miss a single drop of rain in Winnipeg, I want to say that I had low expectations for that modest little city, but it really grew on me in the short time I was there. It looks and seems like exactly the sort of place that young people flee in droves -- a bit down on its luck, wholesome and neighborly in a way restless youth might find corny or constraining or dull -- but I ate brunch on Sunday before heading out to Moose Jaw in a joint called La Bodega that seemed to be the happening spot for a vibrant young demographic. The place was absolutely ringing with the giggles and lively chatter of the pierced, the pigtailed, the natural-fibered, the goateed and couples joined at the hip as only the very young care to be. There is a university in town, of course. Let's hope Regina can keep at least some of those unkempt heads before they all run off to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal. Surprisingly, unlike Pittsburgh, Regina can't offer them cheap housing. Ordinary 3-bedroom ranch houses or similar are going for a good $300K there. In Regina! Where the weather is doing its best to KILL people 7 months of the year! Go figure. Well, the parks are nice.
Anyway: Winnipeg. So far, it's extraordinarily wet. Relentless rain. I'm going to be here for another two days, so I hope to God it quits.
Today, after a desperately needed nap, I hit the Manitoba Museum, a massive, thorough, well-conceived survey of Manitoba's history beginning with ... I kid you not ... the cooling of the Earth's crust! Again! Boy, when these prairie provinces do history, they don't walk in in the middle of the movie.
Kidding aside, there's lots of stuff here, and a surprise around every corner. For example, an entire sailing ship. It's a replica, but it was seaworthy and did some ceremonial travel in the late '60s. The original Nonsuch sailed into Hudson's Bay in 1668, opening Western Canada to trade; you can climb on the replica, which is full of beautifully carved wood, tiny bunks, not a lot of closet space or cupholders and a steady stream of excited children.
There's also pretty much anything and everything else that has ever gone on in Manitoba, from the polar bears and Inuit to the dioramas of people, native and otherwise, and critters of all sizes, extinct and otherwise. There's a whole gallery devoted to the Hudson's Bay Company, a reckoning of the wave of immigration in the late 19th century that added some spice to the predominantly British settlement that came before, and an extensive and detailed evocation of '20s-era Winnipeg as a bustling boomtown, in which museum walls are replaced by realistic storefronts, some of which you can enter.
The biggest surprise at the Manitoba Museum found me in the lobby before I even entered the galleries. Someone called my name, I turned around and it was Joff! The Return of the Kiwi! I knew he was bound for Winnipeg to visit friends, but who'd have thought we'd be in the same museum at the same time mere hours after my arrival in town? He was on his way to see the planetarium show, but it was good to see a familiar friendly face.
The one thing I never imagined this blog would develop is a recurring character. Besides me and, you know, Dudley Do-Right. I'm so pleased. This makes it literary.
After I left the museum I went to a place for lunch on a recommendation (not Joff's) and have to admit it was the first truly disappointing meal I've had since I cleared customs. It was in kind of a health-food place that had a juice bar. (Note to self: Never trust a menu that includes the phrase "liver cleanse" or trumpets the availability of "organic hemp and almond milk.") I ordered a salad with the optional shaved bison, just because I wondered what they look like naked.
(Rim shot.)
Who knew bison was so fatty? I can't remember the last time I walked away from a $12 salad, but at least there was a 7-11 next door. I squished around the neighborhood for a while under my umbrella while I ate some nuts, but there weren't many people out and most of the shops seem to be closed Mondays, so I went back to the hotel to try to dry out.
Tomorrow is another day, however, and I have a beautiful view from my window at the Hotel Fort Garry that promises grand architecture, bridges and parklands. And by golly, I am going to get out there tomorrow and see it even if I have to wear a wetsuit.
Before we say goodbye to Regina, which I did at 5:30 this morning so as not to miss a single drop of rain in Winnipeg, I want to say that I had low expectations for that modest little city, but it really grew on me in the short time I was there. It looks and seems like exactly the sort of place that young people flee in droves -- a bit down on its luck, wholesome and neighborly in a way restless youth might find corny or constraining or dull -- but I ate brunch on Sunday before heading out to Moose Jaw in a joint called La Bodega that seemed to be the happening spot for a vibrant young demographic. The place was absolutely ringing with the giggles and lively chatter of the pierced, the pigtailed, the natural-fibered, the goateed and couples joined at the hip as only the very young care to be. There is a university in town, of course. Let's hope Regina can keep at least some of those unkempt heads before they all run off to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal. Surprisingly, unlike Pittsburgh, Regina can't offer them cheap housing. Ordinary 3-bedroom ranch houses or similar are going for a good $300K there. In Regina! Where the weather is doing its best to KILL people 7 months of the year! Go figure. Well, the parks are nice.
Anyway: Winnipeg. So far, it's extraordinarily wet. Relentless rain. I'm going to be here for another two days, so I hope to God it quits.
Today, after a desperately needed nap, I hit the Manitoba Museum, a massive, thorough, well-conceived survey of Manitoba's history beginning with ... I kid you not ... the cooling of the Earth's crust! Again! Boy, when these prairie provinces do history, they don't walk in in the middle of the movie.
Kidding aside, there's lots of stuff here, and a surprise around every corner. For example, an entire sailing ship. It's a replica, but it was seaworthy and did some ceremonial travel in the late '60s. The original Nonsuch sailed into Hudson's Bay in 1668, opening Western Canada to trade; you can climb on the replica, which is full of beautifully carved wood, tiny bunks, not a lot of closet space or cupholders and a steady stream of excited children.
There's also pretty much anything and everything else that has ever gone on in Manitoba, from the polar bears and Inuit to the dioramas of people, native and otherwise, and critters of all sizes, extinct and otherwise. There's a whole gallery devoted to the Hudson's Bay Company, a reckoning of the wave of immigration in the late 19th century that added some spice to the predominantly British settlement that came before, and an extensive and detailed evocation of '20s-era Winnipeg as a bustling boomtown, in which museum walls are replaced by realistic storefronts, some of which you can enter.
The biggest surprise at the Manitoba Museum found me in the lobby before I even entered the galleries. Someone called my name, I turned around and it was Joff! The Return of the Kiwi! I knew he was bound for Winnipeg to visit friends, but who'd have thought we'd be in the same museum at the same time mere hours after my arrival in town? He was on his way to see the planetarium show, but it was good to see a familiar friendly face.
The one thing I never imagined this blog would develop is a recurring character. Besides me and, you know, Dudley Do-Right. I'm so pleased. This makes it literary.
After I left the museum I went to a place for lunch on a recommendation (not Joff's) and have to admit it was the first truly disappointing meal I've had since I cleared customs. It was in kind of a health-food place that had a juice bar. (Note to self: Never trust a menu that includes the phrase "liver cleanse" or trumpets the availability of "organic hemp and almond milk.") I ordered a salad with the optional shaved bison, just because I wondered what they look like naked.
(Rim shot.)
Who knew bison was so fatty? I can't remember the last time I walked away from a $12 salad, but at least there was a 7-11 next door. I squished around the neighborhood for a while under my umbrella while I ate some nuts, but there weren't many people out and most of the shops seem to be closed Mondays, so I went back to the hotel to try to dry out.
Tomorrow is another day, however, and I have a beautiful view from my window at the Hotel Fort Garry that promises grand architecture, bridges and parklands. And by golly, I am going to get out there tomorrow and see it even if I have to wear a wetsuit.
2 comments:
I hope the rain stops soon :)
It's still raining here in Calgary if it makes you feel any better...
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