My partner and I traveled to Edmonton at the beginning of June 2012. Although he had to go for a business trip, I tagged along for the fun of it. Edmonton was our first stop before doing a stop-over in Grande Prairie AB, Prince George BC, and then spending 3 days in Jasper, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains (see our adventures in Jasper here).

When I tell people that I went to Edmonton, they look at me and say ‘why?’ with a raised eyebrow. Indeed, Edmonton is perhaps not worth visiting for more than 2 days, but it does have its own charm. The North Saskatchewan River passes right through the downtown core, proving spectacular views especially when crossing the bridges high above the valley.

Edmonton also houses North America’s (some say the world’s) biggest mall – West Edmonton Mall – which has lots of shopping, rock climbing, an amusement park for all ages, a water park, a shooting range, an ice skating rink, mini-golfing, and more! One of my favourite spots was the mini-lake and pirate boat, where you can from time to time catch a sealion show 🙂 Close to the sealion aquarium, there is an area with bumper boats for kids; it’s always fun to watch them get upset that someone bumped into them and squirted them with water.

One of the days, I went to see the Legislative Building (yes, Edmonton is Alberta’s capital city). It is definitely worth visiting and taking a one hour free tour of the building. The guide explains to you not only the history of the building, but also of the city and province, and provides all sorts of funny and interesting anecdotes. The edifice was built between 1907 and 1912 in a ‘beaux arts’ style. The two massive marble pillars that form the beginning of the main stairs weigh 16 tonnes each (2000 tonnes of marble in the building).

There is also a beautiful fountain in the main lobby which lights up. You will notice that the fountain is not really loud when you reach the higher floor. Once you get to the 4th floor however, make sure to go to a spot which the guide will point you to. In that place only, you will be able to hear the fountain like it was right beside you!

Although I haven’t visited any of the museums, there are a few that were recommended to me including the Royal Alberta Museum (natural and human history), Art Gallery of Alberta (original exhibitions of contemporary and historical art from Alberta, Canada and around the world) and the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village (open-air museum a bit outside of Edmonton depicting the history of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in east central Alberta between 1892-1930. Over thirty historic structures have been relocated to the museum, restored and furnished to a pre-1930 period. The staff are dressed in traditional costumes and re-enact the historic routines and activities associated with that household, institution or business.)

For those that might consider moving to Edmonton (Alberta is still a prospering province that offers many jobs), it is important to consider all the pros and cons. On a positive note, the city has good job opportunities, lots of shopping, and is home to the University of Alberta for those with children or those wanting to advance their studies. It also has good urban planning which means that the 5pm traffic is almost a joke for someone coming from Toronto.

Oh and just as important, the beautiful Rocky Mountains are only 3 hrs away. One of the negative aspects which I found about Edmonton is the night life. Most restaurants close at 10pm and the night-life is virtually dead by 1pm (expect for very, very few places that stay open a bit later) . Overall, I found Edmonton to be a nice city to visit for 2-3 days max.; as for living there, I would consider moving there if I had a really, really good job, otherwise I would probably be much happier in a different place.