Well lucky old me gets to go to Edmonton for 4 or 5 days. I will miss the minus lots temperatures you have right now and it looks like it will be a balmy -10C, woohoo.
Anyways, apart from spending my days looking at chunks of steel in a fab yard and avoiding frostbite, what is there to do up there in the way of good bars or food places, Shushi always a fave.
cheers
nbc
While you’re in West Edmonton Mall (anyone visiting Edmonton HAS to visit West Edmonton Mall, or you didn’t really visit Edmonton 
) check out Bourbon Street within WEM. It has a bunch of restaurants.
Personally, for sushi (I assume that’s what you meant), I like Yokozuna; they have three locations in Edmonton. There are certainly other places that have sushi - that’s just a personal favourite.
Make sure you wander around the Old Strathcona area (southside in and near 82 Ave east of 109 Street); lots of bars and restaurants in that area. My favourite restaurant in that area when I’m prepared to spend $ is Continental Treat (European food).
Sorry - can’t offer advice on bars since I don’t drink.
If you like pubs, O’Byrne’s on Whyte Ave (82 Ave as mentioned) is a good place, for food and drink (it was a favourite hangout both on St Patrick’s day and just to relax or have lunch). If you feel the urge to get online and don’t have computer access, Naked on Jasper (Ave) or Naked on Whyte (Ave) is a good place to go for coffee and decently priced internet. Old Stratchona, along Whyte Ave and nearby, is definitely a great place to hang out. Lots of neat little stores and pubs.
West Edmonton Mall is overrated. The main appeal of it is that it’s big and has lots of things other malls don’t (a skating rink, amusement park, waterpark, mini-golf course, submarines etc etc). Unless you really want to do any of those things or are a big fan of shopping, it’s not all that great. I found it overcrowded and tiring and only went because there are some stores that are only there (Millenium comes to mind, and I hear they have some clothing store that’s new to the province) or to meet friends.
Another vote for Old Strathcona. It’s not huge but it’s the gravitational center of funky in Edmonton.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the Princess Theatre. I know it sounds weird to recommend taking in a movie when you’re in a strange city – movies are movies whereever you go, right? Nuh-uh!
The Princess is awesome. 19th century architecture, big big big screen, seats that make First Class flight feel like a bus terminal waiting room, and above-average fare in both the projection room and the concession stand.
Don’t miss it!
Oh, here’s a link to avoid confusion. (It’s the one on Whyte Ave in Old Strathcona.)
I was very disappointed when I found that the submarines in the West Edmonton Mall don’t actually float freely: they ride on rails under the water. Cheaters.
The water slides and wave pool were great, though.
Of course, that was over ten years ago. It’s probably changed.
If you’re an IKEA fan, and do not otherwise live near one, you might want to check out the IKEA. It’s a two story one that is located between downtown and the airport.
A lot of responses have lauded Whyte Ave/Old Strathcona… I heartily second these, funky shops, great food, and a choice of watering Holes (if there on a Saturday night, do visit Blues on Whyte… (Bar with great live blues music)
One thing, if you are taking cabs, do NOt ask for “82nd Ave / Old Strathcona” The driver will know you are a visitor, and you may get taken for a ride… One other note about Whyte… Friday Saturday late nights can get a little rowdy, and cabs can be hard to get at bar closing time. Essentially, you may find yourself dumped into a cold street, with 15,000 (really0 other drunks, all trying to get the same 150 cabs… Plan accordingly.
Tell them… “Take me to Whyte and 104th” (heart of Old Strathcona)
The Royal Alberta Musuem can be fun, bring about 3 hours with you, as it takes a while to see everything.
Downtown… Visit the Bistro Praha for top notch eastern European cusine, or Co Co Di’s next door for Medererainian/middle eastern stuff.
Take a pass on West edmonton Mall… its big, noisy, expensive and not really worth the interest unless decaying mega malls are your sort of thing…
Give me a few more specifics of what you would like to do/see/hear…
Regards
FML
Catch an Oilers game if you can. Best fans in the league.
Sushi: Furusato - 10012 82 Ave, not a fancy place (far from it!) but the food is wonderful
Asian Fusion: Gabbana Restaurant 11223 Jasper Avenue
I can recommend several fine-dining spots if you are in a spending mood, let me know.
p.s. - I would go to West Edmonton Mall… what else is there to do in Edmonton in February?
The subs ride on rails for safety. However, they are fully certified submarines and were tested in the open ocean before being delivered to West Edmonton Mall, as I recall.
Restaraunts to try:
Thanh Thanh Oriental Noodle House. Best Asian food in the city. You absolutely have to try the hot satay beef soup. It’s to die for. One drawback - once you’ve had it, you’ll crave it forever. Also recommended, the lemongrass beef with hot peppers. Relatively inexpensive. I usually order the soup and lemongrass beef with a side of rice, and that’s a filling meal for 2, for about $25.
Jack’s Grill. In my opinion, the best fine dining in the city. Not the fanciest place in the world, but you’ll never have a better steak. Relatively expense - a dinner for 2 with wine and an appetizer will set you back $75-$100. But it’s worth it.
When will you be in Edmonton? I’m in that city a great deal of the time, and when I am, I always stay within walking distance of Old Strathcona. Maybe we could arrange a Mini-Dope, if you’re in town when I’m going to be.
If the weather were better, I’d suggest you check out the trails in the Whitemud river valley. They’re very nice, and conveniently located. They’re probably very pretty this time of year too, if you want to bundle up and brave the cold.
minor hi-jack - I’ve not been there for about 12 years - does WEM still have that huge kinetic sculpture near one the entrances? And can anyone link to any pictures of it?
Nope
Oh.
Thanks anyway.
I was enthralled by it when I saw it…
Ta muchly
Sushi recommendations noted (Shushi is sushi, but said with some Sean Connery panache)
We will check out some of the other food places and no doubt a pub or two in the Strathcona area for a quite ale or 2 (no wild partying, 'tis a working trip with not enough time to do what needs to be done)
cheers for the info
nbc
While you’re not likely to end up where you don’t intend even if you just call it Strathcona, you really should refer to it as Old Strathcona. You might be in for a long taxi ride if some idiot taxi driver decides to take you to Strathcona County because you asked to go to Strathcona. Also, for the same reason, you want to use Edmonton Transit (ETS for short), not Strathcona Transit (which does come into Edmonton).