As they pass through Lloydminster

...miss ya already dolls. See ya again soon.

Thanks for the fun!

In the wake of a certain professional athlete's departure from the city where I live, there have been alot of people saying things along the lines of "Who'd blame them for not wanting to live in Edmonton?" Now, regardless of whether or not this is the reason he's leaving the discussion got me thinking about living in Edmonton. I am not a native of Edmonton or even Alberta. I am from the Maritimes and I loved it there, I miss it often but I choose to live here, in Edmonton. I have a number of friends who grumble a bit on this subject as well and this brought forth a new opportunity to think about the reasons, and they are many, why I live here and love it.

So here is my list - changeable and always incomplete.

1) It felt like home from the first moment I set foot here. This is an irrational, purely emotional gut reaction type of thing that I have no way of explaining. But it did. And it does.

2) Big city convenience, small town feel. Now to me, having grown up in rural Nova Scotia, Edmonton is a biggish city. I know that it is not the cosmopolitan centre of New York or LA or even Toronto or Vancouver but it's big enough that bands on tour stop here, you can watch a variety of pro sports, you can buy nice clothes and find specific types of lotions at a high end boutique. But it's small enough that I feel safe and rush hour isn't too painful and the corner grocery store still feels like a corner grocery store.

2. b) I need to expand on the pro sports thing. I love that this city has teams worth rooting for. Whether it be the Oilers, the Eskimos or even the Trappers (not to meniton pro-soccer - who has pro soccer?). People are into it here, people love their sports teams and the feeling, particularly in the past two months, of love and pride in those teams is a wonderful thing to share with so very many people.

3) The River Valley. Edmonton has more greenspace per square mile than most cities in the country. I think it even rates pretty high on that scale in all of North America if I remember correctly. And the best and most striking aspect of that greenspace is the over 100 miles of trails and parkland that borders the North Saskatchewan River.

4) Sun in winter. I don't care that it's really cold (in fact the first few cold snaps in winter usually make me giggle). Blue sky is easier to take in the dead of winter than a constant oppressive grey.

5) The Folk Festival. My favourite event I have ever in any way been a part of. Bar none. World class music I would never have been exposed to, in a beautiful setting with one of the most welcoming and community feels I have ever experienced.

6) All the rest of what makes it the Festival City. There's always something happening. Always.

7) The Farmers Markets - both Strathcona and downtown. Beautiful. Yummy. Fun.

8) Northern lights, cowboys, canola fields, mountains, dinosaurs, glaciers, hoodoos and more within an easy drive. This province has the best of several worlds when it comes to outdoor beauty. (Yes Yes I know - there is no ocean or red leaves in the fall and yes those are beautiful things - nothing will ever top the ocean for me either but there's still an awful lot to see folks.)

9) Multiculturalism. I love that there's a Chinatown and a Little Italy and that within a block of my work I can eat Carribean or Thai or Greek. I love that there are so many different races and nationalities visible when you drive across town. I love knowing what perogies are and having Buddhist Vegan place where you can see Karoake.

10) Disc Golf. I know that disc golf is not an Edmonton thing but I was introduced to it here and the city has several courses and that makes me happy.