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Features
September 1, 2003
Dear Reader, here is what Karl did on his summer
vacation... I flew west via Air Canada (not
that I had much choice) and saw with my own
eyes the city that doubled as Metropolis in
the movie Superman III...Edmonton, Alberta.
I'm sure other movies have been made there but
the fact that my favorite super hero once fought
the forces of evil in this western Canadian
city impressed me no end. I'm not surprised
it was picked as a sub for Metropolis. You see,
it has plenty of towering buildings owned by
large companies like Epcor and banks like Scotiabank.
Superman is much more impressive flying between
thirty story buildings than over five or ten
story ones. However, Edmonton has much more
to offer than tall buildings.
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Edmonton's skyline
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I was very impressed with how clean it is,
one of the most tidy cities it's been my privilege
to visit. I really don't know how they manage
it. Edmonton has a population of almost a million.
It's very busy and yet, hardly any litter. There
is plenty of traffic, although, no more than
you'd expect; and as far as public transport
is concerned, they're well fixed. You have a
very efficient bus service as well as an LRT
or light rapid transit system to choose from.
My first bus trip (an express service no less)
was to that mecca for consumers, the West Edmonton
Mall.
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Karl at the mall
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The 'mall', as they call it, is impressive.
It certainly is one of the largest malls, if
not THE largest mall in the world. You've probably
all heard of the ice rink, the swimming complex,
the dolphin show, the IMAX, the hotel and so
on. But here are a couple of lesser known features
that stood out to me... First, I was wandering
by one of the entrances to the swimming area
and I saw an arrangement of tables with flip-up
tops that looked like tanning beds. Turns out
they were water massage tables. You get on them
(face down), they put the top down, and then
the most wonderful thing happens. A wave of
warm water contained inside a heavy plastic
sack covering your body, begins to roll over
you. It starts at your feet and gradually spreads
all the way to your shoulders. It has a pulsing
action that slowly but surely begins to release
all the tension in your tired, aching muscles.
(Geez, this is sounding like an infomercial.)
Anyway, you get the idea. I paid something like
twenty bucks for about ten minutes. It was worth
every penny.
The next thing I saw that made an impression
was the supermarket in the Chinatown area of
the mall. I think this section may be a new
addition. It's a standard size supermarket with
just about every thing a person preparing oriental
cuisine would need by way of ingredients (fresh,
canned, packaged, and frozen). They also serve
readymade meals (hot and cold). But the freshest
of the fresh foods was to be found in the seafood
section. Here I saw what looked like something
from Jules Verne's, 20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea, perhaps Captain Nemo's larder aboard the
Nautilus. There were several large glass tanks
filled with bubbling water that contained live
fish and other sea creatures.
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Live tilapia fish
and other species at mall market
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I saw things like live tilapia fish, carp,
and savoury clams. All you had to do was pick
your fish and take it home. You can't get any
fresher than that! (By the way, recently the
PETA organization began a campaign to get people
in this province to stop catching and eating
fish. If what we do is considered by them to
be unethical, what about what's happening in
all these live food markets around the world?
And how about this - one third of the world's
population depend on fish for protein. If everyone
stopped fishing, how would we solve that problem?
Any bright ideas PETA?
Before leaving the mall I took in a dandy movie
at the IMAX theatre. It's called Ghosts of the
Abyss, a 3D documentary by master movie maker,
James Cameron. I developed a liking for the
movie immediately because the first scene features
shots of my hometown, good old St. John's, Newfoundland
(well, the harbour anyway) as host/ narrator,
Bill Paxton boards the research vessel that
will take him and the rest of Cameron's crew
to the wreck of the Titanic. The images in this
film are amazing and the 3D effect really does
make it seem like you're there with them. It
was my first time wearing 3D glasses. It was
a wonderful treat. I was so impressed I wanted
to see the movie again but time didn't permit.
Ghosts of the Abyss reminded me of a funny story.
Several months ago a nice young woman came up
to me at a cocktail party. She was carrying
a camera and a can of Spam. Yes, Spam, that
delicious nitrate laden meat guaranteed to last
a millenium. Before I knew it I was holding
the Spam next to my face and the young woman
was taking my picture. Here's why...She had
worked with James Cameron on Ghosts of the Abyss
and, as a joke, they took her can of Spam down
to the Titanic with them.
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Cameron and Paxton
in Ghosts of the Abyss
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There's actually a notation on the can to
indicate that it is a very special can of Spam
(you know, 'first' to Titanic and all that).
Ever since, she has been taking pictures of
people holding her can of Spam. People like
Cameron and crew, and now, people like me. Her
portfolio of these Spam pictures is expanding
like...well, spam (the other kind). One of these
days she plans to do something with them but,
to date, has no idea what.
Thank goodness there was no need for Spam lunches
in Edmonton. As a matter of fact, I was quite
impressed with most of the restaurants I visited
while there. One of the nice ones is a Greek
spot on Whyte Avenue called Yiannis Taverna
Restaurant. The moussaka was bursting with all
sorts of wonderful flavours and the server was
super friendly and efficient. An added bonus
was being able to dine partially outdoors since
they take the restaurant's big front windows
out in the summertime. And Whyte Avenue, located
in the city's south end and running through
the Strathcona district is a great place for
people watching. Tourists and locals stroll
up and down the broad sidewalks of this beautiful
old neighbourhood window shopping or occasionally
stopping to buy something in one of the many
boutiques along the way. These days most cities
seem to have rejuvenated older districts like
this, and, for my money, Whyte Avenue is one
of the more interesting visits in Edmonton.
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Relaxed dining on
Whyte Avenue
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Another interesting visit is the Alberta legislative
building which houses the Premier's office,
Lieutenant Governor's office, and, obviously,
the Alberta Legislative Assembly Chamber. I
was very impressed by the tours they offer of
this building. A college student conducted the
day I visited and he knew his stuff. He began
in the large rotunda explaining that the great
marble supporting pillars (Quebec marble) weighed
about the same as a small herd of elephants.
A few of the plethora of facts he spewed out
stuck in my head. For example, the mace first
used was a homemade job. Apparently the need
for a mace was overlooked by planners until
the last minute. In a rush somebody cobbled
a temporary one together using found materials.
The intention was to use it for a few months
only. The round top is actually a bulb from
a toilet flushbox! However, it works. Once the
whole concoction was painted a uniform silver
it looked as good as any other mace (mind you,
I'm not a connoisseur in these matters). The
funny thing is they ended up using this so-called
'temporary' mace for about thirty years. The
current one is nice but the old one (prominantly
displayed in a glass case) is outstanding for
its creativity, a real work of art.
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Secluded palms of
Alberta Parliament Building
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Housed in the great dome above the rotunda
is the palm room. We weren't allowed up there
but you can look skyward to the rotunda dome
and see palm leaves hanging over the railings
that encircle the open centre of the room. Many
years ago the palm trees were a gift to the
people of Alberta and, somewhat sadly, have
been kept up there ever since, away from most
of the people of Alberta. However, if you do
want to see some tropical trees and plants and
all sorts of other flora you won't have far
to go.
The Muttart Conservatory is one of Edmonton's
treasures and a 'must-see' for any gardening
enthusiast. It is located in the city's centre
in the North Saskatchewan River Valley and mainly
consists of four giant glass pyramid greenhouses.
Each one features a different type of plant
life. They have an Arid Pyramid which I found
to be one of the most interesting, probably
because I've never visited an arid part of the
world. I like plants that look exotic and rare,
and the Arid Pyramid had plenty to satisfy my
interest. There is also a Tropical Pyramid,
a Temperate Pyramid, and a fourth called the
Show Pyramid. The idea of the Show Pyramid is
to run different displays of mostly flowering
plants about eight times a year.
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Muttart's Arid Pyramid
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When I visited I was delighted to see some
fun topiary. Amongst the floweringplants they
had placed some topiary ladies, southern belles
carrying summer umbrellas and wearing wide brimmed
hats. I was expecting to see a blushing Scarlett
O'Hara any second. The conservatory features
over seven hundred species of plants, so don't
expect to see everything in one trip.
On my last night in Edmonton I decided to
treat myself to some fine dining, as well as
a fine view. I made a reservation at Edmonton's
only revolving restaurant, La Ronde, a room
of understated elegance atop the Crowne Plaza
Chateau Lacombe. I love revolving restaurants
(every city should have one) and I probably
would have gone even if I'd suspected the food
wasn't that good. However, La Ronde was a great
experience all round (ahem...excuse the pun).
By the way, it takes about ninety minutes to
make the ROUND trip!
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North Saskatchewan
River as seen from La Ronde
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Not only was I treated to a fabulous view of
Edmonton, especially the North Saskatchewan
River that lazily meanders through the city,
but I enjoyed a beautiful meal of prime Alberta
elk. The elk steak was dark and tender and quietly
gamey, served with some grilled vegetables.
It went very well with my glass of merlot. As
is often my custom, I finished off with a chocolate
dessert, a decadent, rich ganache cake with
fresh whipped cream. It was a nice way to end
my visit to a western city that does not usually
get much recognition, at least not the kind
it deserves. As I sat enjoying a cup of La Ronde's
perfectly brewed java watching the sun set over
the Alberta capital, I said to myself, "Yes.
I'd be pleased to live here. Edmonton is a fine
city".
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