Our Winnipeg: A City Renowned for Winter Heats Up
Winnipeg is the capital city of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Located at the near longitudinal center of North America at the confluence of the historic Red and Assiniboine Rivers at a point commonly known as “the Forks,” Winnipeg is home to more than half of the entire Manitoba population.
Renowned for its fierce winter months – Canadians have dubbed it “Winterpeg” – the city has been generating some serious heat in recent years, especially due to its thriving arts scene. The city boasts a stellar core of mostly stay-at-home world-renowned artists, including: filmmaker Guy Maddin (whose recent feature, My Winnipeg, was a trippy tribute to his home city); novelist Miriam Toews (whose 2004 breakthrough novel A Complicated Kindness won the Governor General’s Award for English Fiction); the recently separated “drawing collective” Royal Art Lodge (which included among its distinguished membership a host of internationally renowned visual artists, including Marcel Dzama, Michael Dumontier, Neil Farber, and Drue Langlois); and rock band the Weakerthans (who Esquire’s Chris Jones magazine called “the greatest band ever to come out of Winnipeg [and, I would be thrilled to argue, the world]”). Jones’ comment is especially potent given that Winnipeg gave birth to, among other seminal rock acts, no less than The Guess Who and Neil Young. (However, although the word “Winnipeg” is a transcription of a western Cree word meaning "muddy waters," the city can’t lay claim to the great [Chicago] bluesman of the same name!)
“Winterpeg.”
The city is also host to a number of notable arts festivals, including the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Jazz Winnipeg Festival, and the Winnipeg Fringe (Theater) Festival, and venerable arts organizations like Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Manitoba Museum.
Former Royal Art Lodge member Marcel Dzama’s Shoot the Moving, 2004.
Although Winnipeg has had its share of political and economic tumult, including the Red River Rebellion in 1869-70 and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, the city’s political and economic life today are thriving in part due to the city’s position as an important regional center with an extremely diversified economy (covering financial, manufacturing, transportation, food and beverage products, industry, culture, retail, and tourism). In fact, according to the Conference Board of Canada, Winnipeg had the third-fastest growing economy among Canada’s major cities in 2007, with a real GDP growth of 3.7 per cent.
The Winnipeg General Strike, 1919.
The Peg, as it’s affectionately known by its inhabitants, is home to several government research labs, including the National Microbiology Laboratory (hailed elsewhere in this issue for its achievements relating to identifying the H1N1 flu virus) and the National Research Council’s Institute for Biodiagnostics laboratory.
A photo of Antoine Predock’s architectural model of the eventual Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
As for “tourist attractions,” Winnipeg claims the title for the world’s longest skating rink (along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers – apologies to Ottawa’s Rideau Canal!), the Forks (a national historic site which boasts shops, river trails, festivals, and restaurants), the Manitoba Children’s Museum (a two-decades-old center for “laughter and learning”), the Exchange District (a 30-block ’hood showcasing North America’s most extensive collection of turn-of-the-century architecture), the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth (located in King’s Park close to the University of Manitoba, where the late author, a Winnipegger, taught for 20 years), and the eventual Canadian Museum for Human Rights (the country’s first national museum devoted to the topic of human rights – construction is underway).
Perhaps Winnipeg’s most beautiful attraction, however, is its prairie sky, free for the taking in, and available just outside of town. Just ask Niki Trosky…
Niki Trosky, a lifelong “’Pegger.”
Her Winnipeg: Niki Trosky Shares Her Choices for the Peg’s Best Bets
Canada Watch asked the irrespressible Niki Trosky, Creative Director of love life productions, for her take on Winnipeg must sees.
Water Taxis
The best way to get around the city in the summer. For two bucks, you can climb aboard a boat and feel like you are ‘yachting’ to your next destination. From the docks of the historical Exchange District to the hub of Corydon’s patios, this ride will remind you that the journey is in fact the destination.
Rae & Jerry’s
Feast your eyes on this 1957 steak house with its original blood-red decor and wood-panelled walls. While the restaurant is famous for its juicy prime-rib, the Lounge is a great place to get primed for a night on the town. I recommend lip gloss, heels, and a Polaroid camera for this one.
The Plaza at the Forks
Come and ride the “Magic Carpet” or take a dip in the “pool” at Winnipeg’s world-class skateboarding and BMX park. A one-of-a-kind design, this urban sculpture attracts both locals and pros looking for a new place to drop in.
Alicia’s Restaurant
This Ukrainian gem is famed for their gosh-darn delicious perogies. Imagine sitting in a Ukrainian Baba’s Kitchen awaiting Sunday dinner amongst a sea of knick-naks and floral patterns. A favorite haunt of the late comedian and actor John Candy. (559 Cathedral Avenue, [204] 582-8789)
The Urban Bakery
Winnipeg’s counter-culture headquarters. A hip-hop infused selection of street wear, art supplies, and custom low-rider bikes. The freshest place for the coolest gear.
Winnipeg’s Legislative Building, topped by Golden Boy.
Legislative Building
In the dead centre of North America stands our Golden Boy [a 17.2-foot figure poised atop the Legislative Building’s dome]. According to Frank Albo and his book, The Hermetic Code, the Golden Boy is a conduit for magical power, and the historic Frank Worthington Simon-designed Legislative Building is a library of mystical coded messages and secret teachings inscribed in a Masonic Language.
Assiniboia Downs
A great bet for an entertaining day! The race tracks make for a fun family outing or a wild way to spend an afternoon horsing around with friends.
Art Art & More Art
Winnipeg is famous as an art hub, and we are home to a community of fabulous galleries. Grab a coffee at the Fyxx or Moondragón in the Exchange District, and check out Ace Art, The Platform, The Golden City Gallery (in Chinatown), the cre8ery, Urban Shaman, and the Graffiti Gallery.
The Ten Spa
The Ten Spa
Located in the historic Hotel Fort Garry, this world-class spa offers an exceptionally extravagant experience not to be missed! The Haman offers an ancient hot-air bathing ritual in an ultra-modern and sophisticated atmosphere. A great place for couples to re-connect or claim a day to be alone and treat yourself!
Moksha Yoga Winnipeg and Stafford Street Hot Yoga
Need to stretch? Moksha and Stafford Street offer beautiful studios in which to sweat and stretch.
Shopping in Osborne Village
If you are looking for fashion you will find it in the Village. With a stream of unique boutiques to choose from, you will find yourself impressed with ’Peg City’s fashion sense. Not to be missed The Urban Boutique, Out of the Blue, and Paramix. Finish your day of shopping with a slice of Deadly Chocolate Mousse Cake from Baked Expectations.
“Allow your mind to stretch as far as the eye can see…”
Welcome to My Prairie
And, finally, you simply can not come to Winnipeg without getting to the edge of town to witness a prairie sky. Allow your mind to stretch as far as the eye can see, and relax into the humbled state of Friendly Manitoba.
Niki Trosky is Creative Director of love life productions, specializing in fashion shoots, video production, party planning, writing, and hoola-hooping. For more information on Winnipeg and up-to-date news on the city’s summer festivals, events, and art exhibitions, email lovelifeproductions@gmail.com or visit www.lovelifeproductions.ca.
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