We’re Famous!
At least on Design*Sponge, anyway. Local blogger (Lather. Write. Repeat.) and furniture restorer extraordinaire Lenore Hume authored the Winnipeg City Guide for the wildly popular website, and it’s chock-full of wonderful restaurant, shopping, and entertainment recommendations. She’s got lots of ideas for where to eat and play in the Osborne, Corydon, St. Boniface, Wolseley, Academy Road, and Exchange District areas. From her intro:
“You don’t choose Winnipeg; it chooses you. This quirky little city is more of a big small town filled with people you know, and it sits smack-dab in the middle of Canada. From prairies to polar bears, the province of Manitoba has it all, with Winnipeg right at its heart. We are resilient people, living in the harshest of opposing climates. Half the year, we bundle up and brace the blowing snow and bitter -30º temperatures. The other half of the year, we live for the blistering heat and humidity, tainted only by our sworn enemy — the mosquito. We love our lake life, with beaches and lake towns only an hour or two in every direction from the city. We play host to hundreds of summer festivals like the Fringe Festival, Folklorama, the Folk Festival and the Jazz festival.”
Check out the city guide and more thoughts on Winnipeg here, and a big congratulations to Lenore – you did a wonderful job at rounding up the gems in our big little city — I’m stoked to check out lots of new-to-me places!
(hat tip to Courtney for sending me the link!)
A Day in My Life in Glenelm
I’ve been meaning to write for ages about Glenelm, the neighbourhood we moved to two summers ago. It’s a little known section of Elmwood that feels like another world entirely! Nestled on the west side of Henderson Hwy just over the Disraeli, in a crook of the Red River, this neighbourhood feels like an insider secret – not many know how great it is! So this post is to evangelize a little…
Since we come and go from the back door of our place, for most of our first year in the neighbourhood we actually didn’t meet all that many people. But once our son was born, and started spending lots of time enjoying the sunshine from our front porch, we discovered that having a new baby is a great way to meet your neighbours! They are a generous and welcoming bunch, who gave us gifts, loaned us baby gear, and filled us in on the the area and its residents. For instance, one lady across the street has lived in her house since 1942! Another couple recently left the area to start a tourist lodge in Tanzania. Just down the street from us, Gordon-King Memorial United Church hosts the hugely popular “Gordie’s Coffee House” on Thursday nights, where there’s live music, fair trade coffee and treats. When my brother- and sister-in-law moved to a house on Noble, we learned that their street has even more lovely traditions, including an annual block party! We also gleaned a handful of interesting things from their real estate agent, who grew up in Glenelm. He told us that when the area was first being populated, it was known as “River Heights North”. Who knew?
The sense of community is heartening. A couple weekends ago, I went to a neighbourhood ladies’ Christmas party and was delighted to meet more of my neighbours and hear about how tightly knight this little area is. (One person called it “incestuous, in a good way!” Not a great description, but you know exactly what it means.) I heard stories about people growing up in the area, moving away, and then returning to Glenelm to raise their own families. I heard about people downsizing from larger houses to smaller ones just down the street. A lot of people are connected through Glenelm School or the GKM United Church, and it really feels like people are looking out for each other. It’s wonderful.
A little while, I was contacted by a CBC reporter looking for Glenelm residents to talk about crime in our area. She’d done some mapping of crime stats and found that Glenelm is surrounded by high crime areas, but is relatively untouched by crime itself. My husband, sister-in-law, and I wound up talking to this journalist about our impressions of the area. Unfortunately, we missed hearing the segment on the radio, but I discovered a great write-up of the piece on the Glenelm Neighbourhood Association blog. Here’s an excerpt, which includes some of our thoughts on why Glenelm might have a lower crime rate:
“1. Geography - the Red River is a geographic barrier between Glenelm and the North End and Henderson Highway separates us from Chalmers. One resident recounted the story of crime rates dropping even further during the closure of Redwood Bridge.
2. Neighbourhood stability - a significant majority of Glenelm residents are homeowners (not renters) with very low rates of transience. The trend of adult children moving back to the neighbourhood to purchase homes was cited.
3. Sense of community - The importance of social gatherings was noted, including the annual Noble Block Party and weekly gatherings at Gordie’s Coffee House (Thursday evenings at Gordon King Memorial Church). One resident described a Block Parent house-to-house phone alert system, to ensure everyone is aware of what’s happening. Residents spoke warmly about the fabric of the neighbourhood, including anecdotes about neighbours mowing lawns for each other and and welcoming new neighbours with baking.
4. Socio-economic status - Glenelm is not a poor neighbourhood. The average household income is $54K, and 75% of residents have some type of post-secondary education. The reporter noted the correlation between poverty, education and crime.”
That’s not to say that there’s no crime in Glenelm. We had our barbeque stolen from our backyard, and shortly after that, someone broke one of our car’s windows and stole a bunch of tools from the trunk (fortunately, they left our curling brooms!). Other relatives who live on Martin have a friendly neighbourhood thief who takes anything from their yard or garage that isn’t nailed down… not the end of the world when it’s a case of empties; pretty annoying when it’s stuff from inside your car. Of course, it’s always a good idea to lock your car, because I’m pretty sure no part of the city is immune to crime.
Are there things I wish were different about the neighbourhood? Sure. While the area itself is beautiful and full of quiet, canopied streets for walking, there aren’t many walking-distance destinations. I wish there were a bigger grocery store close by, and a pub or place to grab a drink at night would be great, too. But I do appreciate several nice places we do have: Sam’s Place, which is an awesome used bookstore and cafe, and Sonya’s Restaurant, which is run by a charming Czech man and has delicious breakfast and lunch. We recently ate at JC’s Tacos and More and loved it! A neat little gift shop, Savoir Faire, just opened at 241 Henderson (the old Vintage Veruca’s locale) and I just heard about a vintage and costume shop, The Creative Stage, that’s opened in the same area as JC’s, which I’m really looking forward to checking out. (Update: learn more about The Creative Stage Emporium on Facebook.) Also in our neck of the woods, a middle eastern grocery store somewhat mysteriously opened and closed within about a month — too bad about that.
All in all, I’m thrilled with our decision to put down roots in Glenelm, and that feeling is continually reinforced. I’d recommend this neighbourhood to anyone moving to Winnipeg or looking for a new place within the city. The proximity to downtown is really convenient (a 10 minute ride on the #11 bus) and real estate is quite affordable. All in all, an amazing area that I’m so glad we discovered. Go Glenelm!!
Curl Up for Winter
Greg G posted this beautiful picture of the Granite Curling Club to Twitter last night. It looks like a cozy, welcoming winter chalet!
Over the past couple of years I’ve been to watch my husband and his team curl at various clubs around town during the MCA Bonspiel, and each one has its own atmosphere and charm. There’s something so comforting and homey about them. From the old school logos to the well-worn ceramic mugs of coffee (according to my brother, “rink coffee” is some of life’s best), I love how stepping into a curling club feels stepping into a time machine, in the best possible way.
My home club is in St. Adolphe, and I’ll be honest: my favourite thing about it is the plastic cup of OV and basket of delicious, salty popcorn (that costs only fifty cents!) that follow a game.
While I’m on the subject of curling, we’ve been watching the new CBC series “Men With Brooms“. It’s pretty funny, and way better than the movie. And it’s filmed at the Fort Rouge Curling Club, which several of my family members swear has the best pizza of any club in town.
Which is your favourite Winnipeg (or Manitoba) curling club, and why?
Baby-Friendly Winnipeg?
My good friend Courtney and her adorable 16 month old daughter came to visit us this past weekend. While frequent naptimes for our kids meant we didn’t get out to see too much of the city, we did get over to The Forks one afternoon and enjoyed looking around at Kite & Kaboodle and the Antique Mall in Johnston Terminal, and of course, picked up some cinnamon buns at Tall Grass Prairie. And there’s nothing like a child to make you see the city in a new light.
We were fortunate that it wasn’t too busy that afternoon, and between elevators and ramps, navigating with a stroller was a breeze. But Courtney mentioned how she’d recently been poking around in the Kensington neighbourhood of Calgary (our old stomping grounds from our days at SAIT) and she was astounded at how stroller un-friendly it was: stairs and tight corners everywhere! (This also makes you wonder about people with limited mobility or those in wheelchairs or walkers.) And on a recent trip home to Alberta, I noticed a number of “No Strollers Allowed” signs in shop windows. This got me to thinking, what parts of Winnipeg are kid- and baby-friendly?
Before our son was old enough to go in a nice, compact umbrella stroller, I made the mistake of taking him to the mall in his “travel system” stroller (aka “Monstro”) and quickly found that I was unable to manoeuvre inside a lot of stores, and I was actually embarrassed at how much space we took up. (Don’t worry, I never took Monstro on the bus!) But even with a much smaller umbrella stroller, I find that a lot of places just aren’t designed with parents in mind. Even if you’re wearing your baby in a carrier or sling, thereby avoiding the stroller hassle, you definitely don’t notice how many places don’t have baby change tables until you need one. And as a new mother desperate to get out of the house every now and then, I figured out pretty quickly which places had quiet, comfortable places to nurse and which didn’t. (St. Vital Centre’s parents’ room is amazing! They definitely know which side their bread is buttered.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t expect that the world should cater to me now that I have a little one in tow, I’m just saying that the reality is that parents need to and want to take their kids with them as they go about their errands, and businesses that take that into account probably attract more of those customers. I know I really appreciate the little things that make it easier to bring my baby along.
So, readers, I put the question to you – which places in our fair city are baby- and kid-friendly? What neighbourhoods do you feel welcome with a stroller in? Any places you avoid because you don’t want to get stuck changing your baby in the car? I’m curious to know your experiences.
Update: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention I Spy Winnipeg, which I came across after I wrote this post. It’s a blog devoted to “navigating Winnipeg with kids, one weekend at a time”. Check out I Spy Winnipeg on Twitter, too.
(One-Piece) License to Drive
This post is more for posterity than anything… this isn’t a riveting topic, but it reminds me of a time when we were new to Manitoba and noticing all the little things that made the province unique. It’s been a year and a half since former WoMH’er Laurel wondered, “Hey Manitoba, what’s up with the two-piece driver’s license?”. Word on the street was that a one-piece license was forthcoming, but who really knew when?
Well, a new day has come, for I just received my one-parter in the mail. It’s less colourful than my old one — it actually sort of looks like it’s been left in the sun to bleach — and the (laser engraved) photo is black & white. And it’s got all sorts of fancy new features such as Guilloche patterning (yep, had to look that one up!), rainbow printing and lenticular lens.
Well, so long old two-piece license. I kept you snug in your little plastic sleeve, and you served me well. What’s next? Plastic health care cards? Only time will tell!
Election Fever
Normally I don’t take much of a political stand here on WoMH, but a few flyers that have recently landed in my mailbox prompted me to write a few thoughts on this year’s civic election. I think elections generally bring out the extremes in a city: candidates range from the incredibly popular to the incredibly strange, and campaign tactics range from professional and thoughtful to tacky, sloppy, and well, sort of pathetic. The candidates in my riding (Elmwood/EK and WSD Ward 3) seem to run the gamut. What I really take issue with is how very few of them have bothered trying to reach voters through the internet and social media. The way I see it, a website is the bare minimum, but many of them have seemingly made zero effort towards informing the electorate of their platforms.
Of the five candidates running for school trustee in my riding, only one has a website. Fortunately, it’s polished and professional. Although I haven’t seen any lawn signs or flyers for this candidate, her effort in developing and maintaining this website speaks volumes to me. On the other hand, I received in my mailbox today a slip of orange paper promoting incumbent Suzanne Hrynyk, with the following text:
Re-Elect Suzanne Hrynyk
First on the ballot!
School Trustee WSD Ward 3
October 27
You vote at:
[School name & address, hours]
The text is followed by the NDP logo. What does this tell me about this candidate? Absolutely nothing, except that she wants you to vote for her by remembering that she is first on the ballot. Unbelievable! I got another flyer in the mail for incumbent Mike Babinsky. It is written as a letter to voters from his son, explaining why we should vote for “my Dad”. It includes cheesy photos of the son, at different ages, wearing a campaign hat. And oh yeah, the text is in one of those kids’ handwriting fonts. Need I say more?
Visiting campaign websites and reading through questionnaire answers on Winnipeg Election and the Freep websites, I find it appalling how many grammatical and spelling mistakes many of the candidates make. I also got a flyer where the election date must have been printed incorrectly, because it had been whited out, with the correct date written in pen over top. And don’t get me started on the headshots — you want to be a councillor or trustee in one of the largest cities in Canada, but you can’t be bothered to put on a shirt and tie and head down to Sears for a $20 portrait session?
As for our mayoral candidates, who knows what’s motivating Brad Gross, who hasn’t bothered to actually put content in three quarters of his hilarious real estate template website, and Rav Gill, whose site states “Nothing is more empowering then voting”. (Personally, I think nothing is more empowering than a mayor who knows how to use “then” and “than” properly.) Whether they are actually serious about becoming mayor or just looking to boost their name recognition to improve their real estate businesses, neither of them is running a campaign I’d expect of a mayoral hopeful. Fortunately neither really has a chance of winning.
I still haven’t decided who I’m voting for on Wednesday, but it’s sure easy to decide who I’m not voting for. It’s a pity that’s how elections go.
Do you Shmoo?
Mmm... A Shmoo log from Gunn's Bakery
Before I went on mat leave, my wonderful group of colleagues took me for a farewell lunch. When it came time for a celebratory dessert, I was heartily encouraged to try the feature dessert: Shmoo. At first, I thought the waiter was kidding around; I’d never heard of such a thing. Well, it’s real, it’s delicious, and you guessed it, it’s a Winnipeg thing!
What is Shmoo (or Schmoo), you ask? It’s a decadent cake/torte layered with whipped cream, nuts and caramel. I had my first taste at Chamberlyn’s, but my dining companions that fateful day speculated it was popularized by the legendary Baked Expectations.
A quick survey of Winnipeg bakeries reveals it’s a popular cake: Gunn’s, Goodies, Baked Expectations, and Pastry Castle all list it on their websites. Where does the whimsical-sounding name come from? This article from the Globe & Mail mentions that many believe it has Jewish roots, and this article from the Boston Globe (written by a former Winnipegger) says indeed, Shmoo torte is a staple dessert of Bar Mitzvahs.
Want to make your own Shmoo? Check out this recipe for Shmoo, from an Ontario food blogger who says, “I feel like a bad Canadian for never having heard of Shmoo Torte. I stumbled upon a recipe recently and discovered that this decadent cake is a Winnipeg classic and after I read the recipe, I thought I should bring a little Shmoo to Ontario, too!” Atta girl!
Where’s your favourite place to get Shmoo’ed?
On a Barge, Down by the River
Just a quick post to tell you about the River Barge Festival that started today! This 5-day festival is one of the Cultural Capital of Canada “Arts for All” offerings, and a marvelous idea!
It was a gorgeous, sunny day and one of the bands my husband manages, Johnny Cajun, was playing a set, so we Snugglied up our now 2-month old and headed over to the Forks for some fresh air and lively tunes.
The riverfront was full of people happily taking in the music and blue skies. The river taxi was doing runs back and forth, and from their location on a barge the band played on!
Upcoming acts include Greg MacPherson, Chic Gamine, Sierra Noble , Fred Penner and many others. I hope you get a chance to go over the next few days!
Parks and Rec
Note from Emma: WoMH guest-blogger Ian is back, this time with the scoop on Assiniboine Park!
When I first moved to Winnipeg last year, I was already familiar with some of the more popular/interesting outdoors hangouts. I had been to the Forks, explored the Exchange, shopped at Polo Park and ventured all the way down to the University of Manitoba (which is about as far south as I’ve been since I’ve moved here). However, one place I had never been too, or even really heard of for that matter, was Assiniboine Park. I stumbled upon the park last spring, when I went there for a work-related bbq lunch. Since then, I’ve been back numerous times with friends, visiting family, and solo. I tend to be fond of urban parks. I love Stanley and Queen Elizabeth parks in Vancouver. I was impressed by the Toronto Islands Park. I’ve experienced Central Park, Hyde Park, and many more in Europe; but I have to say, Winnipeg has a pretty nice park in Assiniboine and here are some reasons why (in no particular order):
Number one: It’s larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver. Not by much mind you, but it is (I looked it up). Plus, unlike Stanley Park, it doesn’t have a major traffic artery bisecting the park in two.
Number two: Assiniboine Park has some pretty cool gardens. The formal English garden was very nice stroll through last summer, but I was most impressed with the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. I had never heard of Leo Mol before I moved here, so I was surprised to find an entire garden filled with his creations. However, I was quickly impressed with how nicely it was all laid out, and quite entertained by the variety of creative sculptures. The small display building and courtyard area in the middle of the garden is a wonderful spot, which was made even better when I discovered the (free) live Sunday jazz series in the garden last summer. You don’t get that in Vancouver!
Number three: All the trails through the gardens, forests and fields, around the duck pond and along the river make the park a great place to walk. It’s so nice to get a walk through the forest without leaving the convenience (and mosquito controlled confines) of the city. Plus, you get a great walking bridge over the river that leads directly to a delicious ice cream stand. Bingo!
Number four: Trains, planes and automobiles. Assiniboine has a miniature railway which, even though I haven’t experienced yet, I always appreciate. Also, there’s the cool old CN steam engine near the south gate. As for planes, with the airport just across the river, the park fields are a great place for plane spotting. It’s pretty cool, and a bit unnerving to see A320s and 737s flying that low right above you. Sometimes I get the urge to wave, thinking someone might actually see me and wave back! And of course, the park also has one key feature that would endear itself to any Winnipegger: abundant free parking!
Finally, number five: The Lyric Theatre at the Pavilion. I have been to the Lyric twice now, camped out with my folding chair on a prime piece of real estate, to see the WSO perform a free show on a gorgeous summer evening. This is a perfect combination and the best bang for my entertainment dollar (even after the well-deserved donation). This year, I will endeavour to experiment and try out more free performances at the Lyric; the Big Band Series looks promising, and I’ve heard that I need to see Moses Mayes, so I will have to make the trip a few times this summer. That’s not too difficult since even the drive to the park all the way down Corydon is rather pleasant (though I’m always tempted to pull over and have a beer or cappuccino on a bustling patio.)
There are many other things to enjoy in Assiniboine Park that I didn’t mention in my list. The conservatory is nice and I expect this is especially so in the winter. There’s the zoo, which I’ve enjoyed as well, though I have mixed feelings about zoos. I have yet to sample the park in winter mode, but I’m looking forward to taking my skis out there next winter.
What’s your favourite place/thing/aspect of Assiniboine Park? Do you have other favourite parks in the city or places you like to go for a quick nature getaway? I know I’m curious to try out FortWhyte Alive. I’d like to hear some of your suggestions too!
-Ian
Food-Loving Winnipeggers, Unite!
I wouldn’t call myself a foodie. I don’t eat beef. Or shellfish. I’m finicky about ginger and hate soy sauce. I know cupcakes have been a trend food for way too long, but I love them anyway. And I sometimes feel like a lousy Canadian when I admit I prefer butter-flavoured imitation maple syrup, which my in-laws lovingly refer to as “pole syrup” (sirop de poteau).
So while I wouldn’t call myself a foodie, I would call myself a food-lover. (I know, lame, because as if there are any food-haters.) I like thinking about food, in general. I like looking at recipes, even ones I know I’ll never get around to making. Mostly I enjoy reading others’ thoughts on ingredients, gear, and restaurants…call it cooking vicariously, if you like. Because the availability of all these things varies so much geographically, it’s always a pleasant surprise when you come across a blog that refers to restaurants and stores you can actually visit, and ingredients you can easily find!
Lucky for us, Winnipeg has several good food bloggers/writers, and I’ve rounded up a list of some of my regular reads. Have I missed anyone?
- Dine Out Winnipeg: Restaurant reviews, tips, events, etc. Very extensive archives.
- Breakfast Connoisseurs: Two funny dudes on an eternal quest to find the city’s best breakfast…. their website is the only place you can find hours, payment details, etc., on a lot of small places. Extra props for the hilarious podcast!
- Savour Winnipeg: Monthly roundups of foodie events, gossip, and other local news.
- Winnipeg Eats: A great mix of food politics, recipes, tips on using local produce, etc.
- Zollipop: Zolli writes about local ingredients, local restaurants and her cooking adventures, generally accompanied by lovely photos.
- Cake-ology: Company blog for the Exchange’s Cake-ology Bakery.
- Food Musings: A mix of personal posts, recipes, reviews, and more. I fell for the cute heart pictures at the end of each post!
I’m looking forward to this summer for a bunch of food-related reasons. One, we’re hoping to do some container gardening of a few herbs and veggies this summer (we’re gardening newbs; baby steps!). Two, we picked up a composter at the city’s compost & rain barrel sale a few weekends back. So even though we have no use for compost right now, by this time next year we should have some of the nice, rich stuff to help grow more veggies, and we can stop throwing a big proportion of our kitchen scraps into the garbage. Three, I’m excited for trips to the Farmers’ Market (though I cringe at the long drive down to St. Norbert) and to u-pick some berries. Lastly, and this may be delusional, but I’m hoping that being off on mat leave will afford me time to do more cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.
Do you have food-related summer traditions or activities you’re excited for? Do share!
