Edmonton Vacation - Day 6

The Association conference started full-on ahead with a day of meetings so I had to find alternative ways of keeping myself busy. First, however, I had to return the rental car which we only had for 24 hours. I left for downtown Edmonton just after 8am. Edmonton is a simple city to navigate as majority of its streets are numbered which made it easier for me to get to Thrifty’s at the corner of 102 Avenue and 105 Street.

After returning the car I set off on an epic walk through downtown Edmonton to Kingsway Mall to pick up some souvenirs for a certain family member. From the Kingsway Mall I made my back towards downtown. The whole trek around downtown must have been at least an hour and a half of walking but it was worth it as it allowed me to see more of the city including the Ukrainian museum (closed at the time I was there) and Chinatown.

It was then back to public transit as I took a bus to the stop closest to the Marriott which is still at least a kilometer away. At the hotel, I spent more time at the casino while the Association meeting was still going on. In the evening, we ate the hotel restaurant which featured a seafood buffet. Heather and I opted out of the buffet and instead had sandwiches from the menu.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 5

It’s moving day! Heather and I checked out of the Crowne Plaza in the morning and while she waited in the lobby with our luggage, I walked to a nearby Thrifty’s to rent a car. I wanted to have a car today so that at least we’d have a place for our luggage while we were transitioning between hotels. After completing all necessary paperwork, we ended up with a Suzuki SX4, a small hatchback.

Our rental car.

Once we were all packed up, we went for another breakfast at Denny’s. Again, I asked for grits and again I was warned by our waitress. After breakfast, we went back to the West Edmonton Mall, mainly because Heather wanted to exchange a shirt she bought the day before. To waste some time, we pointlessly wandered the mall. At 2:30pm we decided we’ve had enough and drove to the Marriott on the outskirts of Edmonton.

The hotel is technically located in Enoch on an Indian reserve thus its full name is Marriott at River Cree Resort and Casino. Yes, the hotel has a casino which we’d visit later in the week. The hotel caters mainly to business travelers as it has numerous conference rooms, which is one reason why the Association chose to have its annual meeting here. I found the Marriott to be less desirable for my needs – it is located in a remote area, nearly 20 minutes walking distance from the closest civilization of west Edmonton; Wi-Fi in rooms costs an outrageous $16.95 per day although there is business centre with free Wi-Fi on the main floor of the hotel but it consists of two computers, a single Ethernet cable for those with laptops and a printer.

Marriott at River Cree.

Once we were checked in, Heather spent most of the evening with her Association colleagues in the hospitality suite while I explored the hotel and the casino.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 4

It was finally time to see Edmonton’s most famous attraction, the West Edmonton Mall. Once again, we used public transit to get to and from the mall. This time, however, we didn’t have to transfer as there were a couple of bus routes that went from downtown right to the mall.

We arrived at the mall just before 10am and had breakfast at Crepe Works. After breakfast we went to Galaxyland which is an amusement park. There were rides, rollercoasters and other attractions for people of all ages. While we didn’t do any rides, we spent a few minutes at an interactive shooting game.

Galaxyland.

From there, Heather and I walked the mall end to end, up and down and then did it again. Despite the massive amount of stores, we kept our spending very reasonable. West Edmonton Mall also features a water park as well as a sea lion show. We watched the 2pm show and then continued walking around the mall. We finally decided to head back to the hotel around 4pm after another long day of walking.

WEM sea lions.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 3

Monday turned into a very gloomy day. The temperature was barely above freezing in the morning and there was no indication it was going to get better. Our plan for the day was to spend some time with fellow VROCer Craig who lives in Edmonton. I contacted him before leaving on Saturday and this morning we ironed out the details of our get-together.

Craig picked us up at the hotel at 12:30pm when the temperature was a crisp 3C (37F) and it was spitting rain on and off. He drove us through various parts of Edmonton while looking for a restaurant. However, most were closed because it was either still early in the day or it was a holiday Monday.

We made a quick stop at Starbucks and then made our way to the famous Whyte Avenue. While there we chose to eat at a diner but because it was very busy, we went to a nearby Mexican restaurant Julio's Barrio. The food was excellent. Craig was even generous enough to pay for our meal. He said he'd claim it as a business expense as he's a real estate agent and we spent a few minutes discussing houses.

When we left the restaurant well past 3pm, I felt a noticably warmer air around us although it was still overcast. The reading in Craig's car confirmed that it was now 13C (55F). Craig drove us back to the hotel and we spent the rest of the day unwinding from the last two very hectic days. Thank you, Craig!