Edmonton in November
 

Hi all. I'm a regular poster in the US and Lounge forums, but now find myself with a Canada question. We have no plans for US Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26th), and on a lark, I checked if we could get cheap tickets to Edmonton because the Sharks are playing the Oilers the day after. We can, but a couple of things.....1) how many days is Edmonton "worth" visiting for -- is there stuff to keep us busy for say, 2-3 days? If so, what? 2) where would you recommend we stay (is the area near Rexall Place a good place to stay, or should we stay elsewhere and take a taxi or public transportation to the game?), 3) restaurant recommendations would be great, and 4) the game is sold out....what's the best way to get after-market tickets?

Thanks for your guidance!!

If you do get tickets to the game, be sure to bring ear-plugs to drown out the boos and jeers every time Dany Heatley touches the puck. That's probably one reason why the game is already sold out.

I wouldn't stay in the Rexall Place area, it's not the best part of town. There is public transportation to Rexall so your best bet would be to stay downtown and take the LRT (our version of the subway). A couple days in Edmonton would be sufficient. See the mall, the Muttart Conservatory is worth seeing, the museum. Like the poster stated above, you might have trouble finding tickets since everyone wants to go to boo Dany Heatley. The Oilers do sell tickets on game day for half price, if they have any available. There are on-line 'scalpers' (stub hub, etc.) that sell tickets for over-inflated prices.

Agree with loru100 - don't stay in the Rexall area. It's actually not very far from downtown, try any of the downtown hotels such as the Fairmont MacDonald, Union Bank Inn, the Westin, etc.

However, if I were you, I'd take a taxi instead of the LRT. After a game the LRT is very crowded, takes forever to even walk to the platform because of the crowds, and then you'll have to wait for the train. The station at the "Coliseum" (which is what Rexall was called before all this silly corporate branding) is actually outside (not underground), and at the end of November in the evening, it's likely to be quite cold. Take a taxi!!!
As for what to do, it all depends on what types of things you enjoy. Personally I think that West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is boring, but many people like the shopping and the wave pool, skating rink, and rides. There are restuarants At WEM too, but nothing fancy or special.
If you are a culture vulture, there is the Royal Alberta Musuem (west of the downtown area), the Citadel Theatre will be presenting the Canadian premiere of a Tom Stoppard play, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra will be playing Beethoven and Wagner at the Winspear.
If you are a sports fan (other than hockey), the Grey Cup game is in Calgary this year that November weekend - that's the Canadian football final, Calgary is a 3 hour drive south of Edmonton, but most sports bars and pubs will have the game on TV.

Restaurants - that depends on your preferences - what style of cuisine do you like? There are restaurants in the downtown area, in the Old Strathcona area, in the area not far from the museum, near the new Grant MacEwan University (2nd university in Edmonton) - lots of choice.

Try browsing some sites with information about Edmonton, including:

http://www.where.ca/edmonton/

Good luck!!!

The mall referred to here is much more than a mall -- submarines, I believe, and a lot of other astoundingthings, so that's worth half a day.

Edmonton is basically flat, with a big valley that makes it a lot prettier than one might think.

The plant conservatory is worth another half day, and depending on where you come from, a few hours drive outside of twon just to see how huge the Canadian prairies are be enjoyable.

I used to live in Edmonton, and I'm sure the museum is as good as ever -- and I'm sure the Edmonto Art Gallery is still there, a couple of minutes walk from the Westin or Fairmont MacDonald.

My goal in Edmonton would be to find a good beef restaurant; Alberta raises the finest steaks and roasts in Canada, so go for the real meat instead of trying to find a transplanted French chef. (That said, Edmonton has lots of good non-steak restaurants.

Edmonton is car-friendly and big.

<<<My goal in Edmonton would be to find a good beef restaurant; Alberta raises the finest steaks and roasts in Canada, so go for the real meat instead of trying to find a transplanted French chef. (That said, Edmonton has lots of good non-steak restaurants.>>>

I'd love suggestions (beef is good, but so is anything local and wonderful)!

We'll end up having 3 full days and nights. I imagine we'll spend two days poking around the city, and then take a drive somewhere to see "winter nature" -- where would you suggest? Or should we drive all the way to Calgary since we've never been?

I used to live in Edmonton and also in Calgary for many years. Frankly the thought of 3 days in Edmonton in late November gives me the heebie jeebies! I much prefer Calgary but it really depends on what you want to do. My hatred for "the Mall" knows no bounds... although I do love to shop! As others have said, don't stay near the rink! Downtown is far preferable. You will have fun at the game - the Oilers have a great history in the NHL and Edmonton is a true hockey town.

BAK - there are no more submarines at West Edmonton Mall; they stopped running those several years ago. The art gallery is currently housed (temporarily) at "Enterprise Square" (downtown site of the University of Alberta) while a very weird new building (looks like a twisted metal can) is being built across from City Hall.

For beef go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse right across from the Fairmont MacDonald Hotel.

For winter nature, a short drive from the city is Elk Island National Park (45 minutes east of Edmonton) - you may see bison there. Otherwise, if you plan to drive the 3 hours south to Calgary, might as well drive 3.5 hours west to Jasper National Park instead and see the gorgeous Canadian Rocky Mountains (wonderful in any season). Either way it'll be a long day trip. Calgary is just another big city, but with much worse traffic than Edmonton.

Definitely visit Jasper - don't bother with Calgary. In fact, if you can do an overnight in Jasper, all the better.

We don't mind a long long day trip at all - but I will check into overnighting in Jasper. Thanks. Are there good walks/hikes you can do in winter? Maybe something led by a guide?

The official site for Jasper National Park may give you some ideas:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/index_e.asp

You may try the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk, check it out here:

http://www.jasperadventurecentre.com/winter.html

Wow, that Ice Walk looks fabulous, unfortunately, it looks like there isn't enough ice in November! We're thinking though that we will fly into Calgary, rent a car and drive to Jasper up the Icefields Parkway (after all, National Geographic calls it one of the top 20 scenic drives in <i>the world</i>). After Jasper, we'll head to Edmonton for the hockey game and a day of poking around. Yeah, it'll be cold, but we'll be prepared!

If you can catch a music performance at the Winspear Centre it's worth it. A fantastic concert hall.

Tootsall, as best as I can tell, there's nothing on at the Winspear Centre when we're there, but I'll keep checking. Thank for the tip.