I Heart Edmonton

Jasper Avenue by emil tiedemann I was sixteen when some friends and I went downtown to the Paramount Theatre on Jasper Avenue to watch Tom Cruise in the original Mission: Impossible movie. I can’t really explain it, but there was something invigorating about that particular night. Maybe it was the big cozy seats, or the flashing lights on the marquee, or perhaps it was a buff Tom Cruise?!  The former Paramount Theatre was a Jasper Avenue highlight. But it wasn’t just the aging Paramount Theatre, it was the Avenue, it was downtown, it was this whole new world I had barely gotten to know yet.  Over the years, Jasper Avenue has been the scene of many of my more memorable moments growing up, getting to know the idiosyncrasies of my hometown’s main drag: the intimate Michael Bernard Fitzgerald concert in a parked van just outside of the Starlite Room with my sister and a few strangers; my goodbye party at The Druid before I left Edmonton to spend far less time in ...

Curious Edmontonians have noticed these chalk hashtags throughout Whyte and the downtown, but what do they mean?! by emil tiedemann W HAT does it all mean?! There are some mysterious #WhYEG tags showing up on the sidewalks and walkways of Edmonton's downtown and Whyte Avenue areas that have inquisitive locals wondering what they're all about.  #WhYEG @ Alberta Legislature Grounds They are red and white chalk installations that have all of a sudden shown up around Whyte Avenue between 102nd and 105th Street, as well as various locations downtown, including Churchill Square, the 104th Street Promenade, and the Legislature Grounds.  #WhYEG @ Churchill Square Although I am out of the loop as to #why they are filling the streets of #yeg, I promise to get to the bottom of what they mean! Stay tuned, and in the meantime check out some of the photos I snapped featuring the hashtag!  #WhYEG @ Whyte Avenue

The City's "YegdtBigE" initiative is sure to entice enthusiasm in the endeavors of Downtown's exciting evolution! by emil tiedemann L ET'S face it, up until just recently Edmonton's Downtown lacked a number of the essential qualities necessary for a vibrant and engaging central core. With the exception of some of our favourite summer festivals, there just wasn't much going on in the area during evening hours and weekends.  The "Big E" invites you snap a photo with it (like City Councillor Scott McKeen ) and share your enthusiasm for Downtown Edmonton's revitalization online! #yegdtBigE But who could blame Edmontonians for not coming Downtown in those days! It was almost entirely void of any distinct character or particular personality, absent of those endearing nuances that sets apart one town from another. There was an undeniable deficiency of life .  That was then! This is now, and these are the transformative years for not on...