I Heart Edmonton

The High Level Bridge by emil tiedemann T HE City of Strathcona - located on the southside of the North Saskatchewan - amalgamated with the City of Edmonton - located on the northside of the river - on February 1, 1912. It was 16 months later, on June 2, 1913, that the High Level Bridge - linking the south with the north - was open to traffic for the first time.  Not just automobile traffic either! The 755-metre long, 49-metre high steel and concrete structure was designed by Phillips B. Motley to accommodate vehicles, rail, streetcars, and pedestrians, and all but rail continue to use Edmonton’s most iconic and oldest bridge spanning the river.    The stunning High Level Bridge at night (photo by Dylan Nicholson). The streetcars were noticeably absent from the High Level from 1951 to 1979, but they are once again a charming destination for tourists and locals alike in the spring and summer seasons, especially during the Edmonton Fringe Festival in August. T...

Garneau Neighbourhood by emil tiedemann F OR the first six months that Laurent Garneau spent in what was then known as Strathcona, in 1874, the Manitoba Metis was behind bars. Garneau had refused to obey a martial law that ordered inhabitants to take refuge in the original Fort Edmonton, in order to protect them from being attacked by the Aboriginal people of the area.  The irony of it all is that Chief Papasschayo of the Papaschase tribe was the man who stepped up and took Garneau and his large family - wife Eleanor and 11 children - under his wing.  The historic Garneau Theatre and trendy Transcend Coffee are some of the highlights of the Garneau district! Garneau, who fought with Louis Riel in the Red River Rebellion of 1869, did more than just get settled, acquiring substantial wealth and land in what would eventually become known as the Garneau district. He became extensively involved within both the Metis and Francophone communities, was a respected bus...

Garneau's not-so-secret gem Farrow Sandwiches & Coffee gets by with keeping it simple, unique, and most importantly, tasty! by emil tiedemann T HE other day a buddy and I had spent maybe 10 minutes flipping through the pages of a threadbare menu at some local breakfast joint, only to be disappointed with the end result. That kind of scenario simply couldn't happen at Farrow Sandwiches & Coffee ( 8422-109 St / 780.757.4160 ), situated next door to Three Boars Eatery in the Garneau district.    No reservations at the modest Farrow: "we only have three stools!" That's because your options are few at Farrow, which prefers to stick with a simple menu that allows for a rotating selection of craft sandwiches (including always a vegan choice) to go along with their signature Grick Middle breakfast sandwich. The Grick is a fried egg, bacon, arugula, and smoked "cheddah" in between a pair of slices of toasted bread glazed with tomato jam and r...

In the vicinity of the U of A campus is an Italian-style cafè that wears several hats... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E VERYTIME I drive by this place it seems to be brimming with specialty coffee drinkers and loyal admirers of simple Italian fare. In fact, when I recently checked out the licensed Cafè Leva for the first time, the only reason my buddy and I were able to get our order "to stay" was because a pair of patrons were just leaving. We pounced on their still-warm seats with our $4 lattès as I stared down the gourmet desserts and pastries behind the '60s-styled glass showcase. Yum! Hidden in a residential area in the Garneau district, somewhere between the U of A and Whyte Ave. , Cafè Leva is a cozy little getaway from busy streetscapes. The quaint departure is "focused on providing traditional Italian-style coffee" to its devoted patrons, and has been since 2001. We found free parking on one of the narrow lanes that criss-cross Leva on the corner of 111th St. (...