Of genteel charms

Kishore and Smita Iyengar

Edmonton has a nostalgic recall in its historic, heritage neighborhood, a favourite haunt of visitors from all across the globe, Old Strathcona, a unique part of this city offering real time experiences!

Over-the-century quaint architecture in brick and plaster create an instant curiosity. Once the real heart of Edmonton during the early oil boom and the railway construction years, it is the theatre capital of Canada, the effervescing arts, music, performance and entertainment district famed for its multitude of specialty restaurants, pubs, bars, delis, organic produce outlets, art galleries, fashion and beauty shops and trendy bistros.

Among relic edifices are the old fireman’s memorial, the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market and the famous Strathcona Hotel that had hosted biggies of the film, television and entertainment world before modern Edmonton was built. The usually busy Whyte Avenue near Hudsons Canada Tap House gave off aromas of freshly pulled draught brews mingling with hearty guffaws and laughter spilling out with brevity. Planet Organic, the largest organic wares supermarket, offers an amazing array of savories, herbs, aroma products, consumables and even chocolates. Skateboarding brats in fluorescent tank tops and hats shriek away in delight, zipping off across open parking lots.

The mood is predominantly celebrative, casual, funky and non-conformist. A bunch of jazzily decked Buskers (street musicians) work up an impromptu crescendo near the inviting Bee Bell Health Bakery, as a motley group of admiring visitors grin away. The irresistible fragrance of fresh croissants, muffins and bread rolls from the bakery is inviting, specially celebrated for their mouth-melting local favorite, Weggli Buns.

Street art in profusion create a visual canvas of diversity in Old Strathcona. On bare brick walls, electric metre posts, abandoned yard walls and street side panels, bright expressions of urban scapes and kitsch figure work lend a Bohemian and carefree accent to this fascinating neighborhood. Stop by signages that tickle your vocabulary — ‘Chicken Scratch’, ‘When Pigs Fly’, ‘Julio’s Bario’ (Mexican slurps), ‘Squire’s Pub’, ‘Origin India’, ‘Gravity Pope’, ‘Ten Thousand Villages’, ‘Sabzy’, ‘The Next Act’(food and drink) and ‘Packarat Louise’ a fine dining place for fine contemporary Edmonton gourmet.

A merry hop on to the heritage iron horse — the high-level bridge street car of the Edmonton Radial Railway takes you through leafy-laned suburbs of pretty villas and cottages, onto the River Valley High Level Bridge spanning fantastic views of Edmonton and its skyline. From Old Strathcona to Jasper Avenue over the North Saskatchewan River valley, it takes 15 minutes but the ride is unforgettable. Old poignant adverts and placards line up the squeaky, shiny all wood paneling of the Street car interiors, adding to the charm of a leisurely ride from Old Strathcona to modern Edmonton.