I would love to list all the reasons we have for wanting to move there, but we'll have to do that later. I think first I'd like to say a few things about where we come from, and why it'll be so hard to leave. I'm sure I've left a thousand things off of this list, but here goes:
Top 10 things I'll miss about Winnipeg
1 - Friends, Family and Co-Workers
I think this goes without saying, but it needs to be said. Less contact with those back home is obviously going to be the worst part about moving. I have a bzillion memories of growing up and living in Winnipeg (specifically Transcona), but the best things about those memories are the people in them, not the places or things involved. Winnipeggers are the most genuinely friendly people in the world (even if a little cynical at times). I sincerely will miss you all! I expect each and every one of you to come out and visit!!
2 - The Hi Neighbour Festival
Perhaps not a particularly unique event to the eyes of an outsider, Transcona's summer street festival is a great place to take the kids - full of rides, games, music, mini donuts and all. Of course, the reason I'll miss this so much is because I remember being a kid there, and I've taken my own kids to the Hi Neighbour too. Hopefully they had as much fun as I did when I was little. The festival has its own mascot, Hi Neighbour Sam, who has recently been liberated from his enslavement at the hands of the sinister Canadian Tire corporation. Oh, and you usually do see your neighbours at the festival... and say hi...
A few years back, Winnipeg's premier museum underwent a name change, dropping its former, diabolically sexist moniker, 'The Museum of Man and Nature'. (Try to imagine the talk radio broadcasts around this time.) It has always been a top quality museum, but since the name change we began to see a great deal of new exhibits, upgrades and improvements. The relatively recent Parklands Gallery is pretty slick and really caters to the 'family outing' crowd, but I'd still have to say that my favorite part is still the Nonsuch Gallery. Pretty neat to walk onto a full-size ship in the middle of Downtown Winnipeg.... which leads us to:
4 - Downtown Winnipeg
When I was a kid, it was considered safe for two 9 year-olds to take the bus by themselves all the way from the extreme east end of the city all the way downtown (about a 40 minute ride). If you live in Winnipeg, or have checked the statistics on criminal activity here lately, this would seem like a really bad idea nowadays. Downtown used to be full of awesome comic stores, movie theatres, book stores, music dealers, a library, a museum, enclosed skywalks, toy stores, food courts, and everything else a pre-teen kid would be interested in. I guess most of that stuff is still around, but ever since they closed the legendary Metropolitan Theatre and Eaton's, things have changed a lot - for the worst, in my opinion. There are way less theatres (I believe it's down to two now, as opposed to nine or ten when I was a kid), less comic stores (understandable with the comic book market crash of the 90's) and food courts are now full of drug dealers and street gangs. (Let's hope that's something that fewer pre-teen kids are interested in). With all this, there's no way in hell I'd let my kids go downtown without parents until they're at least 15, and even then, I'll need to know explicitly who they're with and where they're going. In a way, I guess I already miss downtown Winnipeg...
Although it's pretty much a given that you have to drive at least an hour from Winnipeg to get to see any type of landscape at all, living at the low spot of the Canadian Prairies does have the advantage of having lots of of sandy beaches. Grand Beach is usually considered the best one in Manitoba, but it's also the most crowded. Summers here can be blistering hot sometimes, and a drive to the beach is always a great day trip. There's usually good camping around the lakes too, so an overnight stay is also fun. Just don't get busted with open liquor, eh?
I have played onstage in a few bands in my day, most notably Homesick, Mikado, and Force of Habit. You may not have heard of any of these, but the beauty of the Winnipeg music scene is the sheer number and variety of bands that can be seen at any of the clubs on any given night of the week. From my experience, some of the best places for a band to play are the Pyramid, the West End Cultural Centre, the Royal Albert (watch out for weirdos!), Ozzie's, the Zoo and the Central (in Transcona). There's also a really great network of extremely talented players in this town, and I've had the pleasure of meeting a great number of them; having either shared the playbill with or photographed them in the past. It's been a really cool experience to rub shoulders with the likes of Propagandhi, The Hummers and The Watchmen. I may or may not continue my music career in British Columbia, but I'll never forget all the great times and great concerts I've seen or played in here. BTW, some great current Winnipeg bands to keep an eye on are In Circles, Psychotic Gardening, and ASADO. I think that's enough name-dropping for now.
This is something that is pretty unique to Manitoba. I suppose there could be similar events held elsewhere under a different name, but this is basically a pre-wedding cash grab or sports team fundraising event disguised as a kick-ass party. I haven't attended one in a long time, but here are a few things that you'll always see or hear at a Manitoba Social:
-Underagers sneaking drink tickets
-Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger
-FREE rye bread, kolbassa, pickles and Old Dutch brand rippled potato chips
-Grandpa getting loaded and Grandma leaving early
-Mony Mony by Billy Idol ("Hey mother****er, get laid, get ****ed!")
-Cheap liquor
-Silent auctions/prize draws for the "extra large bottle of perfume"
-You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
-Drunken fist fights in the parking lot
Ahhh...the memories....
Winnipeg has a very large and prominent Francophone community, and for a week or so every February, all of Winnipeg gets to go walk around outside in the freezing cold and look at ice sculptures, eat pea soup and maple sugar, explore a fort and take a toboggan ride or two, all while learning about the history of the Voyageurs and indeed the history of Winnipeg itself. Although I have recently been put off by the large crowds, high prices and less than ideal weather, this is an experience you definitely wouldn't want to miss if you find yourself in Winnipeg in the middle of one of it's coldest months. Winter carnivals are a great way to stave off cabin fever and the subsequent cannibalism which can sometimes follow...
I don't know what it is, but people from Winnipeg love a deal. Instead of bragging about how much something we own is worth, we brag about how much we saved. Moving to BC probably seems like a really stupid move to my fellow Manitobans, and I can't count on both hands how many people in the last week alone have repeated the same joke to me about how the letters BC stand for "bring cash". That being said, prices have been steadily going up and up here anyway, and I've never been one to count my pennies in the checkout line. (That's right Grandmas! I'm talkin' to you!!) Still, I agree it would be nice to continue to pay less for everything - from beer, gasoline, taxes, food, clothing, insurance, utilities, you name it. I don't consider myself cheap (I know a lot of people who are way worse), but I suppose I'll probably complain a lot about the prices after the move, and curse all the 'rich bastards' who can actually afford whatever they want...
I grew up here. I have family and tons of great friends here. Many of my relatives are buried here. Since I learned that our move was a certainty, I'm filled with a certain sadness every time I pass by a place that I remember from growing up. Over here is my old elementary school; over there is where I drank my first sip of Jack Daniels; that's the house where my best friend used to live; that's where I lost my virginity (finally); etc., etc... you get what I'm saying. On my first visit back to Winnipeg, I'm going to go to all these places again, and I'm going to call up all the people I used to hang out with - well, at least all the ones who'll still hang out with me... I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for Winnipeg (and again, specifically Transcona), and I'll never forget my roots.
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That's it for the list, but there's obviously going to be things I forgot to mention. In keeping with the traditional format of the 'Top 10', some things had to be sacrificed. No one ever makes 'Top 14' lists...
As a quick side note, I am currently in the process of liquidating many of my non-essential belongings, including camera gear, comics, action figures, books, movies, Cd's, furniture and more. Keep an eye out for my Ebay store and Kijiji listings to get a great deal, Winnipeggers!
Though this is not the end of my blog, it is sadly the end of an era. If you know me personally and want to know more about the move and want to catch up before I go, please feel free to drop me a line at andonator2000@yahoo.ca . I can't promise that I'll have a lot of time, but I will do my absolute best to get in touch with everyone I can. As I said, I'm going to miss you all when I'm gone.
May the Force be with you...
