So Saskatoon...not so boring after all

This is what greeted me as The Canadian pulled into Saskatoon at 8am on Thursday morning:



Not a great start.

As the local bus toured the outskirts before heading into the city centre, things didn’t get much better. Although thumbs up to the driver who let me ride for free because I didn't have any change. I offered a $5 note, happy to forget about the $2 fare difference, but he said not to worry about it. The prairie capital was dusty, bland and overwhelmingly uninviting. After leaving my bags at my CouchSurfing host’s place, I ventured in the direction of the river, first stopping at where there was supposed to be a bike rental place only to discover it won’t open until July for the summer.

I headed to the Meewasin Valley Trail along the South Saskatchewan River and followed it until I crossed at Broadway Bridge. Broadway is the “hip” area of Saskatoon (yes there is such a neighbourhood here) and I needed food. My host, Neil, had recommended Broadway Café, a 50s-style diner. Of all the cafes on the strip it was the most packed so I took that as a good sign. The food was cheap and decent, although my steak sandwich turned out to be just a steak on top of a very thick slice of bread. I think the chef should visit a footy game or two in Australia and learn how to get this dish down.

Broadway was an interesting area. I visited a great alternative bookstore as recommended by Neil – I could have spent a lot of money there. There were also lots of stores featuring local arts and crafts, clothing boutiques, outdoor/adventure stores and a cupcake shop. I impressed myself by walking past the last one twice without going in.



I continued along the Meewasin Valley Trail on the east side of the river, crossing back over one of the traffic bridges and ending up close the to the city centre. I walked along the trail a little further and found Kinsmen Park. Seeing a good opportunity to kick off my shoes for a while I sat down under a tree, read one of the local papers and then fell asleep on the grass. Luckily my camera and purse were still beside me when I woke up.



The park borders the city centre so I decided to explore through there. I came across American Apparel, Lulu Lemon and then Sears and The Bay, each time thinking “That? Here? In Saskatoon?” I kept forgetting that despite appearances, Saskatoon is the biggest city in the province. Big city with a small town feel.

I walked back in the direction of Neil’s house, with a detour along 20th Street, an area he pointed out earlier. This street used to be one your parents would tell you to avoid for fear of getting mugged, murdered or worse. But over time it is slowly transforming. Now, among the church-run help centres, pawn shops and thrift stores are hot yoga centres, a yoga and dance studio, contemporary art galleries and a coffee house and communal working space, The TwoTwenty. The TwoTwenty is a co-working studio where you can buy a day pass or membership to use the space. I glanced inside and saw a huge table with people sitting at their laptops. I just looked like an unfurnished Starbucks.

Later that night I met Neil at the launch party for the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. The festival is next month and Michael Franti is playing. Unfortunately he wasn’t in the line-up for the launch party, but I caught two bands that were both pretty good. And not a yellow scarf in sight.