Winnipeg Through the Eyes of a Tourist

The ability to view the world with a fresh perspective is the rarest of opportunities. Over the past few days, a visit from an out of town friend has given me a glimpse into a newcomer’s view of our fair city.

Here are some of the impressions of the Proud and Unapologetic Non-Winnipegger:

1) Winnipeg has a veritable treasure trove of turn of the century buildings. These buildings capture a nostalgic moment in time not readily found in other Canadian cities. Notable locations include the Paris Building, the Legislature, and many other downtown locales.

2) The Canad Inns Stadium is a fun place to be, especially during the Banjo Bowl. Given the countless decades of Blue Bomber history lingering from every yellow rafter, why the rush for a new stadium?

3) Winnipeg is a big city that doesn’t have the harried big city feel. The city’s abundant green spaces further instill the sense of serenity one feels while visiting here.

4) There are a lot of traffic lights on Winnipeg’s streets. Street lights aren’t bad things but not having them timed to allow for the efficient flow of traffic is.

Today being the fifth anniversary of 9/11, one can’t help but reflect on this solemn occasion. Visiting the World Trade Center in 1998 was like a pilgrimage for me. After all it was the financial nerve centre of North America, if not the world. If you would have told me, a starry-eyed recent business school grad that thousands of people would later die on the very spot I was standing, I would have called you a lunatic. Along with those who lost family, friends or colleagues in the attack, those of us idealistic enough to hope global commerce is the key to the eradication of worldwide poverty were dealt a body blow five years ago today. While Americans may have suffered more than any other nation, in this era of globalization, we all felt a profound sense of loss.

I hope all who attempt to usurp the global village suffer the same fate as those who attempted to thwart the power of the written word by destroying Gutenberg’s printing presses. May progress continue to empower, enrich and free people with the advance of time, and may those who attempt to impede it toil away in vain.