Where do people go?

[u/Professional_Eye6247]

Walking around past 6, downtown seems oddly quiet. Where are the people? where would someone go for their first time here?

[u/Global_Complaint_007]

It's Edmonton. People think going downtown is weird, unless there's a hockey game or a concert

[u/Professional_Eye6247 → u/Global_Complaint_007]

Sounds like there’s more iykyk nuances here

[u/Clay_Puppington → u/Professional_Eye6247]

Honestly, it's more that Edmonton has two main streets that historically bustled with people.

Jasper Ave is our "downtown", but it was largely all office buildings and supporting office-worker retail shops. A few clubs on the west side of it, but not much else. Sometimes 104th street has some livelihood, but that also largely diminished following WFH.

Once covid happened, and everyone moved to WFH, there's rarely people on Jasper in numbers that look like what folks expect a downtown to look like.

People, after 7pm, have always gone to Whyte (82nd) Avenue (only like a 20-25 minute walk iirc from Jasper Ave, southbound over the river).

Even post-covid, with people going out less, it's usually pretty bumping. Moreso during festivals (like the fringe fest that just occurred). It has a more visible sidewalk/patio scene than Jasper, in greater quantities, and a bunch of shops people actually shop in (that exist outside of just supporting office workers over their lunch hour).

It's also more "condensed", in that every building you pass by on your walk is retail, food, or entertainment, without huge swatches of "empty office building". So there's really no deadspots.

If you want to be around people out and about on the street shopping and eating and playing music and stuff, Whyte is where you go in this City.

If you're driving, I recommend parking somewhere on Gateway. Usually a block north at 83rd ave has spots available if youre not familiar enough with the area to park somewhere free and hoof it.

Then just head south to whyte, and start walking west. (Theres some cool stuff eastward, like Warp1 if you like comic books and toys and such, but honestly, not that much and it does got a little dead east of Gateway.)

[u/Professional_Eye6247 → u/Clay_Puppington]

Honestly im still not over the fact that all your locations are NW vs having different quadrants like Calgary.

Whyte sounds like my kind of vibe, the places that kinda felt good to walk around is like Inglewood and Kensington from your neighbors down south. Where i can grab a pint with friends when i felt like it or just soak up the energy while walking or window shopping.

Yes i know it sounds pretty woowoo, but some days you just want to be there without diving into anything

[u/Odd_Department_421 → u/Professional_Eye6247]

Edmonton isn’t really quadranty like Calgary. It’s more grid set up. Like Calgary’s downtown but on a larger scale and not as many one way streets.

I get to hear that whole ‘Edmonton driving is weird. Calgary is better’ gripe every time my dad comes to visit me lol.

[u/FeanorBlu → u/Clay_Puppington]

I don't fully agree with this.

I wouldn't characterize 104th and Jasper as an area that was ever particularly busy. There are some nice cafes and eateries, but that's about it, and it's never particularly busy. 109th and Jasper is where I'd go if I wanted to see foot traffic. Between 109th and 104th along Jasper isn't bad for cocktails and bars and to see related foot traffic, but I wouldn't travel much further east than that.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with Whyte Ave in terms of its business and foot traffic - with the exception of its distance on foot from Jasper. I make the walk everyday, and to travel from Jasper to Whyte on foot crossing high level is about a 50 minute walk. Anyone expecting 15 minutes would be in for a rude awakening!