A view of downtown Edmonton looking across the North Saskatchewan River, which winds through the center of the city. The park system that runs along the river is the biggest in North America. William Hawrelak Park which is directly across the river in this picture is bigger than many of the towns in Alberta.

The Edmonton Space and Science Center. Located in Coronation Park the center has an Imax theater and one of the largest planetariums in North America. The center  opened an expansion in July of 2001 which doubled its size.  They added four new galleries including a brand new Universe gallery. That's good! However they changed the name of the center. They now call it the "Odyssium." That's bad! It sounds like the name of an amusement park ride or a clothing store. I spoke to the genius in marketing that came up with the name. She tells me its the combination of Odyssey a journey, and Coliseum a place where people gather. The new name implies people gathering and taking a journey of scientific discovery. Well what ever floats you boat I suppose. The center is still top drawer in my opinion and the new galleries are stunning. I just think they can do without the goofy name.      

Commonwealth Stadium. Home of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.  Well, even though the Esk's had a less than stellar season, they still managed to get to the western final. I was at the game but the team didn't show up. The eventual Grey Cup winners, the Calgary Stampeders pretty much cleaned their clocks.  I've got my seasons tickets for next year though. The Grey Cup will be held in Edmonton in 2002. I'll be there.

Fort Edmonton Park. The Hudson Bay Company established the first Fort Edmonton as a fur trading post on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in 1789. Fort Edmonton Park was opened in the late 1970's. The park is divided into four time periods, 1789, 1865, 1905 and 1920 and many of the buildings in it are original, moved to the park and restored, The fort itself is a re-creation.

The Alberta Aviation Museum. Located at the Edmonton City Center Airport, the museum has several aircraft from WW 1 to the 1980's. Outside the front door a Bomarc missile stands guard while a CF-101 Voodo seems ready to leap of its pedestal toward downtown Edmonton.