Talk:Winnipeg/Archive 2004-16

The article reads:

"The airport is currently building a new terminal which will open in 2009. British Airways is expected to start operations when the new terminal opens".

Somehow I highly doubt this is true, and no source is given, but I didn't delete it. There are no regularly scheduled non-stops from Winnipeg to Europe. The article previously read that there was non-stops to London, Paris, New York, Miami, etc. This is not true. All are via Toronto or Montreal.

Actually, I had heard that BA will fly from the new terminal, though I don't have a source. Zoom airlines flies twice a week direct to London (Lutton).

Eat/Drink

Some of the entries under here I think need to be updated and/or scrutinized further as to whether or not it should be included in a travel guide. For instance, Wise Guys pub at the UofM is listed here, but is there any real reason why a visitor of Winnipeg would go all the way down to the University to go to a very typical, mediocre campus pub? If so, Degrees Diner should also be listed, as it's a lot more unique than Wise Guys. They are Student Union run, have changing student art displayed, have live music and discussion groups, and make a lot of their food from scratch. Plus, they feature locally brewed beer on tap, like Half Pints.

I just wanted to bring this up, and I'm going to slowly modify the entries listed here. If i'm stepping on any toes, we can discuss the changes further.

SAINT BONIFACE

Do you think St. Boniface deserves its own article, for those who don't know, it's the French district of Winnipeg, though you can speak English ;)! (WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast 21:11, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

Am I the only one who views this? Keep Smiling, (WT-en) edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 20:36, 22 November 2008 (EST). o

As far as I can tell, St. Bonifice is a neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Sooo, it shouldn't have an article unless we create districts (which I think is unnecessary at this point). (WT-en) Shaund 01:35, 12 December 2008 (EST)

Agree. (WT-en) edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 11:00, 12 December 2008 (EST).

Fun Stuff to Do

There may not be a lot of fun stuff to do here in Winnipeg but there are a few things that tourists often miss.

Spring - Fall (May-October). First the mosquitos: The key here, and they come out when its warm (June to August usually), is to keep moving. If you keep a brisk walking pace or ride a bike they can't land on you. Especially if you're walking into the wind. Wear light colored, baggy clothes so you're cool. Midday is the best, when its hottest. They don't like it much when its about 30c or higher.

The Forks Skatepark - the biggest in Canada. Great for BMX, skateboards or even some inline skates. Also, the Forks Market is nice to walk around and the river seawalls (there are 2 rivers that converge at The Forks) offer some scenic (by Winnipeg standards) pedestrian cruising. Some people fish in the river. Hopefully they don't consume what they catch!

Assiniboine Park and Zoo is great to walk around - very spacious and grand. South of the park is the Assiniboine Forest and it feels like you're a million miles away from the city, especially at the bird sanctuary which encompasses a small, shallow lake.

There are other parks (Bird's Hill is one) just out of the city which are larger and grander. Some allow camping and are home to diverse wildlife including a lot of deer.

Walking around downtown, especially around The Exchange is a must for architecture enthusiasts. There is a lot of history down there. The Bank of Montreal building at Portage and Main is quite a masterpiece from the inside. Very stately. The railway station that is south on Main street a few blocks is the same.

In Winter, one just HAS to walk down the frozen rivers on a sunny day. This is surely Winnipeg at its finest. The snow gives a hushed solitude, yet you're in the center of the city. Just spectacular. We now have the longest skating path apparently in the world. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2008/01/27/winnipeg-skating.html

If its bitterly cold and you're determined to see stuff make sure nothing is coming down your neck (a towel or T-shirt wrapped around snugly works wonders) and cheap gloves inside plastic bags (this breaks the wind) can be useful in a pinch. If it gets really cold - run for warmth! Nothing like a brisk sprint to keep you alive for a few more minutes til Old Man Winter sinks his teeth into you. Seriously, Winnipeg in winter is far more scenic than the summer. Its pretty easy to stay moderately comfortable down to -15c. Below that you need to plan carefully. Just keep moving. To stay still and be comfortable below -15c requires some major winter clothing. Always remember to use a wind break for your outer layer, including pants. Its amazing how many people you see here in winter, shivering in the wind, wearing some heavy sweater. The wind is just whipping warmth right out of that thing the second you go outside. Tight on the neck, wrists and ankles are what you need. Drafts are not your friend! In Vancouver in winter,24.77.170.99 00:05, 9 October 2009 (EDT) if you dress wrong you're uncomfortable. In Winnipeg, you're in physical pain or dead.

From Winnipeg Guy

The above post contains a bunch of B.S. With respect to mosquitos, they are seldom even a bother except around dawn and dusk, and then only usually in the earlier part of the summer. By August few mosquitos are seen even at the times of the day when they are at their peak activity.

Keep in mind that the average maximum temperatures in Winnipeg during the winter are -10C in December, -13C in January and -9C in February. It can get very cold at times, even between -35C and -40C on occasions overnight, but in general the weather does not cause physical pain and is not deadly unless you plan to stay outdoors for hours on end. There is always somewhere nearby to go and warm up. For the most part a decent jacket and a warm pair of gloves is sufficient. Winnipeggers themselves are the worst when it comes to exaggerating about the weather, and many would have you believe that it's forty below here for six months per year. In fact, in the last five years, the temperature in Winnipeg has dropped to -40C or below only once, on February 5th, 2007. Visitors should keep in mind too that a temperature of -15C in Winnipeg will likely feel warmer than a temperature of minus 5C in Toronto or Montreal, as the humidity in Winnipeg is much lower and there is no open water nearby (all of Manitoba's lakes are frozen over by December).

There's no doubt the parks and the river trails in Winnipeg are very scenic in the winter, particularly when there is freshly fallen snow or hoarfrost. Winter also means short days, sand and gravel on roads and sidewalks for traction, dirty snowbanks and more litter visible than at other times of year. Seriously, Winnipeg is at its best, and the best time to visit here, is during the late spring and summer months. Probably the worst months of all to visit are March and April, as the city is particularly dirty and unattractive at this time of year.

--24.78.255.10 01:03, 24 January 2010 (EST)

The post below disagrees with the severity of the weather here as I described. My point was that to be comfortable in cold below -15c or -20c, especially with the slightest wind, you need to really think and experiment if you want to keep comfortable for anything more than a few minutes. Most people just don't bother and never get outside on those frigid days and miss a lot of nature and beauty. Warming up in places along the way just means you haven't dressed properly and are continually cold.

Collaboration of the Month?

The Winnipeg article is pretty good to date, but it is just empty in my opinion, it's missing something. Do YOU think it's ready for Winnipeg to be a collaboration of the month so it gets more attention and work?¿ Keep smiling, (WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast 16:02, 27 October 2008 (EDT)

Image

Any ugly photos? - I will remove them. (WT-en) edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 20:58, 1 December 2008 (EST).

'Arguably'

There's too much "<xxx> is arguably the best <yyy>". To whom? By what measure? If it is the best, back it up with why. Otherwise, it's not the best. It doesn't matter if one person argues it to be true, this wording doesn't belong.  :-( —The preceding comment was added by 24.79.75.240 (talk • contribs)

I don't necessarily agree. Do you disagree with any of the particular characterizations? "Corydon Avenue comes alive during warm summer evenings as crowds of people gather to meet, greet and to have some of the best food, gelati, and sushi in the city" seems fair to me, as does "[Wolsely] is one of the best areas for real ethnic food." On the other hand, "With its exotic tropical theme, Club Regent Casino is the best indoor vacation sensation in the nation" seems clearly to have been added by a tout, and is inappropriate.

Basically, if you disagree with a characterization from your own experience, or if you have a better way of describing what makes a listing special, make the change. But don't change things just because you haven't been offered proof that something isn't "one of the best" ;) --Peter ^Talk 07:19, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Page Banner

There hasn't been a discussion about an appropriate page banner for this article yet. I replaced the original (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Winnipeg_banner.jpg) with the current one because it seemed to be an obvious improvement. If you have something better, feel free to replace the new one. Synon0 (talk) 14:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

I agree that the new one is an improvement. --Peter ^Talk 18:55, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

I also agree. Now we're down to only two photos of Esplanade Riel—a marked improvement!  ;) -- Alvanson (talk) 22:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Neighbourhoods

Going through the article, I've noticed that, often with duplicate content, we list various neighbourhoods in multiple sections: Understand, See, Buy, Eat and Drink. Winnipeg, IMHO, is not large enough (or exciting enough) to be divided into districts. Plus, it's no more than half an hour to/from areas of interest to travelers, so there's minimal benefit grouping all the attractions by neighbourhood. Since what I propose below is quite a large change, I would like to gain consensus on the following suggestions before I plunge forward:

• Keep Neighbourhoods under Understand: locals often refer to the different neighbourhoods in conversation (although nobody calls St James "Polo Park") and so a listing is useful here as it provides context.

• Ensure the highlights from the other four sections (See, Buy, Eat and Drink) are incorporated here.
• Restore the neighbourhoods map: either determine the source and re-import from WV-old, or redraw the map.

• Delete the Neighbourhood sub-sections and all associated content from the other four sections.

• Exceptions: The Exchange District National Historic Site and St Boniface Cathedral will be moved into Landmarks (See).

-- Alvanson (talk) 22:20, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Funny you should mention redrawing that map, since it turns out I have a nearly completed Winnipeg "districts" map lying around that I guess I forgot! I'll fix up a few things, and then upload it so you can have a go at defining neighborhood boundaries better than I could. I agree that your proposed changes will be a useful way to condense/rationalize the content here. --Peter ^Talk 06:32, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Great! Please let me know when you've updated the map. I wouldn't worry too much about placing St. James or River Heights as I plan on removing them from the article. Since the stadium has moved, St. James is only good for furniture stores, Costco and the occasional computer store (provided it stays open long enough to be worth listing here!). River Heights is exactly as described: a residential neighbourhood. There are a few restaurants and stores worth mentioning in both areas, but they're not somewhere a traveler would spend much time, unlike Corydon/Osborne, St. Boniface or Downtown/Exchange/Forks. -- Alvanson (talk) 23:13, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

List of restaurants

Our list of restaurants under Eat includes places I'm sure aren't good enough to mention in such a short list, and the categorization by price currently seems iffy. I think we should strive to include places that cover the local cuisine, local institutions, and unique experiences. I like Chinese food as much as the next guy, but you can get great Chinese in pretty much any city. Once we've got all the local cuisine and unique restaurants, we add the simply excellent places wherever we have room left.

This is certainly subject to subjective tastes and experiences, but here's my list, with reasoning included. Omission does not necessarily mean I think a restaurant should *not* be included. If people could agree/disagree and add their own suggestions below, we can agree on something better.

Budget

• Salisbury House - history/Winnipeg-ness
• Underground Cafe - unique
• Neechi Commons - represents Aboriginal food
• VJ's - need a representative or two of the greasy spoon
• BDI - locally famous
• Stella's - locally famous
• Boon Burger - unique
• CB's Restaurant - I don't think Filipino food is very common in North America, making it unique, and this is the best I know of

Mid-range

• Baked Expectations - locally famous
• In Ferno's - represents French-Canadian food
• Peasant Cookery - alternate French-Canadian food restaurant
• Siam Thai - excellence
• Pho No. 1 - excellence

Splurge

• Pizzeria Gusto - seems to be the go-to choice for fancy pizza
• Segovia - for sheer popularity

--Np1 (talk) 06:45, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

From the original list, I would keep:

Budget

• Affinity - excellence

Mid-range

• Magic Thai - Siam is good but not great
• Mondragon - unique
• Pizzeria Gusto - should only be mid-range, replace Diana's
• Sun Fortune - excellence
• Unburger - unique

Splurge

• keep list as is

The other option is to subdivide restaurants within the price categories by cuisine or by neighbourhood. -- Alvanson (talk) 17:00, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

I think the aim for this article should be to provide a decent range of high quality recommendations for each of the main areas a tourist/visitor would want to frequent—so Osbourne, Corydon, Downtown, and West End should be pretty well represented. I'd put in a plug for Billabong Gastropub. I was lured by the vulgar temptation of mac n' cheese n' bacon sandwiches, but it actually was the culinary highlight of my visit, and a very cool spot to hang out. Good pulled pork poutine too, which is of note for international visitors. --Peter ^Talk 04:20, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

There are simply way too many restaurants on this list that specialize in cuisines that a tourist could get, well, anywhere. The first four alone ("Chinese, Mexican, Lebanese, Vietnamese") are entirely unrelated to Winnipeg! Why the obsession with the non-Canadian/non-Winnipeg offerings? I am super pleased to see gestures toward the local dishes, but aren't there any notable restaurants that have them on their menus? This is just some... erm, food for thought. Many thanks. 207.35.60.99 00:25, 29 February 2016 (UTC)