HELLO EDMONTON!
Where am I? Alaska? No, but close! You're in the lovely and super cold, cold, cold. Home of the lovely northern lights and lots of snow and ice! We flew here from Vancouver and saw the most breathtaking view of the Rockies.

SEGWAY TOURS EDMONTON
We did the Segways here and let me just say, you need to dress for artic weather for this! There were giant icebergs floating down the river. Dress warm and in layers! Think two pairs of everything - socks, gloves, hats and scarfs.
We've done segways in the USA but they are not legal in Canada yet so we had to stick with the river and views of the city. This was really lovely anyway, and the views were fantastic so it all worked out. Plus, the owner was super creative and took an "action" shot of us like we were zooming by on segways and it is one of my favorites!
Segways are an awesome way to get some history and see the place you're visiting, even in a place as cold as Edmonton. It made for an unusual adventure, which we're always up for.

REXALL PLACE
Its an old stadium! There is this historic and charming feel to it. Good food options, and passionate yet really nice and respectful fans (honey, we're not in Philly anymore!).
The opening ceremony was awesome, as was the entire experience. Definitely a must see, especially before they build the new stadium.

COURTYARD EDMONTON
This hotel was nice, and I'm sure most rooms are pretty good. Ours, sadly, was right under the gym and I kept waking up in a panic when I heard crashing above us at 5 in the morning! In the end, I decided not to use the gym! I think it might be a good idea to move it from the 7th floor to the first!
There was a bit of staleness to the room, I think its just tough to air it out here because its always freezing.
That being said, its a lovely view of the river, and in a great location within walking distance of breakfast food.

DE DUTCH
We found another one! We loved Vancouver's De Dutch and DABAKON, so when we found one just down the street from our hotel, we were iN! We ate here every day! I smell Dutch pancakes with some sugar and butter!
Edmonton also has a lovely orange decor and its just so nice that we could walk here from our hotel. Greg tried the hollandaise dutch eggs benedict...the bread is twice baked and not your traditional English muffin. Its crunchy, and different. Also, gotta love the da-bomb-bacon.

NORTH 53
Good food! Had the nicest waitress from Quebec that made some great food recommendations, including a dessert that was her grandmother's recipe. Love the way you can order multiple plates and try different things here. This is tough on the kitch but seriously awesome as a guest. We ordered 5 things total (not including dessert) and all the plates are made for sharing. Love, love absolultely sublime. Recommend the clam scallop fettuccine and the apple tart dessert, and the poor man's pudding. YUM!

RGE RD
Everything was good! Its one of those menus that constantly changes depending on what is fresh. Its a MUST to come open minded. It was heavy on meats and I ended up getting a vegan meal. However, the perogies, or as they say "perogy" were insanely delish. Didn't even know it was possible to have perogies... I mean, "perogys" that good!

CORSO 32
They make their own pasta, and its amazing! Who knew you could find such incredible Italian food in Edmonton?The name is the ownern's family street name as a child.
Did I mention the PASTA? Oh my lord, its just so good I can't stop talking about it. I'd recommend some dishes to try, but I can't remember any of the Italian names! Everything was amazing, don't forget to ask for wine recommendations.

REXALL PLACE
Hockey in Canada is always amazing, and Edmonton was no exception. I was suprised how many Flyers fans there are in Edmonton. We thought at first a lot of Philly travellers had joined us, turns out we just have a lot of fans in the artic of Edmonton! The funniest part was talking to someone on the elevator on the way to the game, and he asked us if we'd ever been to Philly, and we said, YUPPPP! Home, sweet, home.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I need more coldgear! Underarmour is my best friend. Next time I come here, I'm going to ignore the forecast and just bring layers! It snowed every single day, and the airport was a crazy adventure because we thought for sure our flight home would be cancelled. It was, after all, snowing like no tomorrow, but nope... thats totally normal in Edmonton. They were de-icing our plane and we were still thinking, no way we are taking off in this insane weather. We get on the plance and our pilot told us we were going to take off quick and he was not kidding! We were holding on for dear life.....but he clearly knew what he was doing, and thankfully we made it through the snow storm.
Edmonton, will visit again in the summer! And maybe this time catch the elusive northern lights....