Off the top of my head, I can think of three things I love most about the Friendly City: 1) it has the most beautiful liquor store in North America; 2) the daily newspaper is home to some of the wackiest and most fun-loving media gurus with whom I’ve ever has the privilege of serving, and; 3) Regina.
I get lots of grief from Moose Jaw-grown coworkers about my love affair with the provincial capital, but the big city is just so darn close.
Raised on a farm in rural Alberta, the prospect of simply driving to the big city (which was Edmonton for me) seemed too exotic and distant to ever actually do on any sort of regular basis. The City of Champions is over three hours drive from Paradise Valley, so my family settled for weekly trips to Lloydminster.
Not that the Border City is totally lacking in culture and intrigue (it is the home of the Lloydminster Communiplex and Ezzie’s on the Boarder Nightclub after all), but those big orange border markers never seemed to satisfy my craving for cosmopolitan adventure.
Oh how I enjoyed those rare trips west down the Yellowhead — the dim sum restaurants, the movie theatre on the top floor of Edmonton Centre and, of course, THE MALL. There is nothing more fantastic in this world than that gigantic Mecca of shopping and entertainment that is West Edmonton Mall.
It is the absolute in convenience, regardless of what your tastes might be. Gambling, amusement parks, hotels, restaurants, brand-name stores, life theatre, nightclubs, ample parking — the mall has got it all.
Big cities are fantastic, if not to live in, then at least to visit and enjoy for all their glamour and culture. They serve such an important role in any particular region. They are sort of like the neural centre around which all the rural communities and smaller centres coexist, feeding off the mother city for all she offers, while giving back cold hard currency. God bless commerce!
However, back to Saskatchewan. Whereas my youth consisted of mere infrequent visits to the grandeur of big city life, in Moose Jaw, I can basically drive to the regional hub whenever I feel like. It’s only 40 minutes away via Kia.
Aside from the restaurant I regularly consume some of the most delectable cuisine I can imagine (Korea House — 1427 11 Ave.), I think my favourite part to Regina is that portion along Albert Street that runs by the Legislature, McKenzie Art Gallery and Royal Saskatchewan Natural History Museum (all worth visiting).
As well, if cities were judged by the vertical architecture in their downtowns, then Regina really would kick Saskatoon’s butt.
Of course, there’s the Roughriders and, as much as my childhood self would cringe to learn I’ve actually come to enjoy an organized sport, there really are few pleasures greater than sitting amidst the sea of green with the sun beating down on one’s face and players on the field scurrying about and smacking into each other in some sort of organized chaos.
My loyal readers, please don’t conclude from this column that I somehow prefer Queen City to the serene nature of Moose Jaw. I don’t mean to imply Regina is better. They’re not really comparable given what they offer is so different from one another.
What I do mean to suggest is that Moose Jaw is a better city than most small, partly because its proximity to Regina — it seems either Moose Jaw-sized cities are so close to the hubs that they basically are part of that big city, or they’re so far away the big city is largely unattainable on a regular basis.
We are pretty lucky to have so many conveniences locally, with lovely brick architecture and a bustling downtown for which many similar-sized cities simply could not relate.
At the same time, Moose Javians enjoy a relative small city atmosphere in the midst of prairie splendor, with all the exotic thrill of the big city just over half an hour east on the Trans Canada Highway. Clearly, there is a valuable relationship in the Regina-Moose Jaw corridor.
Perhaps this really is the best place to live.
Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.
