If I'm moving through Edmonton, I'm either driving somewhere (probably to the mall), taking the city bus to school, or using the LRT to get to the bar (which I recommend you try if you think cabs are as big of a rip off as I do). That's a few different ways of moving, but the most obvious one - walking through the city - is not something I really do at all.
Firstly, I'm too scared to walk the streets in half of the places of Edmonton if I'm alone, and I don't even really like it when I'm with someone. Secondly, I'm a creature of the sun. If the weather gets anywhere near -20 I seriously have trouble functioning. It's so hard for me to even get out of bed! It's way too cold for me to want to walk anywhere here for seven to eight months of the year.
Maybe I'll make it a goal of mine to walk Whyte Ave on a warmer day and check out all the cool places that I've been reading about in some of the blogs here. If it's warm out I don't really have an excuse not to.
I can completely relate to your post. I'm not sure that it's paranoia or insecurity but I feel sketched when I walk around certain places in the city, alone or with someone. I've never been into the Whyte Ave thing either - it just doesn't seem all that appealing. Plus you're right, it's too cold half of the time. Who wants to go barhopping when it's -20 or below outside?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would be a good idea for us both to check out Whyte in the summer, though. It's probably a lot nicer then than it is the other eight months of the year. And nice tip with the LRT - most people probably don't think of that. Cabs are quite the ripoff. :)
I also shared the same sentiment about walking around in Edmonton (being shown the crime map in class didn't really help much either). However, one day, I missed the last bus heading home and without a car (or anyone who could pick me up), I was forced to walk home. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe the fear of walking in certain neighborhoods is due to the comfortability of being within that space. One of my friends lives downtown near the Bissell Center and she walks home from work (Kingsway) every night at around 9/10. And she's been doing it for years! I walked home with her once - during the day - and I felt completely terrified. So maybe the fear of walking around in the city is more due to the fact that we are unfamiliar with so many different parts of the city.