Thanks again for all the feedback; it is appreciated.
Today I looked outside and said to myself "What a dismal, dreary day out. I should take a quick jaunt to take some unflattering photographs of my 'hood!" And that is exactly what I did.
This shot is crisp and clear because I am flawless. If this photograph seems blurry to you, it's not because I don't know how to take indoor pictures. It's because you're drunk:
I have spent most of my five-ish years in Winnipeg living in
Wolseley, an old part of the city directly southwest of the downtown core. Just north and adjacent to Wolseley is the
West Broadway area. The western terminus of Broadway intersects with Portage Avenue and becomes part of the Trans Canada highway system. East Broadway passes by the Manitoba Legislature and becomes a prominent downtown business street fronting some government buildings and the historic Fort Garry Hotel. This set will be of West Broadway, however, which is a transitional and arguably kinda rougher area bordering my exact neighbourhood of Wolseley.
Wolseley, though close to West Broadway, has a bit of a different feel. It is the slightly less commercial "granola belt" of the city. There are yuppies, young families, senior's complexes, Manitoba Housing developments, and various other homes and apartment buildings in the area. It is a funky, vibrant area with a beautiful, colourful housing stock, as well as "organic / hippie" type stores and cooperatives.
This is one of the few constituencies in Canada where both the Green Party and the New Democratic Party enjoy widespread support.
I will label some shots as either Wolseley or West Broadway, though the two areas are at times interchangeable.
Without further ado:
Around the corner from my pad in Wolseley:
Twelve Step Program in West Broadway:
These folks are obviously enthusiastic about Skittles:
A joint I used to frequent back in the day:
Looking south on Sherbrook Street in West Broadway:
This joint in West Broadway opened several months ago and billed itself as Canada's first exclusively vegan burger restaurant:
W - Broadway:
Here we find Osborne Village rising up south across the Assiniboine River:
Such a filthy time of year:
A private girl's school; 7 out of 8 provincial judges agreed that I shouldn't hang around here:
This building reminds me of Belgium:
Some West Broadway action:
You saw it here first, kids:
The dividing line between W.B. and Wolseley:
A local landmark and outreach centre:
West Broadway:
If you don't associate Winnipeg with high fashion, it's probably because this is really shitty fashion:
Pretty darn nifty:
I worked in this building when it was an international youth hostel; now it is a halfway house / addiction recovery centre:
Tiny (and sketchy) apartment block:
Eclectic Wolseley:
So many gems:
Yep. It's election time:
Most of these homes are from the 1890s - 1910s era:
This pad belongs somewhere along the shore in Halifax:
This place in Wolseley has has the renting sign up for years; I doubt this is the case, as Winnipeg currently has available rental units hovering around 0.7%, the lowest availability in the nation:
Lotsa brick in this burg:
A sprinkling of St. Louis:
A touch of Wolseley colour:
This space for rent:
Seriously. What the fuck is up with this area and Skittles?
The tiny charms of Wolseley:
Another splendid school:
The Assiniboine River, which I probably spell differently each time:
It's that time of year again.... After 1950's massive flood, which covered much of the city, the Red River Floodway was built in what was the world's largest earth moving project at the time. The floodway partially surrounds the city in a sort of semi - moat that can be filled in times of need. This canal around our city has saved us from disaster several times, most notably in 1997's massive flood:
Damn hippies and their bikes:
Damn yuppies and their quasi - bikes:
It's true. You can look it up:
In times of hunger I attract hippies using bear traps filled with tofu:
A jolly place. And the dame workin' the till was sassy:
If you're not enjoying this tour, you're a bigot. Somehow:
If these scenes seem dead to you, remember that a) it's dreary out, and b) I try not to take too many shots of people in residential areas, unless it's quite busy with pedestrian traffic and I don't feel creepy or intrusive:
Damn ethical consumers. They're all like "sustainability" this and "quit throwing your fast food wrappers in the river" that:
Yep:
In a hippie 'hood, you can't have too many of these:
Nifty nook in Wolselsy:
Winnipeg has a hell of a lot of these mid sized brick apartments:
Frozen in the '40's:
Typical Wolseley street scene:
A local success story:
Just waltz right in. You're expected!
Ja:
A charming structure:
More Wolseley:
This neighbourhood has a stellar vibe:
Reppin' Wolseley:
Hell yeah:
I can dig it:
Some colour; this area kinda reminds me of certain 'hoods in Vancouver, but less pretentious, and actually relatively affordable:
Heading into West Broadway:
An area in transition:
This has been "now open" for over a year:
Cute:
Oh, the potential:
Peeking into somebody's back yard along the Assiniboine, fronting Wolseley Avenue:
I encourage you to remember this collection next time you're temped to think Winnipeg is ALL ugly:
And that, as they say, is that. I hope you enjoyed an overcast tour of a pretty funky little area few people - even in greater Winnipeg - seem to know exists.
Tune in next week for full frontal nudity, narcoleptic polar bears, and a haiku about the film Darkman.