This is inspired by Rita's most recent blog post. Well, the first line of it.
It goes, "To really fall in love with something, you have to know it."
I'm not too sure about this....
I'm sitting here, wondering -- still wondering -- what it is that Edmonton lacks. I mean, there are many inconsequential things that it lacks, but surely there is one encompassing thing that I can point a finger to. Looking back to my previous post, I'm still thinking that it's a serious lack of mystery that Edmonton has, but I don't know if that's the city's fault or mine.
I feel like I know Edmonton like the back of my hand. Perhaps that's too much. As I said last post, I feel that it's a city that I can't get lost in. Not only physically, but emotionally. My days seem to glide by, with nothing new or exciting happening. I feel like there's a lack of spontaneity. I feel like I can expect what my day will be like the next day, down to the fine details. Sure I visit new places, go to new restaurants, meet new people, but do these things really affect my thoughts on the city as a whole? Not in the least.
There must be something more, something grander. But the funny thing is, I can't figure out what that thing is. Is it a huge film festival? (omg I wish.) Is it a bigger sense of metropolitanism? (Also, I wish.) Is it a wonderful new urban development on the City Centre Airport lands? (I hope so.)
"Development". Maybe that's the key to everything. I know Edmonton so well, because nothing seems to be developing. Or when it does, it's at a snail's pace.
I would love to live in a city where people are constantly -- constantly! -- thinking about the future, manifesting itself into new, actively pursued, urban projects.
hey ryan,
ReplyDeletemy immediate response to your question of what is edmonton missing is, simply, more people. i think that a larger population would result in the things you hope for. More people would probably mean more people who think the same as you. how to get more people here is a problem im not going to try to solve, but maybe a good start would be for people to not leave! if our generation grows old and monied and stays in the edmonton area we can make all these things happen. and much more! im thinking... some sort of interactive large outdoor sculpture park/frozen yogurt emporium. yea? hah
cheers!
Okay, so I'm beating the relationship metaphor to death here, I'm sorry. I get the sense that you could maybe travel to a city and fall in love with it, easily, if there is something to love about it. Correct me if I'm totally off-base! You're attracted to mystery, to the dynamism, whereas you're having a hard time seeing Edmonton with fresh eyes -- with that innocence? You know how you could never date someone you've known since elementary school? It's kind of like that. (This is something I am struggling with, if you couldn't tell. :))
ReplyDeleteWhat I wonder, then, is -- what if Edmonton were to develop the things you were looking for? Changes like that can happen slowly, so would we even be aware of it happening? Do we need to maybe go away for a while, and come back to an Edmonton that's different, in order to be able to appreciate it?