The first thing that comes to mind, is that I would keep the Powerplant. Not Deweys, the Powerplant. This was the location of one of my first concerts ever, from when I was about 15 or 16, where a few friends and I snuck in to see Jason Collett. I wasn't a huge fan of him back then, and only went because there was an extra ticket. The show was 18+, but we got in with ease and went to sit amongst the hip university crowd. The show itself was great, but what was special was that it was one of the first times I ventured on to the University grounds, because up to that point I never thought hard about life after high school. There I sat, petrified that the students that surrounded us were going to call our bluff and we'd get booted out, but we never did. So the Powerplant represents the genesis of me blossoming into an adult in Edmonton, you could say, and I imagine it has significance to a lot of students and alumni at the University.
The second thing, the obligatory hockey thing, would have to be my Oilers jersey from the Heritage Classic. It blends together many things: my love for the Oilers, both past and present; the infamous cold temperature of the city on that day; the grandiose and inspiring nature of the event itself. It was a day where the business oriented NHL went back to its outdoor roots, which was a gift for all fans of the sport. I know one thing, wherever I end up living in the world, I'll have that jersey with me, and no matter how much I may abandon Edmonton, I'll never abandon the Oilers.
Thirdly, I'd take something of my Dad's, probably a sweaty old work hat, or perhaps his reflective vest, to represent the blue collar population of Edmonton. I wonder if Edmonton will always be blue collar, regardless of how big it grows. Will the working class still flock here in the future? I guess we'll find out. Nevertheless, I'd keep these to remember the social class I grew up in, as a sign of respect for the people who work their lives away in this city. And also to inspire me to not land in that situation myself.
My fourth item, a jerrycan of fuel, will remind me in our futuristic society what we used to get so worked up about back in the days of the 21st Century, especially here in Edmonton, where you needed this stuff to get anywhere.
Lastly, my bus pass. As I get older, and grow alongside the city, I'm beginning to think that I'll never be a car driver. As pitiful as the ETS is right now, I still use it to get everywhere. So it must not be that pitiful, I suppose. The bus pass will signify what ETS once was, and what it will (hopefully) grow to be. The plans are in place, and if I happen to be in Edmonton in 2020, or 2030, I'm sure we'll have a pretty great system in place. Those will be the days.
