Edmonton/Central

Central Edmonton is most densely urbanized and oldest area of Edmonton. The heart of Central Edmonton is the "Downtown Core": which is what locals call the central business district plus the areas immediately adjacent like the Government Centre and the Warehouse District. Surrounding this are several distinct neighbourhoods with their own personalities.

The geography of Central Edmonton is defined by the river valley, which borders Downtown on the south and the east. Below the steep decent of the valley walls is a wide expanse of parkland crisscrossed by multi-use paths and bridges.

Understand
The following neighbourhoods are a part of Central Edmonton



Get in
For Central Edmonton, transit is divine.
 * The Edmonton LRT has 18 stations from Century Park in the south to Clareview in the north via the Capital Line with a branch north from Churchill to NAIT via the Metro Line. The trains rip through central Edmonton, making it easy to get to various neighbourhoods in a snap.

Get around
Central Edmonton is the most walkable area of the city. The neighbourhoods are more pedestrian-friendly than those in the outlying suburbs and are easy to navigate due to the proximity of amenities and mass transit options. There are a few LRT stations in the downtown core, but it will usually be just as quick to walk.


 * The High Level Bridge Streetcar offers a limited, seasonal service, and also a direct route, from the area of the Alberta Legislature to Old Strathcona. It offers a magnificent view of the North Saskatchewan River from the High Level Bridge, and is a tourist attraction more than a utilitarian transport.

Edmonton operates the pedway system to navigate the downtown core during the winter months, similar to Plus 15 in Calgary or the PATH system in Toronto. There is limited signage, but you can find a map online and at a few strategic points along the routes. Even during the summer months, using the pedway system ensures that you'll access the retail and facilities of the city. There isn't much retail that faces the city streets directly, and you'll always be met with the double door entryways.

The city has a funicular system to access the river valley. Although somewhat slower than just taking the steps by the side of it, you can take two elevators (one a funicular style) from next to the Fairmont hotel downtown to adjacent to the low-level bridge. it's free, a bit of a novelty, and likely you'll be the only one on board as the locals tire of waiting for the lift at take the stairs (while making a joke about $24 million "well-spent" by the city).

See
Central Edmonton has the most stuff to do, by far in Edmonton's area. From a thriving arts' district to architectural gems-it has it all!





Skyline views


''Some of these listings are in different districts. Their listings are in here because the views are of central and pertain to the article. At the end of the listings that are not in this district there are links to that district.''

Architecture
Edmonton's architecture is developed and diverse for its size. It has a significant amount of modern architecture and the old buildings stick out like a sore thumb - in a good way. One can stroll 101 Street from Jasper to 103A Avenue and see many of Edmonton's skyscrapers. The most iconic, Manulife Place, built in '83 is a stunning modern structure and is Edmonton's tallest. It uses elegant glass and minimalist details. Adjoining Manulife is the Commerce Place, which is another modern gem with neat shapes and nice glass. 104th Street in the downtown is home to some fabulous pre-WWII warehouses that make a nice walk. Whyte Avenue is home to an array of cool pieces of architecture, that give it that small prairie town vibe. The Coronation Park is also a cool spot. It previously had the Edmonton Planetarium which is now closed, but is an interesting Mid-century Modern building for sure. Then there is the Telus World of Science Edmonton, which has another planetarium of the Mid 1900s. The Peter Hemmingway Pool, with excellent curves and beautiful glass, was built before the advent of the modern computer. The Alberta Legislature is one of Edmonton's finest historical structures. Adjacent to it is the Leg Annex, the first curtain wall building in Canada, and important in architectural history. 100th Street in the downtown is pretty cool, with a few interesting historic buildings; further north, Churchill Square, is surrounded by interesting buildings. The Grant MacEwan Downtown Campus also offers some architectural merit; the 2007 expansion, Robbins Health Centre, uses fine glass. The University of Alberta Campus is also nice. It has a wide variety of architecture and buildings from smokestacks to hotels to hospitals to classrooms to residences. It has some old buildings like the Rutherford House and some new gems like Mazankowski Institute on 83rd Ave.

Do

 * Walk along 97th Street (between Jasper Avenue and 110 Avenue) and look at all kinds of different areas of the city, like between Jasper and 106th Avenue you can see the differences between downtown and Boyle. Definitely a neat walk.
 * Ride the bus around a central neighbourhood and see its uniqueness at a glance.

Spectator sports

 * Commonwealth Stadium Day.jpg
 * Commonwealth Stadium Day.jpg

Major festivals
Due to Northlands Park, Churchill Square and numerous spots downtown, Central Edmonton is the festival centre of the city!



Buy
There is plenty of good shopping in Central Edmonton:


 * 124th Street & Environs is a major up and coming shopping area in Oliver. It features neat cafés, boutiques, furniture and gift shops, hair salons, spas, restaurants, and galleries. 124 Street has a few sub areas that are worth mentioning:
 * 124th Street (between Jasper and 111 Avenue). This part is divided into:
 * Block to Shop(124 between Jasper and 102 Ave NW). This area is home to a nice concentration of woman's boutiques. Most of these cater to professional women and are quite stylish and lead in brands and price range (some with cheap prices). Some of the stores also carry menswear. There are also a few restaurants.
 * Gallery 124 (124 between 102 and 104 Ave). This area isn't just full of galleries of neat art, it also has some nice stores. Cute little furniture destinations and outdoor wear places line this section, as well as a lot of hair salons and a few boutiques.
 * 124th North (124 between 104 and 111 ave). This transitional area is growing very fast. In one part, it has high end, good stores that cater to a varied range of people. Then, there is still the stuff from before this place had interest in boutiques, interior designers, cafés, and restaurants. It hosts interior design places that are high end and some nice clothing shops for all kinds of people. It also has a lot of gift stores and small restaurants.
 * High Street (102nd Avenue NW between 124 and 127 St NW). This area is host to neat cafés and cute restaurants with top-notch quality. It also has small gift stores, most notably, Notables. There are also a few furniture places and little pastry stops that are worth stopping at.
 * 124 and Jasper (Jasper Avenue between 123 and 124 St NW). This area is home to the "Gallery Walk" which is totally different from shopping, unless, of course, you are interested in buying artwork. It also has a few neat little stores.


 * 104th Street (between Jasper Avenue and 103rd Avenue) is a nice, up-and-coming shopping district in the warehouse district downtown. Expect a pedestrian-friendly environment of wide sidewalks, beautiful trees, nice buildings, and slow cars. 104th Street is a smaller retail area, growing very rapidly. The area is home to a lot of really nice independent stores catering more to the younger crowd. Most notably, 29 Armstrong is an interior design store, and showcases the hottest styles in interior design in a beautiful old building. Another popular one is Ces't Sera Chemistry Clothing, which is a men and women's clothing store with items that are very stylish and somewhat formal, but also some casual wear. Along with all that, there are more furniture stores, stationery stores, groceries, and more.
 * 104th Street (between Jasper Avenue and 103rd Avenue) is a nice, up-and-coming shopping district in the warehouse district downtown. Expect a pedestrian-friendly environment of wide sidewalks, beautiful trees, nice buildings, and slow cars. 104th Street is a smaller retail area, growing very rapidly. The area is home to a lot of really nice independent stores catering more to the younger crowd. Most notably, 29 Armstrong is an interior design store, and showcases the hottest styles in interior design in a beautiful old building. Another popular one is Ces't Sera Chemistry Clothing, which is a men and women's clothing store with items that are very stylish and somewhat formal, but also some casual wear. Along with all that, there are more furniture stores, stationery stores, groceries, and more.


 * Chinatown is the largest Asian concentration in Edmonton. Expect authentic food stores and all kinds of other stores similar to Chinese cities and towns.
 * Commerce Place offers yet more designer shopping such as Sam Abouhassan, Plaza Escada, and Diamori in a modern mall setting, and also features a branch of Sunterra, an upscale Albertan supermarket.
 * West Jasper is the area of Jasper Avenue west of 109th Street, east of 123 Street. Full of small stores, but more scarce than in other areas. It is nice for a safe quiet walk or if you know a specific store. The most popular store is Who Cares? which is a woman's clothing with trendy styles catered to women over 30. It can be a quite busy area, due more to the nightlife than the shopping though.

Eat
The Central area has the broadest cuisine selection in Edmonton. Chinatown has authentic Chinese restaurants and grocers, as well as Vietnamese and other Asian vendors. A few blocks north in Little Italy are Italian restaurants, groceries, and the best bakery. The downtown core offers many options from classic Continental cuisine to Portuguese to Tex Mex to Italian to burger joints. Jasper West has a couple of nice Italian and North American restaurants. Expect the downtown core to be quiet on a weekday evening, and many eateries to be closed after business hours.

Coffee, smoothies, and snacks

 * Jasper Ave and 104th Street offers two quality offerings for cafes, Transcend Coffee and Credo Cafe. Transcend Coffee is a local coffee roaster and offers quality espresso and brewed Clover coffee options made to order. Transcend Jasper also has a live music venue and some beer and wine offerings. Credo carries Intelligentsia coffee from L.A. and Chicago and prepares it well. With either cafe you cannot go wrong.
 * Elm Cafe just outside of the downtown core at 117th St just north of Jasper Ave is worth the distance. Delicious unique breakfast/lunch sandwiches rotated daily and other offerings. Not to mention excellent espresso and brewed coffee. Elm cafe carries 49th Parallel Coffee from Vancouver.
 * Transcend Coffee Garneau is located in the Garneau Theatre building on 109th St and 87th Ave. Trendy decor, excellent coffee, close to the beautiful river-valley, University and Whyte Ave. This cafe is open seven days a week. Espresso, brewed Clover coffee and pastries are offered.
 * Leva Cafe is a cafe that serves a more traditional Italian espresso and is located by the University. This cafe also has great pizza and gelato. If you have an home espresso machine that needs repair, Cafe Tech in the back will be able to help you.
 * Elm Cafe just outside of the downtown core at 117th St just north of Jasper Ave is worth the distance. Delicious unique breakfast/lunch sandwiches rotated daily and other offerings. Not to mention excellent espresso and brewed coffee. Elm cafe carries 49th Parallel Coffee from Vancouver.
 * Transcend Coffee Garneau is located in the Garneau Theatre building on 109th St and 87th Ave. Trendy decor, excellent coffee, close to the beautiful river-valley, University and Whyte Ave. This cafe is open seven days a week. Espresso, brewed Clover coffee and pastries are offered.
 * Leva Cafe is a cafe that serves a more traditional Italian espresso and is located by the University. This cafe also has great pizza and gelato. If you have an home espresso machine that needs repair, Cafe Tech in the back will be able to help you.

Bars, clubs, and pubs

 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).
 * T'zin Wine & Tapas, 10115 - 104 Street. This cozy little place is off Jasper Ave. and offers absolutely amazing wine with small-portion food dishes. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Very much a hidden gem, tucked tight in a very small space. Be sure to look for it (it has a small patio).

Splurge
Edmonton's fanciest and most expensive hotels fill up quickly due to a lack of 4 and 5-star hotels. Consider booking up to six weeks in advance to get the best choice.



Where to avoid

 * Chinatown (the area surrounding 97th Street between 105 and 107 Ave) is on the margin of Edmonton's "inner city" and may be somewhat intimidating to walk through after dark. The 107 Avenue area from 95 Street to 109 Street is less rough but still best avoided by casual pedestrians after dark.

Panhandling
At times, mostly downtown, especially during winter, on the weekdays after 6PM or in quiet areas, you may have people ask you for money. They are rarely aggressive. If you are under 19, you will rarely be asked. There are two approaches:


 * Ignore them - just pretend you didn't hear them and keep walking. Do not look at them.
 * Say no - do it politely with a "No, sorry" as they will usually just say "Alright. Thanks.  Have a good day."