What is cool in Saskatoon?

The city from the University Bridge, with the riverside park on both sides.

Since my first week at work I have had a post-it note on my door asking ‘What is cool in Saskatoon?’  The answers tell me a lot about my workmates:  some are foodies, or sporty folks, or into the local theatre scene.   I am looking for some non-work ways to meet people, have fun, and make friends.  Here is the 1-month round-up:

Fuck Yeah Saskatoon is a tumblr feed of cool events in Saskatoon.  It might skew a bit younger and hipper than me, but I enjoy it.

Sporty things to check out:

Local Flatwater Canoe Club – we have both raced with and against lots of folks from this club. Small but high-quality racing program. Lots of ‘kids’ (high school and university) who spend all their time training and are on the Canadian National Athlete Development Path. Sound familiar? Graham would fit in, but this might be too hard core for a new prof.
Local Marathon Canoe club – Graham has lots of experience here, pretty new to me.

Cross-countrySkiing Club – and lots of trails if you are not a club kind of person.  I am not sure they will measure up to the family-grill picnic experience in Sweden, but the closest one is about 100m from our front door, awesome!  Best of all, waxing is easy since it is always cold. :P  This year I plan to get my first ever coaching (aside from kind hints from Erica and Jennie) and see some technical improvements.  There are lots of long, flat loppets in Saskatchewan too, so I’ll look forward to lots of double-poling!

Food:

The local restaurant scene lags SIGNIFICANTLY behind Vancouver.  :(  We also have an American-style food desert downtown, which is familiar to me as a public health risk, but until now outside of my personal experience.  As a car-free cycle commuter, it sucks!  However, there are a few gems.

The year-round farmer’s market, which hosted ‘culture days’ on our first weekend here, so we saw some first nations crafts and live music.

Steep Hill Coop is a nice little hippie/health food shop.  The only Coppenhagen minivan I have seen in Saskatoon was parked out front on my first trip.  I have a one-year membership and am now enjoying $2.30 Barbara’s cheezie twists.

Great but expensive Truffles downtown is a short walk from our house and has an awesome menu, including house-made seabuckthorn sorbet and the best gnocchi I have had in a long time. Next time I may even get the Diefenbaker trout.

I feel connected to the scene via this local food blog.

Other cool things:

Mendel Art Gallery – A diverse art gallery with lots of community events.  This Sunday they have a community event called ‘Art for thanksgiving’. This seems like a great cold/winter trip and walking distance from our place. Maybe a neat way to do some volunteering and meet some arty folks?

Ukranian museum of Canada – no Ukranian heritage, but we both love perogies and are interested to learn about the first Europeans who made Saskatchewan their home.

Metis cultural learning – a part of my heritage, and an interest for me to learn about the history, unique culture, and current issues too.  Still looking for a way to get involved, maybe I will find a way to volunteer.  Youth canoeing would be fun!

1 Comment

  1. I remember trying to find a place to eat the firt time we went to Nationals in Regina…. We ended up in an Irish Pub.

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