Regina: The Place That Rhymes With Fun.

I too was once guilty of believing Regina to be nothing more than a one-duck town with poor hygienic standards and a personality complex. True, our water smells like an over-chlorinated swimming pool and tastes like the underside of a rusty trowel. Indeed, we may even have been voted as possessing the Worst Neighborhood in Canada. And yes...we are overcrowded with...(gulp)...Government of Saskatchewan employees. However, beyond it's rough exterior and crummy water treatment facilities lay a small city with the best damn curry and sushi this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific, depending on your point of reference) Ocean. Our parks are not only abundant, but very beautiful. Our main streets lack the characteristic Saskatonian liberal sprinkling of massive potholes. Yes, fair Regina is just "swell" in my book. As a matter of fact, I am willing to sacrifice myself to excruciating public humiliation in order to prove that Regina really doesn't suck as much as it's made out to.

So, sit back, relax, grab some 'corn, whilst I whisk you away on a visual journey of urban redemption...

See? Not bad, eh? These are a few pictures of a park near our Fortress of Solitude. The rock thing is actually a waterfall in the summer. There are loads of parks like this in our area and all over the rest of the city as well. Note the geese in the background - in fall, it's almost tough to see the water for the birds.

Let's talk about food. Regina has some absolutely amazing restaurants. These are just a few of my faves. India House has probably the best curry I have ever had, hands down. Neo-Japonica has an amazing menu -- I highly recommend the pork/asparagus rolls. Yummo! And the Ripplinger Art Gallery / Henry's is great for a light lunch! Afterwords, you may peruse the shops and gallery! A few other great places to eat are Ngok Van, the Chimney, and Zest (at the Science Centre). Oh, and kudos goes to many Reginian entrepreneurs for preserving some of the older beautiful houses in the area instead of demolishing them to make way for brand new buildings!

Okay, I realise that everyone knows about this stuff -- but, these well known attractions are still pretty cool.

The new RCMP Museum is opening late May 2007! The building is pretty wild, if you haven't seen it already.

So, other than schmaltzy tourist attractions, gorging yourself, and running from rabid geese- what else can you do? Oodles. You can get completely blotto by sampling the infinite amount of fine wines at the Crushed Grape. You can get a creamy, delectable, orgasmic white hot chocolate with caramel topping at Atlantis Coffee. (I think we are one of the few cities to not be taken over by Starbucks yet. We've only got one.) While drinking that scrumptious beverage, why not drive out to the Condie Nature Reserve and burn off a few of those devilish calories you've just imbibed? Or, go and play a few rounds of mini golf at the only course I know of with porn-star lighting. On weekends, one could drive for just 45 mins to the Moose Jaw spa and tunnels. Hmmmm....spaa.... Oh, and I almost forgot, during lunchtime, one may find a small group of archaeologists partaking in some anger-management by blowing the crap out of pixellated deer, aliens, and zombies at the Wonderland arcade. For just 3 bucks, you can play all the games you want for an hour. Trust me, you can play a lot of pinball in an hour.

For being in the middle of nowhere on the desolate prairie, I figure that's not too damn bad. Not too damn bad at all, if I do say so myself. Which I do. I hope this little tour d'horizon has satisfactorily whet your appetite. Oh, and there is one more thing-- at least WE have a skyline.