Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada: Part I

[ChillN]

Saskatoon is a pretty little city. It's amazing how much downtown Saskatoon looks and feels to me like Old Strathcona in Edmonton.

[Echoes]

Thank you everyone for your kind words! It was truly a pleasure having the opportunity to showcase a city than many of you may have no previous exposure to.

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Great tour. I really do need to make the short trek east for a visit.

You really should! The Edmonton - Saskatoon drive is very reasonable.

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Very healthy looking city. Never been there, but hope to visit it one of these years...
I was actually expecting more photos of the hotel. And you're right, it is a gem! Are the classic Canadian Railroad hotels still linked together somehow, or are most of them independantly owned?

I think the railway hotels are under different brands these days. The Bessborough is a Delta. I know of several that are Fairmont.

[gatt]

Beautiful!

[SaskScraper]

Excellent slice of downtown & Broadway ave in Saskatoon Echoes!! gives a taste of what typical S'toon looks like this time of year. Can't wait to see your next set of pics... including say Riversdale, City Park, Caswell Hill.. and also including East side of river such as University of Saskatchewan, Varsity View, Sutherland and Nutana S.C. maybe too.. I'm a big fan of the old schools in the city and love to see more of those *hint =)

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures!

What do people in Saskatoon do for recreation in the summer?

[Razor]

Ode to Saskatoon's offerings to the arts.Cheers! .Great pics! Is it fair to say that there are parallels between The prairie Sask cities and London Ontario???

[Jarrod]

Thanks for the thread! Saskatoon looks great!

[Ex-Ithacan]

Attractive, solid looking city. Good to see the populace out & about too. Thanks for the tour Echoes.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Excellent slice of downtown & Broadway ave in Saskatoon Echoes!! gives a taste of what typical S'toon looks like this time of year. Can't wait to see your next set of pics... including say Riversdale, City Park, Caswell Hill.. and also including East side of river such as University of Saskatchewan, Varsity View, Sutherland and Nutana S.C. maybe too.. I'm a big fan of the old schools in the city and love to see more of those *hint =)

I'd love to cover all those areas for my next tour, but we'll see if I have the ambition! It's been a lot more work than I expected, but a rewarding challenge for sure.

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures!

What do people in Saskatoon do for recreation in the summer?

There are many festivals in Saskatoon during the summer. And many people have cabins at lakes in northern Saskatchewan. Camping, hiking, and water sports are popular.

My personal favourite summer activity is going to a beach along the South Saskatchewan River with friends for the day.

Originally Posted by Razor

Ode to Saskatoon's offerings to the arts.Cheers! .Great pics! Is it fair to say that there are parallels between The prairie Sask cities and London Ontario???

I've never been to London, ON so I can't speak to that comparison, though I'd be interested to hear more about the parallels you see!

[c@taract_soulj@h]

Stunning!

[isaidso]

Far more elegant and charming than I expected. It was a pleasant surprise.

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Very healthy looking city. Never been there, but hope to visit it one of these years...
I was actually expecting more photos of the hotel. And you're right, it is a gem! Are the classic Canadian Railroad hotels still linked together somehow, or are most of them independantly owned?

Canadian Pacific Hotels is very much a going concern, but changed its name to Fairmont Hotels. Management felt that name resonated more with Americans. I believe some of the grand railway hotels in smaller cities are now part of other chains.

[mrnyc]

interesting to see this nice looking and well set place. and its not buried in 10ft of snow as in my imagined image of it!

[whiteford]

great tour of my childrens home town. both my sons were born there so thats why i will always have the fondest memories of saskatoon. also, it is canada's new boom town. it reminds me of a mini edmonton. growing at break neck speed, it wont be long and this town will double in population i believe. 30 yrs tops. saskatoon has access to over 100,000 pure and crystal clear lakes. and thousands of rivers and streams that conect them. the worlds largest population of fresh water lakes no less. with that going for you saskatoon has the world at its back door. just one more reason for its continued success. its bound for greatness in its future.

[Wpg_Guy]

nice set

[Jeff]

love the birks clock! thanks for the awesome tour

[Rico Rommheim]

Very charming town. The Bessborough is stunning.

[ue]

Great shots, Echoes. I think I saw this thread (at least in part) awhile back, but never commented. It really shows a different side of Saskatoon that I'm not used to seeing.

I know from experience that Saskatoon has some solid bones and is fairly urban for such a modern, small city, but I never knew it had such buzz. Is a lot of it related to summer festivals?

Originally Posted by whiteford

great tour of my childrens home town. both my sons were born there so thats why i will always have the fondest memories of saskatoon. also, it is canada's new boom town. it reminds me of a mini edmonton. growing at break neck speed, it wont be long and this town will double in population i believe. 30 yrs tops. saskatoon has access to over 100,000 pure and crystal clear lakes. and thousands of rivers and streams that conect them. the worlds largest population of fresh water lakes no less. with that going for you saskatoon has the world at its back door. just one more reason for its continued success. its bound for greatness in its future.

Definitely. A lot of people compare Saskatoon to Calgary, but it feels a lot closer to Edmonton. Regina feels more like mini-Calgary.

[Echoes]

Thanks, everyone! I didn't expect that a few nostalgic summer pics posted in the Canada forum would resurrect this thread.

Looking back at both my photo threads after a few months have passed, I have to say, I think I prefer my work in Part II!

Originally Posted by ue

I know from experience that Saskatoon has some solid bones and is fairly urban for such a modern, small city, but I never knew it had such buzz. Is a lot of it related to summer festivals?

Yes, I think that has a lot to do with it. In summer, there is a festival every weekend it seems and the buzz is palpable in the city. I think there's something to be said for suffering through a long, cruel winter, and when summer finally comes, celebrating and experiencing it as a city to the best of our ability.

[Chadillaccc]

We are so lucky to live in a country where even our little big cities are stunning and can stack up with the best of em (on a relative basis ). Looking forward to visiting Saskatoon sometime soon! Incredible pics. I can only imagine what the city will look like in 10 years once the effects of this boom become noticeable in the skyline and street life!

[ue]

^ I wouldn't call Saskatoon "big" or "little big" (?), but there certainly is something about Saskatoon. Sure it doesn't have the destination status of Montreal, but it is a pretty healthy city, urbanity-wise for its size and age. I doubt most people east of Winnipeg would have any idea that Saskatoon gets as vibrant as these photos indicate.

Originally Posted by Echoes

Yes, I think that has a lot to do with it. In summer, there is a festival every weekend it seems and the buzz is palpable in the city. I think there's something to be said for suffering through a long, cruel winter, and when summer finally comes, celebrating and experiencing it as a city to the best of our ability.

I think you just described Edmonton . Another nod towards the mini-Edmonton moniker.