Tips for Moving to Edmonton

[TR_Chick]

This fall I will be a Winnipeg-to-Edmonton transplant for about 7 months for job training. I was born and raised in Winnipeg and have been to Edmonton a grand total of twice in my life time and know very little about the city.

I am definitely an "urbanist" and want to live in a more lively area, while also being close(er) to my work which is about a 15 minute walk to the south of Capillano mall on 49 street. I am thinking Whyte Avenue area (maybe towards the east end closer to Bonnie Doon mall as the prices for apartments seem more acceptable? Though coming from Winnipeg where you can get a NICE 1 bdrm apartment in a nicerish area for under $1000 to seeing kind of gross 1bdrms going for at min $1000, with nicer ones being $1200 is kind of a shocker!) I have noticed that basement/in house suites are a fairly common thing, especially south of the River... but I am tentative about those set ups because I have an inherent distrust of people.

I was hoping to reach out to my fellow SkyscraperPage posters and get some tips on moving out West! Any "must see" things that I should do while I am there in the fall and winter? Any suggestions on things to avoid, or tips for getting around town?