Guess who’s back! Back again!
Hello Edmonton! I’ve just landed at the yeg airport and am waiting for my luggage. My plan was to have a nice relaxing night to recover from the long journey back here but my phone has been lighting up since I landed. I have a feeling that my buddies are going to want to celebrate my arrival and that this is going to be anything but a quiet relaxing night!
I had so much fun traveling the world, exploring and finding the real Walter. But to be honest, I’m excited to see my friends in Edmonton after so many years apart. The luggage is finally starting to arrive, thank God! Actually, thank the Air Canada gods for being quick today. I’ve spent so much time at airports these last couple of months that I’m looking forward to staying in the same place for a bit….I’m going to be couch surfing with my friend Sarah that lives in the Oliver area.
Well I was right, this night turned out to be pretty wild! After I left the airport one of my childhood friends Zac gave me a call and told me that a group of our friends from university were going to Red Star for drinks. I was a bit jet-lagged but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the old gang!
Red Star still has an amazing selection of beers, hard to choose just one. I debated what to order. Tough call. Erdinger Weissbrau to remind me of my travels in Germany OR good ol’ Guinness. I choose the Erdinger. It’s still summer. But after that introduction, I switched to what I remember were the best whiskey sours in town. They still are!
What a staple this place has been in our City over the years – it’s been around since the early times of our downtown coming back to life. A local hang out that has stood the test of time and still has a colourful clientele – younger, older and in between. I love that. I took my favourite seat in the window with a clear view of the steps to see who’s arriving. Tonight, the place was buzzing with energy as usual and was a great place to catch up with old friends over a couple of drinks.
When we left Red Star we saw people heading into the Bower and we couldn’t resist following them in. Last time I lived here, it was still Halo. The rest of the night quickly flew by as we had a few more drinks as we tested the dance floor and listened to the pulse of house music. My first night back home in Edmonton, and I truly felt at home again.
Now it’s time to go to sleep – can’t wait to see what this weekend will bring! Looking forward to exploring the City now that I’m back. But eventually – I’m going to have to find some more permanent accommodations and a job to pay the bills.