A Tourist In Own My City

It wasn't hard to see Edmonton as if I were a tourist this week. My mom was thrilled when she saw I was reading A Tourist's Guide to Glengary (she grew up near the area) and insisted  that she take me on a tour. Being a born and bred west-sider, I had never seen this part of the Edmonton and felt as if I were in a totally different city. The area was very flat and trees were rather scarce. My first thought when we drove through Glengary was "I'm sure this would look alot nicer in the summer", but as I thought about the book  and the places it mentioned, and started to see them in real life, I felt somewhat more connected. It was as if I was a tourist trying to grasp the vibe (for lack of a better word) of a new place.

What struck me most about Glengary were the back alleys. A few people have mentioned alleys in their blogs and what they means to them, which may be why the alleys stood out. Even with the snow and mud, there was something beautiful and honest about the alleys in Glengary. Though there weren't alleys in my neighbourhood growing up, I've always been strangely drawn to them. I feel like they are a small glimps into the private lives of the home owners. Also, they are such an important part of A Tourists' Guide to Glengary. I don't think Neil mentions going through a front door at all in this book, he is always going through the alley and yard to the back door.

One of my favority local artists is Kari Duke. She paints alleys in Edmonton and I think she captures the essence of what an alley means to alot of people who grew up here. If your interested, check out the Front gallery, she has a show going on right now.