Winnipeg: A Tale of Two Cities

No matter what the weather, you will find me exploring my hometown of Winnipeg on foot. A lifelong resident of this Canadian prairie metropolis, I prefer to uncover new perspectives during my daily walks from my downtown home. My latest fixation is the dramatic Esplanade Riel, a new pedestrian bridge spanning the Red River just north of its confluence with the Assiniboine River.

Named after Louis Riel, the leader of the Métis (people of mixed aboriginal and French-Canadian ancestry) who headed the provisional government that negotiated Manitoba’s beginnings as a province, this striking bridge has managed to redefine Winnipeg’s heretofore ordinary skyline. It’s lit in spectacular fashion every night and at sunset is a sight to behold.

On Esplanade Riel, you will experience a heady case of juxtaposition. As the muddy waters of the Red River flow north beneath the bridge, you overlook St. Boniface Cathedral, Union Station, the chateau-style Hotel Fort Garry, and the city’s other historic attractions. But the cantilevered bridge with all its sharp angles formed by cables and concrete practically shouts modernism. Designed by acclaimed Métis architect Étienne Gaboury, Esplanade Riel also features an aeronautical spire that juts into the sky.

I’m not entirely sure why, but every time I traverse the Esplanade Riel, my mind wanders to Charles Bridge, an ancient gothic structure spanning the Vltava River that connects the heart of Prague. It could be because both bridges were created solely for pedestrians and feature spacious plazas to take in scenic river and city views. Or perhaps it’s the art.

The Charles’s baroque statues are one of Prague’s major attractions. In Winnipeg, architect Gaboury has crafted a visionary black granite mural that weaves along the side of the Esplanade Riel. A fusion of aboriginal, French, and Métis elements—with historical iconography depicting the explorers, voyageurs, fur traders, and missionaries who toiled in the area—it’s an extraordinary piece of public art.

Since the Esplanade Riel opened last year, it has become more than a bridge. It’s a linkage that encourages those afoot to delve deeper into both the city’s French culture on the eastern banks of the Red River and English culture to the west—all within a twenty-minute stroll.

After crossing to the east bank, you say “Bonjour” to the city’s historic French Quarter in the heart of St. Boniface, North America’s largest French-speaking community outside Quebec. A stone’s throw from Esplanade Riel is St. Boniface Cathedral, the fifth reincarnation of the original, said to be the oldest in Western Canada. Apropos, the cathedral’s cemetery includes the grave of Louis Riel. In Riel’s Footsteps, an inimitable theater production staged outdoors in the midst of the cemetery, is a terrific way to learn more about Riel and his time. This summer, the troupe also takes over the cemetery at night with La Chasse de la Galerie, a new bilingual production about legends associated with the graves’ inhabitants.

St. Boniface Cathedral was last ravaged by fire in 1968 and the new building, also designed by Étienne Gaboury, embraces the towering ruined limestone walls (and sacristy) of the 1908 French Romanesque structure. But you have to venture into the cedar-paneled interior to see the pinnacle of Gaboury’s handiwork. The narthex is highlighted by an astounding series of avant-garde stained glass panels featuring The Last Supper; in the main room, floor-to-ceiling windows depict the Stations of the Cross. Gaboury employs a limited color palette of gray, white, and purple, with occasional pops of primary red, green, and blue. The effect is distinctive. No matter how many times I visit, I am awed by the windows. They make me wonder how Gaboury could so radically generate such imaginative masterpieces out of windows and outdoor murals. He is the epitome of the Renaissance man. Also on the eastern foot of Esplanade Riel is Le Boulevard Provencher, the main drag for the French-speaking—yet fully bilingual—area of St. Boniface. Although the boulevard is largely a commercial area with its fair share of banks, insurance companies, and printers, there are also several cafés and restaurants, all with a touch of French panache. The charming Step‘N Out (157 boul. Provencher, 204-956-7837) consistently reaps rave reviews from local and national publications for its inventive and eclectic cuisine, and across the street, Just Desserts (150 boul. Provencher, 204-233-3030) serves a jaw-dropping variety of tortes, crème brûlées, and cheesecakes. A few blocks down the boulevard is Restaurant La Vieille Gare (630 rue des Meurons, 204-237-7072), one of my favorite places for recreating romantic European nights. Located in a restored train station, it features sublime French cuisine that can also be enjoyed in an attached railway bar car.

On the other side of Esplanade Riel, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, you come to The Forks, an expanse of riverside property that has been a meeting place for thousands of years. Aboriginal peoples from the Cree (winnipeg is Cree for “muddy water”), Assiniboine, and Ojibwa nations camped and hunted in the area, which was strategic to the fur trade. Rival traders—The Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company—erected forts in close proximity. These days, The Forks is a National Historic Site, and a hub for all kinds of activity.

The best bets are down at water level, where you will find the Splash Dash Water Bus—which taxis visitors and residents along the Red and Assiniboine—and the Assiniboine Riverwalk, which winds for more than a mile along the bank to the Manitoba Legislature, the epicenter of my daily sojourn. In winter, the area is converted into a three-kilometer groomed rink, and you can skate between St. Boniface and several neighborhoods to the west.

In the Forks Market, a plethora of specialty foods and multi-ethnic delicacies is available, and there are several dining establishments. The finest is Sydney’s (1 Forks Market Rd., 204-942-6075), a luxurious new option recently named one of Canada’s top-ten new restaurants. The menu changes every month, allowing chef Michael Schafer wide creative latitude, but the common denominators are always Asian, French, and Italian influences, a discriminating wine list, wild game, fresh seafood, extravagant desserts, and French-press coffee. Sydney’s nonsmoking patio is the hot spot for outdoor dining with a view.

Winnipeg has its share of acclaimed architecture as well. On the edge of The Forks, at Broadway and Main, look for the low green dome of Union Station. It bears a similarity to Grand Central Station in New York City, which turns out to be no accident since both were designed by Warren and Wetmore architects. And across the street is the Fort Garry Hotel, a national landmark built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1913. One of Canada’s great railway hotels, its chateau styling bears a striking and deliberate similarity to New York’s Plaza Hotel.

The stunning Esplanade Riel is helping retell this tale of two cities, one French, the other English. Add Winnipeg’s visual recipe of the river, The Forks, the French Quarter, and the downtown skyline, and it’s an unexpected triumph on many fronts. 

When to Go Winnipeg weather is similar to the Twin Cities’, but a bit colder in the winter. Peak season is during the dog days of summer when festivals abound, including the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Folklorama, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. Fall is usually even more glorious (and comes about one to two weeks earlier than in the Twin Cities), and winter has its distinct charms as well. In February, Le Festival du Voyageur is Western Canada’s largest winter carnival, commemorating the fur trade era. It attracts 150,000 visitors annually. Where to Stay Inn at the Forks (from C$130; 877-377-4100) is a new boutique hotel at The Forks.  Located across from Union Station and The Forks is the Fort Garry Hotel (from C$109, 800-665-8088). How to Get There Winnipeg is roughly a seven-hour drive, via I–94 and I–29. The border crossing at Emerson should go quickly—if you tote your passport. Northwest Airlines has several daily ninety-minute flights; roundtrip fares started at $412 when we checked in mid-spring. Other Activities Splash Dash Water Bus operates May through October (204-783-6633). To purchase tickets to the outdoor performances of In Riel’s Footsteps or La Chasse de la Galerie, call 866-808-8338. O Tours (204-254-3170) offers multilingual guided tours of St. Boniface, the French Quarter, and practically any of the city’s Francophone attractions. Learning More Travel Manitoba (800-665-0040) and Destination Winnipeg (800-665-0204) are the area’s tourist information outlets. Ask Travel Manitoba for its Travel Values Guide, which offers discounts at hundreds of Winnipeg attractions.

Gaylene Dempsey is a Winnipeg-based writer who specializes in travel.