LAST UPDATED: January 2, 2026
This is the 4th of a series of posts dealing with my 2023 trip to Calgary, Edmonton, and vicinity. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification. These are indicated by “NOW”.
Keep in mind that due to my touch sensitivity I don't wear earbuds:The person above me had a very unnatural kind of snoring, one that I can't even laugh about, kind of like the dead in The Walking Dead. He'd be completely quiet, then abruptly make a sound, sometimes very high pitched. Sometimes I can tune out snoring by focussing on the rhythm of it, but I couldn't because he'd be quiet just long enough for me to start to feel ready to attempt to nod off, and then wake me up again with a sudden loud sound. So there was no pattern to try to match my breathing etc too. Closer to 4 I did start to nod off, but he made such a loud sound that I kicked the wall as he woke me up. It was very anxiety causing and I was biting my arm a lot to cope. His alarm went off just before 4:45 and happily he took his lock with him, signalling he probably won't be there tonight. My keycard stopped working.
[NOW: I was staying at the H-I Edmonton.]
Walking towards University Station, I got a day transit bus. I headed for the 404 bus (all 400s buses Sherwood Transit), but because that bus is $1 more I started to fish out extra money and he suddenly took off while I was doing so. Instead I took the 201 (St Albert Transit) to St Albert Exchange. I couldn't find Shava Bookstore but visited the exterior of the Bookstore on Perron St. It was a long commute to Bailey Books, which I knew wouldn't be open yet, so I turned back around Lions Park. I visited the exterior of Thundercloud Comics and then returned to the Exchange, only to find that the next bus wasn't for another 50 or so minutes. After a short walk I decided it would be faster just to walk to my next destination in Edmonton, CollectiVerse. I didn't find it but the walk probably did shave off some time.
[NOW: En route to University Station I had breakfast at a McDonald’s on 190 St SW. St. Albert Exchange is in, well, St. Albert. Shava was inside St. Albert Centre.]
I took a 52 bus bus (all remaining non-400s transit Edmonton Transit) to the not yet open Ultimate Key Issue Comics. The 51 bus took a while to arrive and in my heat dazed state I was very slightly off the bus stop. The driver called me lazy for not being at the stop. I tried laughing it off but his response indicated that he wasn't joking. I didn't engage further but was so upset that I accidentally got off before my destination. Just before I arrived at the not yet open Comic Fever, my next bus, 106 went by, so that one driver had a bit of a snowball effect. I visited Comic King and Warp 2 Comics.
A 9 bus picked me up as I was running to the stop, but there was a long wait for the connecting 3 bus. At Westmount Centre I couldn't find that branch of Revolver in the directory but had lunch at McDonald's (separate building but considered part of the mall). While there I noticed my right leg had been bleeding but it dried up. At Westmount Transit Centre I took another 51 bus to University Station. There a security guard expressed concern for my sunburned face. I finally got on the 404 bus. It was double Decker so managed to snag an upper front seat. As I got on woman got annoyed at me because she wanted to exit but the driver told her she was supposed to exit from the back.
I got off at Ordze Transit Centre, Sherwood Park. I got some water at Safeway then visited the Bookworm, then Broadmoor Lake Park. You couldn't go in the water there, but there was an activity centre with drinking fountain. One of the workers checked that I was okay after I spent probably at least a minute just drinking water. I also filled up my water bottle and the Safeway water bottle. I'll keep using that as a second water bottle for now. If not for the drinking fountains I would have been in trouble. The lake isn't safe to go in, I walked to Mythic Collectables and took a 413? bus back to Ordze Transit Centre. Early on I handed over a phone I found.
[NOW: That Safeway has closed.]
I got a local and commuter bus schedule. I accidentally got on the 401 instead of 404 bus, but decided not to correct this. Back in Edmonton, I saw that the City Hall had water jets. I accidentally left the commuter bus schedule when I got off the bus. I walked to the water jets and cooled off a little, careful not to let too much chlorinated water hit my shorts.
I got a Blu-ray at Wee Book Inn (my first take home purchase in Edmonton) and Audrey's Bookshop. I took a Capital light rail from Corona (yes, Corona) Station to Health Sciences/Jubilee Station. Heading easy I saw a small South Park which had a dog section called South Bark. I think that's the first real gag this trip (more than anything else, the lack of humour in Calgary and Edmonton means I probably won't return. I can handle mishaps if a city charms me in some way; neither major city has. Well that and the lack of drinking fountains).
[NOW: Actually the area is South Park and South Bark the entire park.]
I had dinner at a Tim Hortons near H-I Edmonton. Back at the hostel I got a replacement card.
[NOW: That Tim Hortons is on 82 Ave aka Whyte Ave.]
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