Richie and Adala were here today! (With mom Nicole of course...) out visiting from Sooke BC. We had a great time at The Forks on the 30 minute boat tour that takes you up and down the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Kind of a neat tour. Since I got here last summer I have to admit I haven't taken advantage of any of the tourist stuff that would help me learn more about Winnipeg. Until we were on the little boat tour (called the Splash Dash or something) I had no idea there was a cathedral in St Boniface or anything about it bursting into flames and its huge rose window blasting across the river. Also hadn't really taken a good look at that new bridge with the Salsbury restaurant oddly placed on it. Actually I think I might want to eat there just to check out the water view from the restaurant. Too bad I missed the White Stripes when they played live on the bridge last summer. Bummer dude!

Our tour guide (really nice guy probably roughly 30ish) was talking about the river front and how more condos were going in, and what the plans were for development. He says (and I could see it one day too) that the future plans are to create (or continue) the development that the Forks has. The only issue, he concedes, is whether the people will come here to populate it. He told us about the history of Winnipeg, and how it was pegged ('scuse the pun LOL) to become the Chicago of the North when the train industry was at its peak. Post 1920s, however, the train as primary transport module had died out and Winnipeg never did achieve the 3 million population that it had hoped for. I believe currently the population is around 625,000 or so. Wonder what Winnipeg will do to draw more people here, short of changing the weather?!!