Originally Posted by Jay-Producer

Well. 200 shops is enough for us. And Ottawa seems to offer that. Being the capital Id assume it wouldn't be too shady.

This seems to be the biggest mall downtown in Ottawa, but I have no idea where in downtown it is and if its walking distance?
http://www.ottawakiosk.com/shopcenter/bayshore.html

Originally Posted by Lychee

That's not downtown, that's 13 km outside of downtown. You could walk, if you don't mind walking 13 km. According to Google Maps, it's an 11 minute drive down the highway.

Ottawa's downtown is very, very small by the way.

Originally Posted by Jay-Producer

Hmmm... I don't mind small too much. If it has a couple of malls with around 200 shops and plenty of trendy cafes and bars we would be delighted.

Originally Posted by comet555

Originally Posted by leepee

Seriously...Is where you are going on a two week holiday coming down to Mall size and location???

Originally Posted by Lychee

I've been to Ottawa, I've been to Edmonton, and I like them for what they are, but I certainly wouldn't recommend either given your criteria. Ottawa would have the edge, but I'd say there are even better choices.

I think the biggest fault is how you're approaching this. It appears that you're selecting Ottawa and Edmonton based on statistics alone. I say it's the wrong approach because statistically, sure, Edmonton or Ottawa may sound like they're a fit with what you're looking for, but how you're really describing your ideal city? You're basically describing Vancouver. I'd say Victoria, but Victoria has the dreaded wind!!

And forget about Vancouver's high density - downtown has condo high rises, but outside of downtown the majority of the population lives in single family houses - very suburban, relaxing by nature. Lots of parks, outdoor access nearby, not too many galleries/museums but lots of locals hanging out at the beach, or at trendy cafes, etc.

Anyhow, I would definitely visit before considering a move as I feel you'd be greatly disappointed otherwise.

Originally Posted by Lychee

BTW - the problem with Edmonton is that the shopping is more about quantity than quality - you get the same chain stores but little variety. The same goes for the West Edmonton Mall. It's a replica of any mall anywhere in Canada, it's just bigger!

Originally Posted by leepee

Like a lot of N.American cities it was built for the car not for walking around...It has a reasonable transit (bus) system and the train is getting there!! I know the Mall like the back of my hand as my in Laws live a three minute drive away....It is fine but it is a Mall ...bigger than almost all the others and useful to walk around when it is -30c outside....It isn't full of cute boutiques - it is full of shops that are everywhere else in Canada too..... There is no real 'downtown' per say - there is Wyte Ave and that is about it....The River Valley is lovely - much more so than Calgary's. It has few Head Offices - most of those are in Calgary....

My husband was raised partly in Edmonton. I just asked him what he would say the good points are about it....His answer(bearing in mind he swore yrs ago never to return there)was that if you want a nice house in a suburb with a pretty good school system then Edmonton is fine....I would also add that it has a good symphony orchestra and a very good Uni.....Before everyone in Edmonton jumps on me I would just say that I spend a lot of time there and I do like it.....I just also like the mountains and skiing - Rabbit Hill just ain't gonna cut it for me!!!

There are sooo many variables when deciding on a place to live . You simply can't make a list. Vancouver is beautiful (in the sunshine!!!) and Montreal is wonderful.....It might be worth a smaller house OR even picking up some french just to be in either place....

Good luck but seriously are you going to take our words for it!!!????

Originally Posted by Lychee

Ottawa would have the edge, but it is not a shopping destination. Ottawa's a destination for government work, museums, and art galleries.

If shopping is what you're seeking, neither. Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have great shopping downtown. .

Originally Posted by comet555

In Edmonton the downtown area really doesn't have a lot of green space except for lower down along the river valley (which does not have shops, etc). The downtown area does have some shops along the streets but I think the majority is in several downtown indoor shopping malls.
......................outdoor shopping isn't much fun in the winter when it's freezing but also because parking is expensive in the city.

West Edmonton Mall is nice but it is about a 30 minute drive from downtown Edmonton, not something you'd likely do too often if you just wanted to have a browse.

Whyte Avenue does some trendy/artsy shops along it's strip although it's not nearly as big as you might think. Shopping during the day would be fun, and so would the pubs. I wouldn't count on going to many of those place in the evening though as Whyte Avenue is right next to the university and it is usually covered with drunken university students on the weekends (and weekdays to some extent).

I have no idea what the downtown area in Ottawa is like, I really haven't spent much time there. But Ottawa does have a lot of nice park space along the Rideau Canal which to some extent has shopping in certain areas too. I just see Ottawa as a prettier city to be honest. Downtown Edmonton is all just buildings to me and I wouldn't want to live down there.

If you're really stuck between choosing one city over an other you really should visit them. Edmonton might have more park space but it really is a large city sprawled out over a large area, which means the parks are really spread out as well. The statistics could also be skewed if it included large provincial forests and things like that on the outskirts.

I would also suggest having a good look on google earth to see the city from above. Zoom in on the downtown areas and see what it looks like. You'll find out exactly where all the park space is then.

Originally Posted by Lychee

Then Ottawa might be it.

Note that most Canadian malls are clones of each other. They all have The Gap, The Body Shop, The Bay department store, Nike, Banana Republic, Aldo, etc.

Originally Posted by Lychee

I've been to Ottawa, I've been to Edmonton, and I like them for what they are, but I certainly wouldn't recommend either given your criteria. Ottawa would have the edge, but I'd say there are even better choices.

I think the biggest fault is how you're approaching this. It appears that you're selecting Ottawa and Edmonton based on statistics alone. I say it's the wrong approach because statistically, sure, Edmonton or Ottawa may sound like they're a fit with what you're looking for, but how you're really describing your ideal city? You're basically describing Vancouver. I'd say Victoria, but Victoria has the dreaded wind!!

And forget about Vancouver's high density - downtown has condo high rises, but outside of downtown the majority of the population lives in single family houses - very suburban, relaxing by nature. Lots of parks, outdoor access nearby, not too many galleries/museums but lots of locals hanging out at the beach, or at trendy cafes, etc.

Anyhow, I would definitely visit before considering a move as I feel you'd be greatly disappointed otherwise.

Originally Posted by Jay-Producer

That's one part of our criteria. Now that thats sorted we can move on looking at other areas

Originally Posted by Jay-Producer

That's part of it. Because we like living in the city. So having a mall or shops near by is useful and convenient, and we like that. That's one part of our criteria. Now that thats sorted we can move on looking at other areas

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy

For the reasons Souv quoted. PLUS Edmonton lacks a true downtown core, very few decent (none chain) coffee shops and (most of) the architecture is about as aesthetically pleasing as Battersea Power Station in the rain.

Originally Posted by clynnog

And your other criteria were wind speeds (or lack thereof) and the amount of comfy sofas in trendy cafes.....if I recall correctly.