| Winnipeg Goldeyes / CanWest Global Park | |
Baseball Travels Arizona DiamondbacksBeloit Snappers Billings Mustangs Butte Copper Kings Duluth-Superior Dukes Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Helena Brewers Madison Black Wolf Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Missoula Osprey Montreal Expos Rockford Reds Schaumburg Flyers Sioux City Explorers Sioux Falls Canaries St. Cloud River Bats St. Paul Saints Tucson Sidewinders Winnipeg Goldeyes |
Phone: 204/982-2273. Web: www.goldeyes.com Online ticket sales? Yes. Online broadcasts? No. Capacity: 6,140. Year Built: 1999. Last Visited: Not yet visited. League: Northern League. Affiliation: None.
 New for 1999, CanWest Global Park is at the edge of
downtown Winnipeg. Fans faithfully supported the team when it played in
Winnipeg Stadium (a football stadium awkwardly reconfigured for baseball), so
look for Goldeyes tickets to be a hard buy by the end of the season. Goldeyes
owner Sam Katz compares Riverside Park to Fargo's Newman Outdoor Stadium in
terms of layout and amenities -- a concession area in the concourse will
provide views of the field as you're standing in line for a cold one, with all
the grandstand seats featuring cup holders. You'll definitely want to call
ahead for tickets, since the Goldeyes have already sold over 100,000 tickets
for the 1999 season.You can travel to Winnipeg via car or plane. Flying is recommended, since Winnipeg is rather remote and, to be blunt, there's not a lot between Winnipeg and any other metro area (like Fargo or Minneapolis-St. Paul). Northwest Airlines runs several flights per day between Winnipeg and the Twin Cities. Once in Winnipeg, you can rent a car (which is very cheap) or take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. If you do stay at a downtown hotel, you won't need a car, since there's a lot of attractions downtown. As you plan your trip to Winnipeg, keep one thing in mind: the city is hosting the Pan-American Games in July 1999. At that time the city should be jammed with athletes and fans. Since CanWest was built partly to house baseball games at these Games, the team will be on the road in this period.
Downtown Winnipeg is a good shopping area. Portage Place features 165 shops and is connected via skyway to both The Bay and Eaton's department stores. Winnipeg grew rapidly at the turn of the century, and much of downtown reflects the architecture of that era. The Museum of Man and Nature (190 Rupert Av.; 204/988-0665) is one of the finest museums on the continent, showing how the Winnipeg area has changed from prehistoric times to the present. Highlights include the dinosaur displays (which the kids will love) and a re-creation of an area village at the turn of the century. You can also see cultural artifacts from the many ethnic groups that settled Winnipeg, including the Ukrainians and the Mennonites. Two blocks north is the Museum of Man and Nature is Oseredok, the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (184 Alexander Av. E.). Winnipeg is really a city of ethnic neighborhoods, and the Ukrainians play an important role in Winnipeg's past and present. At Oseredok, you'll find a museum, art gallery, library and archives, featuring displays of Ukrainian traditional folk costumes, embroidery, woodcarving, ceramics, pysanky (Easter eggs) and historical artifacts from the Ukraine and Canada. Oseredok's gift shop features Ukrainian folk crafts, books, prints and record albums.  The Forks District is a
combination of shops, food market and restaurants, comprising 56 acres directly
south of the ballpark. The Forks Market features a food market, several
fast-food outlets (with most offering local delicacies, including Yudyta's for
Ukrainian and Tavola Calda for Italian) and three full-service restaurants,
including Prairie Oyster Café and Steak House. Branigan's, located on
the ground, features an outdoor bar and drink specials. The Johnston Terminal
(formerly used as a rail warehouse) features more stores, a great
tourist-information center, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (definitely worth
checking out; free admission) and the Curling Hall of Fame. For the kids, the
Manitoba Children's Museum is a
great place to spend the afternoon.Across the river from the Forks and downtown Winnipeg is St. Boniface, the French-speaking area of the city. Anyone interested in the history of Canada should visit the St. Boniface Cathedral (190 avenue de la Cathédrale). The Catholic Church first settled the area in 1818 with a mission church, following up with a basilica in 1908. The original basilica burned down in 1968, but the remaining walls have been incorporated into the new site. More noteworthy, perhaps, is that the graveyard includes the grave of Louis Riel, the rebel leader of the Métis and President of the Provisional Government that negotiated Manitoba's entry into confederation as a province. (If this means nothing to you, check out this Web site for more information.) Worth a visit is the St. Boniface Museum (494 Tache Av.; 204/2374500), which is housed in the oldest building in Winnipeg (erected for the Grey Nuns in 1846). The displays shows what life was like on the prairie when settlers first appeared. Winnipeg is also a great restaurant town, thanks to all the ethnic influences. Worth a drive is Alycia's (559 Cathedral Av. at McGregor Street, north of downtown in the Ukrainian district), featuring Ukrainian food like borscht and stuffed cabbage rolls; D'8 Schtove (1842 Pembina Hwy.), which is on the outskirts of town, features Mennonite dishes like strudel and kjielkje (egg noodles in creamy onion gravy); Edohei (355 Ellice Av.) for the sushi; and Sevala's (390a blvd Provencher, St Boniface), where Ukrainian perogies are your best bet.
The other center for nightlife is Osborne Village, located directly south of downtown Winnipeg. While Osborne Village is now a little scruffy around the edges, it's still worth a visit. Carlos & Murphy's (129 Osborne St.) features cheap Mexican food and a crowded bar, while Toad in the Hole (112 Osborne St.) is an Irish bar with the occasional live band.
 The restored
Hotel Fort Garry (222 Broadway
Av., 800/665-8088; $80-$100) in downtown Winnipeg (pictured at the right), a
former railway hotel, hearkens to the days when train travel was an elegant
pursuit and travelers expected grand lobbies and large rooms. The Sunday
brunch, included with a room, is spectacular. Similarly upscale and affordable
on weekends is The Lombard (2 Lombard
Place, 204/957-1350), a Canadian Pacific Hotel within walking distance of the
new stadium. The Delta Winnipeg (288 Portage Av.) is marketed toward both
business travellers and weekend family excursions. Families will also want to
look at Place Louis Riel All-Suite
Hotel (190 Smith St., 204/947-6961), where $55 gets you a one-bedroom suite
with a kitchen and a small dining room. |
| Last changed May 31,
1999. Copyright 1999 Kevin Reichard. All rights reserved. All logos are the right of their respective copyright holder. |
