I had a meeting downtown and when I left the building a strong gust of wind almost took my helmet off my head-and I had done up the straps. I decided to avoid Portage and Main, reportedly Canada's windiest intersection, in favour of a route through St. Boniface.
My ride took me past the construction site of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. I am all for human rights. Building a museum dedicated to the cause is fine by me too. What I object to is the monstrosity of a white elephant that is going up here. (You can see the artists conception of its exterior on the main page of the link provided.) It is supposedly going to cost millions of taxpayer dollars every year for upkeep alone. The idea makes my blood boil. I can't help but think about how much housing you can provide for homeless people for that amount. How about providing meal programs at schools and drop-in programs for disadvantaged and at-risk children? Improved access to care for those with mental health issues? The list goes on, but I shan't, since this is supposed to be celebrating Summer Games. (Deep cleansing breath.)
On to the Esplanade Riel. When the Provencher Bridge was re-built, the city had a contest to name the pedestrain portion and someone came up with Esplanade. It was adopted, amazingly enough, with very little fuss from the populace at large. Quite an amazing feat for this city. I think it is a cool name and it suits it well.
After I left the bridge I turned onto Tache and cycled past St. Boniface Cathedral. Many people remember the night it caught fire and burned to the stone walls, and are still saddened by it.
The rest of my ride meandered through old neighbourhoods, down streets with names like Eugenie, DesMeurons, and Vivian before connecting again with St Mary's Road for the last leg home. And mosquitoes can't land you when you are creating your own breeze!
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