We had much of the day to acclimatize to Winnipeg and get our bearings. We are very close to the Exchange district, which is similar to Yaletown, but with far more heritage buildings. Once called, the "Chicago of the North", many of the buildings were actually designed by Chicago architects. It is a popular place with film companies because it is easy to find locations that look like you've stepped back in time, no matter where you are. The great thing is that many of them are being used by non-profits and artists because prices are still very reasonable. The picture below shows an example of a huge loft/warehouse space that rents for just $1200 a month and could easily hold a few hundred people. Amazing!
Jay and Michelle had a chance to get onto Winnipeg's CBC radio to do a quick blurb on the show.
Went into the theatre around 5:30pm. We've gotten very efficient at setting up and breaking down. Setting new records every night. After the show some of us were anxious to see some of the Winnipeg nightlife. We'd heard of the Woodbine Hotel (which at one time was the longest bar in North America, but which has been cut in half). It has become a heavy drinking, black eye kind of place. We left after the woman behind the bar got into a knock-down drag-out fight with two other women.
Next stop was the Legion on Kent, where Zi dropped in on a bluegrass jam. Watch the video below.
The legion is over top of a long-defunct bar called the Cave, which really was a cave (more specifically, a tunnel under the street). It was famous for being a popular hangout of employees of the two newspapers the Winnipeg Free Press and the Winnipeg Tribune.
Vancouver's notorious Theatre In The Rawgoes on the road with three one-acts and singer/songwriter Michelle A. Richard for performances in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. May 21 - June 9, 2008
