Susan McGee has spent much of her life in Edmonton in and around the city’s core, raising her family first in McCauley then Spruce Avenue and Wîhkwêntôwin, where she lives now. She spent 13 years (nine as executive director) with the Downtown Development Corporation, which exists to ensure that the Edmonton region enjoys the benefits of a vibrant, prosperous and attractive downtown. Her projects included the Downtown Farmers’ Market and the Arts District. Today, she’s a resident of Wîhkwêntôwin and the CEO of Homeward Trust, a non-profit that aims to prevent and end homelessness; she’s continuing to invest in the city’s core both personally and professionally.
She makes a point of regularly dining at local institutions. “Edmonton has a fabulous food scene with many newer spots, but my go-to list includes places that have been around a long time,” she says, mentioning Sorrentino’s and Rigoletto’s. “It helps with decision fatigue to know what I’m going to order.” At Rigoletto’s Cafe she opts for the Chicken Parm. In the 1990s, she’d go to the Rice Howard Way location and tuck her infant daughter under the table, still sleeping in her baby bucket car seat. McGee is drawn to these restaurants not only for the food, but for the feeling of being part of a community.
But nowhere captures Edmonton’s community feeling like strolling down the Victoria Promenade with her dog, Murphy.
“It’s just a really great place to hang,” she adds. “It is a fabulous place to walk, people watch and appreciate the river valley.”
If there’s anything to be gleaned from this series: we Edmontonians love food and we love being outdoors. When we’re not slurping noodles or lingering over brunch, we’re taking scenic strolls, stopping at dog parks and snapping pictures at river valley vistas. Delve into this year’s list of Edmontonians’ favourite things — with best-loved picks from a variety of noteworthy locals who span the arts, business, sports and non-profit realms — to help build your own summer bucket list. And if you can’t make it beyond your backyard, you can at least follow this foolproof formula and enjoy something tasty in the sunshine.
