Brandon, Manitoba, Canada: An Insider’s Guide to the City Part Two

Brandon, MB Travel - Scotia Tower

©2008AngieHaggstrom

Those who travel to Brandon, MB are treated to top accommodations, transit, and shopping in the province. Combine this with great attractions and the friendly and outgoing people that make up the city, and you may just find yourself returning. Maybe permanently!

Getting around Brandon is a snap. I didn’t care much for getting around the city on a bike. I found that the North Hill was just one nasty ride. Going up wasn’t near as scary as going down. The bike paths are really super though. If they could run those on the city streets we’d have it made. ABC Taxi has some of the best customer service in the city. I used them on a regular basis the entire time I lived there and I don’t have a single complaint.

The real stars of transportation has to go to the Brandon transit system. Since I didn’t own a car for the majority of the time I lived there (about 5 years ago), I spent hours on the bus. I was on the last bus of the night and one of the first ones in the morning. It didn’t matter where I was going or who was driving, these people not only got me to where I needed to safely, but they were really friendly and weren’t afraid to ask how things were going.

It really made a newbie city dweller feel welcome. I could ask about anything in and around the city and they would tell me or be willing to find out the answer. My son was a little baby at the time and they didn’t seem to get impatient at all if I had baby, diaper bag, stroller, bags, etc to get onto the bus. In fact, they would often help me get on and off the bus. True heroes and fantastic ambassadors of the city. Each one should get a pat on the back. They also have a bio-diesel project on the go and easy to read bus routes.

When it comes to places to stay, the new Canad Inn in the Keystone center gets 5 stars. It’s a little ritzy, but not too bad. You can’t miss the place; it’s the great big building that towers above everything else. In fact, I’m pretty sure you can see it from the top of the North Hill. When we go for a visit, we try to stay at the Little Chalet if we are going to other towns in the area and the Redwood Inn if we will be spending a fair amount of time in the city. They are really affordable (around $70 a night) clean, and best of all, quiet. I’m accustomed to a small town and find traffic noise makes it difficult to sleep. Well, maybe spoiled in that respect. We did try the Super 8, and I’ll just say we won’t make that mistake again.

The shopping is fantastic. I absolutely love the Shopper’s Mall located on the south end of 18th street. My must stop shop for clothing is The Garage. Their clothing is VERY trendy and reasonably priced. At the bottom of the North Hill is a new shopping district filled with tons of new stores arranged in a series of strip mall type buildings. For the shopper who likes the unique and interesting shops, you really need to head downtown. One shop (sorry, the name escapes me) sells stunning hand-crocheted clothing that is of the finest quality I’ve ever seen. They also have a great selection of beautiful dresses and formal wear not to be missed. They have contributed to a large portion of my closet.

I’ve been rather sad since my two favorite places to eat have since closed, but at least the other two are still there and delicious as ever. ‘Diggers’ is in the Trails West Motor Inn makes great breakfasts and lunches. They serve nice portions at a good price and have good service. Being a waitress for almost 10 years has made this an important component for me. For the best pizza, pasta dishes, and subs you have ever tasted in your entire life, you have got to go to Pizza Express. We eat every supper there the entire time we are in Brandon. Fantastic service, and that place is very busy. This does slow the food down a little, but I’d wait hours if I had to.

For more information, The City of Brandon and Brandon.com have tons of useful information.