Like any city, Edmonton has had its share of negative tourist reviews. But a missive from a grumpy American writer and professor who travelled to Alberta's capital is just a new level of funny.
In an article this week, Nevada columnist Jake Highton details a "disappointing" trip to the city based on his experiences at the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Telus World of Science.
At the art gallery, Highton complained of a description mentioning postmodernism: "How can something be postmodern?"
He then grumbled about traffic jams around the facility, saying there are "no road signs pointing to the gallery. Shameful."
But the gallery didn't mark the end of Highton's woes. He also took issue with children who were blocking the hall at the science centre because they were sketching and painting.
"Sure, kids should be introduced to art. But they are not more important than visiting adults," wrote Highton, who is also a professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Nevada in Reno.
After a digression in which he quoted scripture, Highton capped off his column in The Daily Sparks Tribune by pointing out that biker gangs — using Wikipedia as a source no less — "periodically overrun Edmonton."
Highton declared: "To those who have been there, Vancouver in British Columbia is a much better place to visit in Western Canada."
Reddit users found the column far less offensive than they did funny. One said, "I can't tell if I read a below-average art review or if I was baptized."
The reaction reminded us of the response to Globe and Mail columnist Cathal Kelly, when he lamented that the World Cup opener was taking place in Edmonton, rather than Toronto.
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