Andrew Yin

This is an outstanding museum, in terms of its architecture, exhibits, and people, and yet I find it overlooked beyond Winnipeg. It makes Winnipeg a must-visit city!

It’s hard not to be awed by the museum’s architecture, both from afar and close-up. I didn’t see photos of the museum’s interior before my visit and I was so amazed by the criss-crossing, gently ascending and illuminated stair design and how that is woven into the museum visiting experience as you are taken from one exhibit to the next. And when I got to the atrium, my jaws just dropped. Overall, the museum is a great place for architecture photography! As an architecture enthusiast, I feel that if the same building is placed in cities such as New York, Barcelona or Singapore, it would have received a lot more well-deserved fanfare. However, I am glad it is situated in Winnipeg as it is a marvelous centrepiece of the city.

The museum’s stunning architecture brings attention to its excellent and rich exhibits. There are several galleries, each with a different theme. I really liked the permanent exhibit that reflects on the experiences and discrimination felt by different groups of people in Canada. I felt that it should be an ever-growing exhibition as our values and the meaning of human rights continue to develop. The Holocaust exhibit is also impressive and sombre, and extremely timely. There are also a lot of interactive and multimedia elements to make the visit more engaging. For example, I really liked the area on the upper levels where visitors are invited to write and post notes on what human rights mean to them. Note that the exhibits are very dense and I felt that I only scratched the surface by viewing and reading, so I might try joining a guided tour during my next visit to learn more.

A visit to the museum would be incomplete without checking out the observation area in the spiral, which is accessible by stairs and elevator. It has great views of the Forks, St Boniface and other parts of Winnipeg, so make sure you budget time for that. I also love how the museum has plenty of seating spaces, especially the reflection area and the cafe. If I were living in Winnipeg, I would purchase a membership in a heartbeat and visit these areas in the museum for quiet reading or studying. Last but not least, the museum staff I’ve encountered and spoken with were all really friendly, just like most other people I’ve met in Manitoba. The human aspect makes the visit stand out just that bit more.

Stayed at the hotel for 1 night on Feb 18. The staff was friendly and always replied promptly during the reservation process, and the hotel has a great location near the river, shops and the MacBride Museum.

However, I was disappointed by the room. They were modern with good amenities, but rather dull and cold, not reflective of the Yukon's spirit at all. The bed design was especially terrible...there was a protruding edge along the side of the bed that was dark, making it hard to see given the room's dim lighting, and my knees accidentally knocked on the edge while walking, causing some bruise. The room also had terrible soundproofing, to the point where we could hear people talking and making certain types of noises in the room next door...

Also, we received a ground floor room and had to walk along a narrow hallway through a back door behind the front desk, giving the experience of staying at a motel. I would suggest asking for a 2nd floor room in advance. But overall, given this being one of the more expensive hotels in Whitehorse, I found the value to be poor. (The hotel restaurant, however, was quite good for dinner, while I'll cover in a separate review.)

P.S. The hotel was still offering 250 Aeroplan points per stay when I booked late last year but I was told that the program has been cancelled by the time of my stay...

This is a really neat, free gallery, and it's great that they're open during weekends as well! The space is impressive, being inside the Mies van der Rohe-designed building. I find that the Indigenous & Inuit art styles blend very well with the building's minimalist design. The sculptures are also thoughtfully arranged, being grouped into themes (e.g., women's roles, children, wildlife, hunting, modern activities). The only downside is that the lighting isn't so good; not sure if it's because I visited during the weekend. You could spend about half an hour or more here to appreciate the artwork & architecture.

Visited the site in early October, 2022. A great (and free!) site/museum to learn about a neat, hidden piece of Toronto's history! This is a place that so many people pass by unknowingly on the DVP, so it's great to get to know the site and its impacts on the city's development. I especially liked stepping into the homes. They were very well preserved and have very cool artefacts/replicas, such as antique cash, TTC transfers, and what bathtubs (if you could call it so) used to look like. The grounds are also quite nice for a walk; you could take a short loop around the museum. I even spotted a blue heron! Would encourage more people to come and visit. Plus, you could walk from here to/from Evergreen Brick Works to make it a longer outing.

Really neat, small airport, with plenty of elements to discover that an aviation enthusiast will love! Only complaint is that the public transit bus route to the airport does not operate during weekends (what!?). I heard they recently opened a plane spotting park, would love to check that out the next time I'm in town.