Many years ago, I used to work downtown at the Air Canada Building. Diagonally across from it was…read moreEaton's. On a day shift, on a Friday, I'd walk over and head up to the restaurant on the top floor for lunch. The roast beef with Yorkshire pudding was so good, as was the open-faced turkey sandwich with veggies and mashed potatoes. I'd also check out the grocery store in the basement. I loved shopping there before heading home. I also have fond memories getting a pair of Esprit cargo pants that I wore until they weren't wearable and heat-changing nail polish. I moved to Rochester, MN. Eaton's shuttered for good across Canada. This building was demolished. When I moved back to Winnipeg after my stateside working stint was over, MTS Centre was built where Eaton's was. Winnipeg lost its NHL hockey team, the Jets. We gained getting the Manitoba Moose, which was the the AHL farm team of the Vancouver Canucks first, and now the Jets. Both the Moose and Jets used to play at Winnipeg Arena before that arena got demolished and MTS Centre, affectionally called the Phonebooth, became the Moose's home. I was a season ticket holder for the Moose for a couple of years (same as what I have with the Minnesota Wild, which are a handful of tickets each season) before I moved back to the greater Toronto area. I would often go to Marlies games when the Moose were in town. Well, MTS Centre is now called Canada Life Centre. Yep, the insurance company that used to be Great West Life. So many changes. Don't ask me what the arena's nickname is. The Policy? I don't know. Last month, I took in a Manitoba Moose game after over a decade. I parked on Hargrave, a block away from the arena. I used to park at Eaton Place before it changed its name to City Place. Change is totally a constant here. The interior of this venue has been spruced up with the Jets 2.0 also sharing the same space as the Moose. It's bright and welcoming. The doors open an hour before the game starts. We were lining up in the lobby. There is only one entrance. If you're a kid playing hockey at intermission, you can bypass the crowd and go in. Lucky kids! Staff were extremely helpful and nice. You first go through a security scan. You then present your ticket on your phone. It was such an easy process. I'm so used to not bringing a bag thanks to going to Xcel Energy Center that I didn't bring one here. Instead, I got a Moose-branded bag that made my day. I never got swag in the past. I used the washroom a couple of times. Washrooms are more spaced out at this centre, but the one that I used was clean and nicely maintained. I got a fountain drink at one of the concession stands. As usual, it was overpriced, but I needed one. I paid with a credit card and had a nice woman get me my Diet Coke. It lasted during the entire game. I got a decent seat almost dead centre. Unfortunately, the guy sitting next to me decided to shake his leg and it was touching mine that I told him to move it not once, but twice. He might like the earthquake feeling, but I don't want to be forced to join him. So odd! Anyway, it was great watching a Moose game, despite the team losing to the Milwaukee Admirals. Although I don't take in AHL games as much as I used to, it's nice that I tend to see one every year. I visited the Jets Gear store to check out the merchandise after the game was over. It didn't have a lot of Moose items. I still have a couple of Moose front-zip hoodies. I wish that this store had some so I could spruce up my Moose wardrobe. Mick E. Moose is the team mascot for both the Jets and Moose. Dancing Gabe, a fixture at Jets 1.0 home games, is still kicking around for Moose and Jets 2.0 games. Unfortunately, I was not in town to catch a Jets game. However, supporting the Moose by seeing a game was a ton of fun and long overdue. Canada Life Centre is a decent arena to take in a hockey game. Prices are reasonable and there isn't a bad seat in the house. I look forward to returning to hopefully see the Jets or another Moose game, or take in a concert. (102)

Who approved the mens bathrooms w only 1 way & one way out? Yikes worst people flow I have seen &…read morecrazy to maneuver the confuse between periods. But...what a GREAT place to watch a game!!! We sat in Sec 106, row 2, seats 17-18 - awesome to be so close to the players even if it was hard to see the players in the far corner. Also great to be in the end the Jets shoot twice & by the box. To see the full rink row 7 would be about right. Fans were super friendly - they were playing the Hawks - although it probably helped I was wearing my Bobby Hull jersey! Beers were easy to get ($11.62 USD) and popcorn was like movie theater! Also really cool how you walk inside from the Delta hotel and the main level is actually at street level - so the stadium goes down to the ice. Great times & highly recommend a game.

When I lived in Winnipeg, I took in Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian Football League) games and…read moreconcerts at the old Winnipeg Stadium in St. James. It has since been torn down. I finally got to visit Princess Auto Stadium (previously Investor Group Field) a couple of times last month. Canada Day celebrations were happening here for free. A few days later, I took in a Bombers game on a Friday evening. This stadium is home of Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Valour FC, and University of Manitoba Bison. It's a football sandwich with soccer as the filling. It's located on the University of Manitoba campus. Canada Day celebrations consisted of various Canadian music acts playing for roughly an hour. It was a rainy day. The rain held off when I was there for a few hours. I parked in a lot across from this stadium on Chancellor Matheson Road. Parking was free. I got a decent spot. It is a bit crazy crossing the street, as you are essentially jaywalking. Pack some patience. I entered through the nearest gate. I liked seeing the Bombers Hall of Fame names. I spent a lot of time looking at the names. Seeing Khari Jones (2008) and Milt Stegall (2009) made me happy. They were and remain the best quarterback-receiver duo ever in Bombers history. The man at the gate was nice. He said that I didn't have to show my free ticket barcode. Instead, I could just go in. Nice! The stadium is spectacular. It's so much nicer than the old one. It looked good even on a gloomy day! I found a seat and took in roughly three acts. I called it quits at around 8 pm. I had had a long day (I woke up at 4:30 am to travel to Winnipeg). There was also a threat of thunderstorms, which did affect the fireworks display at 10:30 pm. I also wanted dinner, but not from a concession stand. Before I left, I did hit a mini Bomber Store and got a t-shirt for $24. Lindy was the associate who helped me with my purchase. I paid with a credit card. I got my receipt and waved off getting a plastic bag. I thanked him and headed to my car. I was debating whether I wanted to see the Bombers play. At this point, the team had lost every single game. Would the team bomb (pun intended) again or would I be their lucky charm? It was a hot, humid day. I had to. I had paid for parking. Trying to find where to park with a gold pass was interesting. I had one staffer said to head east. I did. I parked in lot W (W for win?) and took a leisurely walk over to the stadium. There were activities for kids and tailgating fun for adults. It was cool. I entered through gate 3. I had my barcode scanned. Done! I got a level 200 seat. I didn't break the bank. I was so happy with where I was. It was shaded and I had a good view of the Bombers hitting the field and more. I took the elevator to the second floor. A male staffer was operating it. When I left the stadium, I walked down stairs. It was great. The food here was yummy and prices were decent. I wish that there were more sugar-free options. The concession stand that I visited only had Pepsi. It needs Pepsi zero or Diet Pepsi. The drink was cold. I got a bag (a heap) of popcorn for $5. It was a good deal. I didn't finish it. The bag was larger than it looked. I brought it back to the apartment. I felt comfortable in my seat. There was a holder for my drink. I find that Winnipeggers aren't great at excusing themselves so that they can walk past you. The woman next to me literally went in front of me and kicked me with her foot. When she came back, I directly told her to stop. I got up so she wouldn't kick me with likely the other foot. I was not happy and made that fact known to her boyfriend who had manners. Bombers fans are loud. They still are. It was great! It was a tight game between the Bombers and RedBlacks. The home team won its first game of the season. I was their good luck charm. I'm sticking with it! I ended up visiting the main Bomber Store after the game. Staff were super helpful and nice, asking me if I needed any help and also letting me figure out what I wanted. I got my second t-shirt from this store. I loved the feel of it. The woman at the checkout was great. She gave me a bag for my t-shirt. I paid with a credit card. The transaction was smooth. I thanked her and took my time walking back to my rental vehicle. The women's washroom was clean. There was a bit of a wait after the game. I was briefly a graduate student at this university. It felt both familiar and different as I walked to the parking lot. Things have changed building-wise, but it threw me back to being a student walking towards the Winnipeg Transit bus stops. It's how I used to get to and from the university. There was a bit of congestion getting off-campus. It was a single lane in either direction. I thought that my visiting the Bomber Store would help a bit. It still took ten minutes to reach Pembina Highway. It was cool dropping by twice. I had a terrific experiences on the whole. (303)

I went to my first Bombers game a couple Fridays ago. Living downtown, I like the location as it's…read morea straight shot on the Blue bus from home; I got to the stadium in about 20-25 mins. My first reaction to the stadium was that the concourse is very cramped. It definitely felt like the concourse at Canada Life Centre is wider than IGF, despite the capacity being over 50% less. It definitely made for a suboptimal experience when I went to find food before the game and drinks during halftime. The experience in the stands, on the other hand, was amazing. The Blue Bombers are billed as the loudest fans in the CFL, and I can see why with all the cowbells and acoustics there. I highly recommend wearing earplugs if you're prone to loud noises or hearing problems. Food options are pretty decent and, if I'm to be honest, reasonably priced for stadiums. Shawarma Khan seems to be the go-to for many fans when I was there. If the concourse was less cramped this would be an amazing stadium. Sadly given that experience I believe a 3-star rating is more than reasonable.