Edmonton vs. Ottawa: Where Can a DIY Busker Actually Afford to Exist?
edmonton smells like snow tires and fry grease today, which tracks because it’s -15°c and some guy just told me the river valley’s so frozen you could skate to calgary if you had the guts. meanwhile, ottawa’s out here acting all parliament-adjacent while charging $2,000 for a closet with "character." let’s get weird.
first rule of busking in edmonton: *churchill square on a saturday is golden, but you’ll compete with a guy who plays nickelback covers on a kazoo. rent’s stupid cheap compared to ottawa-studio apartments downtown go for like $1,100 vs. ottawa’s roach-infested $1,600 specials. check this wild rent breakdown if you don’t believe me.
> "ottawa’s got that civil servant money," some bartender growled at me last night, "but their idea of ‘culture’ is arguing about poutine in french."
edmonton’s got issues tho-like how the cops shut down my spot by the high level bridge last week because ‘safety concerns’ (translation: someone’s cousin got mad i out-sang their wedding DJ). but where else can you busk for three hours, make $80, then blow it all at dutch love on turmeric lattes and regret? ottawa’s crowd tips in loonies and existential dread.
> "if you’re gonna freeze your fingers off," a local warned me, "at least do it near the art gallery of alberta-rich people feel guilty faster there."
ojdtk, idgaf about ottawa’s ‘heritage’ vibe when edmonton’s got rogers place hosting metal bands that make parliament hill’s ghost tours seem like nap time. also, edmonton’s crime rate’s technically higher, but i’d rather dodge a meth squirrel in strathcona* than watch another ottawa politician yeet a selfie stick into the rideau canal. fight me.
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