Yorkton has an interesting downtown.
It’s an odd observation to make after living in a city for ten years, given that you would normally notice that immediately, but I did realize that recently while walking around one day. The downtown in this city is very interesting and worth exploring.
The city has a lot of interesting buildings from a variety of ages, neat old brick buildings, something slightly more modern right up against the side of it, lots of little green spaces, sometimes crammed into places you wouldn’t expect. Wander around downtown for a while and you’re going to find something neat and interesting looking that you haven’t noticed before. It’s a fun downtown, with a lot of history and little secrets.
So why haven’t I noticed it before?
I think we just don’t notice things because we live here. They kind of fade into the background because we’re used to seeing them every day. It’s just a clothing store where I bought a suit once, it’s just a bank, it’s just a coffee shop. These are just places we use regularly, and at a certain point we use them so regularly that the background doesn’t even matter anymore.
So how do we appreciate it anew?
I think in this case, you have to realize it’s interesting, and look at the spaces around the city not as the background to your daily life, but as something worth looking at on their own. Go downtown not for a specific goal but just to enjoy it. Don’t set out to spend money, but set out to just wander around for a bit and look around.
It’s easy to do that right now, because spring has arrived and we can just wander without purpose, because it’s a nice day and walking is a form of exercise.
Suddenly, you’ll start to see the city’s character, the mix of architectural styles that have popped up over the years as businesses began and ended, and buildings were built and destroyed. You’ll start to notice the remnants of old businesses on new ones, the way some places still hold onto their legacy even decades later. You’ll notice interesting architecture, find cool paintings, discover fun places to sit and enjoy the weather.
It’s not approaching the city as a tourist, because tourists often have a goal in mind at the end of the day, and things they want to see. It’s just approaching it as something who doesn’t have a specific goal at all. If you’re not looking for one specific thing, you can see a lot of stuff you weren’t expecting.
Downtown Yorkton has a personality that a lot of people don’t expect to see, and it’s easy to miss when you’re not looking for it. But take a look around here, and you’re going to see a city that isn’t really like very many others in the province, and it’s worth a walk around just to see how unique it is.
