Early September’s a busy time, on campus and off. Around the U of W, halls are more crowded, bookstore lineups stretch out longer, and pudding seems to be flying off the shelves in Riddell Hall. Elsewhere in the city, new projects are getting started up and released, while Winnipeggers are mostly committed to enjoying summer-ish weather for as long as humanly possible.

It can be easy to get caught up in the earnest, driven, excitable energy of fall, but this is also a great time of year to practice taking a break – to slow down and take in the surroundings.

In our cover feature this week, we’re looking at some spaces and places that may sometimes blend into the mundane background of a daily commute. But a lot of time, effort and often funding went into setting up statues and memorials. As a city, who are we memorializing and why? As you look through these images, take a moment to consider which stories are being told, and which ones we should see more of.

Throughout the rest of the paper, we also consider other elements of daily life that we could stop and consider more closely. For example, how do animals tell time? What makes a food worthy of the title cheese, and if it’s not cheese, what is it? What does a crack in the sidewalk in West Broadway have to do with development in Waverley West?

Take a break from the bustle to peruse some of these stories and more. And if you notice anything else you think we should be covering, let us know.

Published in Volume 72, Number 2 of The Uniter (September 14, 2017)