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Twilight Tourism in Calgary

Flew into Calgary today a little late after some fog delays this morning backed up the planes at the gates. A last-minute gate change made everyone a little angry but I’m sure that’s how we were only 10 minutes late instead of an hour. I had to gate-check my to-the-limit Briggs and Riley carry-on bag because the Bombardier jet‘s overhead bins barely fit my “personal item” bag. You can see how tiny the plane is here

Big Jetway - tiny plane
Big Jetway - tiny plane

I got the most interrogation ever at the Canada passport check. I checked “Business” as the purpose of the trip and the official asked me to show any documentation regarding the business relationship between my company and the Canadian company. After I didn’t have it, he then asked for a business card!

Anyway, a $40CAN ride into downtown and I’m checked in by 3:30PM. I chose the wrong 8th… 8th Street instead of 8th Avenue (the downtownish area), so my joke is my hotel is central — if you define central as equidistant from all the good stuff, but not next to anything in particular. Apparently there’s a trendy restaurant district on 17th Avenue (I’m at 8th Street SW and 14th Avenue SW… which means there’s potentially an 8th and 14th in the other quadrants… I know, it’s evil), so I either walk up 3 blocks or down 6 blocks to get to something else. It’s actually not too bad… if it’s not snowing and windy.

I walked past the Mountain Equipment Co-Op which looks a LOT like REI. If this cold, snowy weather keeps up I may need to buy some new shoes.

I decided to hoof it out to the Stephen’s Avenue shopping/food district which also includes the Calgary Tower which I might go to later in the week if I have nothing else to do, but maybe not since my only day with free time during the daylight was today. I will be working 9-6 (or so) every night this week.

Walked out to the Chinatown area along 1st Street uhh… can’t remember which one. But it was getting cold, so I wound my way around to get back to the hotel. I ended up eating at Brewster’s which apparently is a chain. Oh well. The Black and Blue burger plus sweet potato fries. The Blue Monk Barley Wine was also quite tasty, and 9.9% ABV yowsers!

Did I mention it’s snowing? Horizontally I might add. I’m not used to this at all… wait, oh, I guess I did just go to Boston, and it was pretty cold there, but I didn’t deal with snow.

Here’s a small gallery of the rest of the pictures I took earlier this evening.

2 Comments

  1. What are the gas prices up there?

  2. Jill Browne

    You’ve probably left town by now, but for anyone else who ends up staying at 8th Street and 14th Avenue SW – there is a nice indie coffee bar that also serves alcohol, between 13th & 14th Ave on 8th Street SW. Kawa is the name. 1333 8th Street SW.

    I’ve been once & liked it, other friends have independently recommended it.


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