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Calgary [1], a city in Alberta, Canada, lies where the prairies end and the foothills begin. As such, it is the eastern gateway to the Rocky Mountains and an important centre of trade and tourism for the western prairies. It is your most likely point of access for Banff and Jasper, and a worthwhile destination in its own right. With a population of about 1.1 million, Calgary is also the hub of the country's fifth largest metropolitan area and the largest between Vancouver and Toronto.
Downtown Calgary from Eau Claire
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SEE DO EAT
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Downtown Office Core: Calgary's dense business area is roughly bounded by 3rd Avenue S (on the north), 9th Avenue S (on the south), 2nd Street East and 9th St W. Many of the buildings are connected via a 16 km (10 mile) long network of elevated walkways and bridges. Most of these walkways are enclosed or covered, allowing pedestrians sheltered travel between downtown buildings. The system, known as the "+15" is the largest of its kind in the world.
Eau Claire/Festival District: A mix of riverside condominiums, unique shopping, restaurants, hotels, and urban parkland make Eau Claire and the Festival District among Calgary's liveliest urban districts. The area, which was developed from reclaimed industrial land fronts the Bow River and sits immediately north of 3rd Avenue S. North of Eau Claire is the picturesque, Prince's Island Park. In the summer, the Festival District can be found crowded with people enjoying the sights and sounds of Eau Claire Festival Market, one of the areas many pubs and restaurants, or a weekend festival. It is also the perfect starting off point for a stroll along one of the many scenic paths along the Bow River or Prince's Island.
- Attractions:
- Eau Claire Market, [11]: A unique market-style mall chock full of interesting shops, restaurants, and cinemas.
- Prince's Island Park: Calgary's largest inner city park is located immediately north of Eau Claire in the Bow River. In the summer, it plays host to Shakespeare in the Park and is also the site of two of the city's largest annual festivals: the Calgary Folk Music Festival and Carifest (Calgary's annual festival celebrating the city's large West Indian population).
- Barclay Parade: Barclay Mall is a pedestrian mall that runs from Eau Claire on the north to Stephen Avenue in the south. It is home to a number of high end shops and encompasses the Penny Lane Entertainment District.
Stephen Avenue Walk[12]: This area, which includes the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall is located south of the Office Core along 8th Avenue S (between 5th Street W and 1st Street E). Stephen Avenue itself forms the heart of downtown Calgary's shopping and retail zone. Immediately adjacent to the outdoor portion of Stephen Avenue is an indoor complex of three shopping malls. The malls, TD Square, Eaton Centre, and Scotia Centre span a number of city blocks. Everything from Gap to high-end retailers and boutiques such as Holt Renfrew and Bang and Olufsen can be found here. The street is also home to a number of galleries, restaurants, pubs, off-beat cinemas, and nightclubs.
- Attractions:
- Devonian Gardens [13]: The Devonian Gardens is a large indoor urban park located on the 4th floor of TD Square (above the shopping).
- The Calgary Tower: The Calgary Tower may not be quite as impressive as the CN Tower in Toronto, but it still commands a great view over the city and the surroundings. On a clear day you can see the Rockies to the west. It features a revolving gourmet restaurant, a bar, and an observation deck. The tower backs onto railway tracks and some run down blocks on the 10th Avenue side and is best approached from 8th Avenue for a more enjoyable experience.
- Stephen Avenue Walk: As one of Calgary's most famous streets, Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue S between Barclay Mall and 2nd Street E) was declared a National Historic District by the Canadian Government. It is a major venue for boutique shopping, bars, pubs and restaurants. The mall is free of traffic throughout most of the day.
Chinatown: Canada's third largest Chinatown is located in the northeast portion of downtown Calgary. It is the heart of Calgary's Asian diaspora, although much of north and east Calgary has a Pacific Rim influence. The area of about a half-dozen blocks is located along Centre Street S, from 4 Ave S (on the south) to the Bow River (on the north). Calgary's Chinatown packs in a dense network of Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and other Asian restaurants, shops, housing and cultural facilities. The area along Centre Street on the north side of the river almost functions as a loosely organized "second Chinatown" with Chinese-oriented businesses stretching for 20 or more blocks.
- Attractions:
- Chinese Cultural Centre: [14] is the largest of its kind on the continent. It features an impressive domed ceiling patterned from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
Olympic Plaza and the Arts District: The region immediately to the east of Stephen Avenue Walk contains a number of theatres, art galleries, and the Glenbow Museum. It is also home to Olympic Plaza, a large public square in front of city hall |
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Calgary has developed a fairly vibrant theatre scene including both professional and amateur theatre. The two daily newspapers provide some theatre coverage, but the best coverage and listings are found in free weekly Fast Forward magazine. [29]
- EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts, 205 8th Avenue S.E. (adjacent to Olympic Plaza), +1 403 294-7455, [30]. The epicentre of Calgary's theatre scene, the EPCOR Centre hosts the three best-known professional theatre groups; the conservative Theatre Calgary[31], the more adventurous Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP)[32], and the downright avant-garde One Yellow Rabbit Perfomance Theatre (OYR)[33]. The facility has two additional theatres, so other companies often produce shows here. Of special note are two festivals held by the resident companies; OYR's High Performance Rodeo runs for January and provides a wildly eclectic mix of performing arts (and performance art) while ATP's PlayRites runs from February into early March and focuses on new works. $10-60.
- Vertigo Theatre, 161, 115 - 9 Avenue SE (at the base of the Calgary Tower), ? +1 403 221-3708, [34]. is dedicated to producing mystery plays, ranging from musicals to straight-up whodunnits. A second studio theatre frequently hosts other companies.
- Theatre Junction, 608 1st St SW, ? +1 403 205 2922, [35]. Offers a slate of highly contemporary theatre and performing arts, and the venue also hosts music. $20-30.
- Pumphouse Theatre, 2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW, ? +1 403 263-0079, [36]. Two theatres contained inside a historic brick waterworks building play host to a large part of Calgary's semi-pro and community theatre scene, with new productions here every week. $10-25.
- Loose Moose Theatre, 1235 - 26th Ave. S.E. (in the Crossroads Farmer's Market), ? +1 403 265-5682, [37]. One of the originators of, and international leaders in, short-form improvisation and Theatresports (think Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Loose Moose does improv weekly, as well as the occasional original children's show or comedy. $8-12.
- Lunchbox Theatre, 229, 205-5th Ave SW (Bow Valley Square, 2nd floor), ? +1 403 265-4292. This unique theatre company produces exclusively one-act plays, during the weekday noon lunch hour. Typically lighter fare suitable for a downtown corporate crowd. $16.
- Stage West Dinner Theatre, 727 42 Ave SE, ? +1 403 243-6642, [38]. Offers unchallenging, tried-and-true shows, along with a generic buffet dinner. $60-100.
- Jubilations Dinner Theatre, 1002 37 ST SW (in Westbrook Mall), ? +1 403 249-7799, [39]. Similar to Stage West, with more of a focus on parodies of popular television shows. $55-65.
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Calgary offers a wide variety of dining options. While Calgary doesn't have a single signature dish, residents are very proud of Alberta Beef, and Calgarians are discerning clients of steakhouses. Speaking of beef, the popular Chinese-Canadian dish of ginger beef was invented in Calgary in the 1970s. Calgary is also home to a very culturally diverse population, with a very wide selection of international restaurants, especially from East and Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean from Italy through Lebanon. Calgary is, however, generally lacking in decent Mexican food, and the inland location means that a good meal of seafood is sometimes hard to find.
Restaurants in the downtown area are very busy between noon and 1 PM on weekdays due to the lunch crowd of office workers; if you can, try to stagger your lunch to start around 11:15 or 1:30. You'll face much shorter lineups. Buffets are often only prepared once for lunchtime, and visiting a buffet after 12:15 or so will typically be a depressing dining experience.
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