City Stories: 24 Hours in the Wild West

I recently revisited what was once my home in the wild west of Calgary, Alberta. I was there for only one day and as I’m wont to do, retraced some of the steps I used to take. Some of those steps brought new delights, others old — and not always happy — feelings.

The city has changed — and will continue to change — but it was easy for me to long to live in the city again, even after 3 years away from it. I felt as though I might be missing out on its big transformation from the dowdy little prairie town it used to be, to the bustling cosmopolitan centre it is growing into. I have a fondness for Calgary because it’s the city I fell in love in, a city I returned to again and again over 5 years, and one whose streets are familiar to me, no matter how the store fronts change, or how many new condo towers are built. It still feels like a conga-line (perhaps line dance is the better metaphor here) that I could easily join again if I wanted to.

Here’s what my 24 hours in Calgary looked like:

Are you visiting Calgary? Here’s how to make the most of your experience:

Stay: Any contemporary visitor guide will tell you to go trendy — try le chic boutique Le Germain, or nouvelle vague Hotel Arts. Stay classy instead is what I say, and stay at the Fairmont Palliser — Calgary’s oldest and most storied hotel. Its decadent décor and top-hatted doormen bring to mind its heritage as a Canadian Pacific hotel, built when the west was still wild.  William Van Horne, General Manager of Canadian Pacific Railway, declared, “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists.” The result is a grand dame of the west, with architecture that could equally be at home in Chicago or London. PS: If it’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for me.

Drink: Said visitor guide will also advise you to eat at Charcut. Do that, it’s as good as they say. But arrive early so you can have a classy drink at the bar. Ask the handsome barkeepers to create a Beretta Sour — Calgary’s answer to a Pisko Sour. Or, try the Rhubarb Margarita — the prairies in the rock glass.

Eat: If you only have 24 hours, stay on Stephen Avenue — that’s where you’ll find the best restaurants and the most variety.  The Belvedere, Divino, Thomsons, and Teatro are all excellent choices. For a good, old-fashioned  AAA Alberta Steak with a contemporary setting Saltlik or Trib Steakhouse are your best bets. Staying longer? Venture to 4th Street, Calgary’s Mission district, or 17th Ave. For a wild west feast fit for a King, venture down Macleod Trail to Smugglers — an institution and a rare experience indeed.

Eat even more: If it’s lunch you’re after, stay in Kensington and eat at the best little Italian joint around, Peppino’s. Try Joe’s Special or any of the other sandwiches under $10.00. Then kickback and enjoy the best espresso in town. Still hungry? Eat at Pulcinella — a pizzeria so good its the only institution of ts kind approved by the Associazione Pizzaioli Napolitani. And the pizza truly is molto bene.

Now run off all that food: Head to Calgary’s famous “stairs” at McHugh Bluff park. You’ll curse your life on the way up 11 flights of stairs, but your efforts will be redeemed with a view of the Rocky Mountains at the top.

And then eat some more: Cross the bow river for dessert at Crave. You’re welcome.

And explore: Shop boutiques in Kensington or on 17th Ave. Visit the Glenbow Museum or the contemporary Art Gallery of Calgary. For a dose of prairie architecture, walk down Stephen Ave and seek out gargoyles and cornices curiously shaped like cowboys and horses, but make room for the contemporary, too, and visit the steel trees designed by Cohos Evamy Partners Architect, The Bow building designed by Foster + Partners, and the Peace Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.

And when you’re ready to hang your hat in another home, hitch your wagon to the C-Train and head back to the airport, or hop on a shuttle and ride off into the mountains with the sunset behind you.