Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Home to approximately 800,000 residents and growing rapidly. There
are a number of things that contribute to our high standard of living.
Space, space, space, clean air, low crime are all a large part of it. My
personal favourite is our proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Kananaskis
Provincial Park and Banff National Park are within easy reach for a holiday or
even a day trip. Hiking, Biking, Skiing, and River Rafting all in our
backyard - so to speak...
On a clear day, the
mountains can be seen easily from the city. Or for those without vertigo,
the Calgary Tower offers 360 degree views of the city and surrounding area -
including Calgary's other landmark, the Saddledome. The city also houses
400km of trails that are perfect for those wishing to bike, in-line skate, jog
or walk throughout the city.
Eau Claire market, located
downtown on the Bow River, offers something that strays from the average
shopping mall, and along with restaurants, bars and Prince's Island Park makes
for one of Calgary's livelier areas.
Calgary hosts the Calgary
Stampede every July (the second week to be exact!). Rodeo, rides, midway
games, a parade, shows and nightly fireworks are part of the attraction that
draws over 500,000 visitors worldwide each year. Calgary has also played
host to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and the 1997 World Police and Fire
Games.
Rather than list all the
other attractions here (the above are those that come to mind for me!) - Click
here for more Calgary stuff......
Visitor
Information
Getting
to/from Calgary
By Car
- Calgary is served by 2 major highways - Alberta Highway #2, and TransCanada
Highway #1. On Alberta #2, Calgary is approximately 300kms(3 hours)
south of Edmonton, 2 hours north of Lethbridge, and approximately 3 hours north
of the Canada/United States border. On the TransCanada, Calgary is 3 hours
from Medicine Hat, 1 1/4 hours(128kms) from Banff Townsite, 3 hours from Golden,
BC and 13 hours from Vancouver(via the Coquihalla toll highway).
By Air - Calgary's
domestic and international air traffic arrives at and leaves from the
Calgary International Airport(1-403-735-1372), which is located Northeast of the
city. Airporter buses are available for transport into the city centre,
which is served by Light Rail Transit(LRT) and buses. City transit bus 52
serves the airport and northeast area of the city, also connecting with the
NorthEast line of the LRT. Cars are available for hire at the airport from
most major car rental companies(Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar). Taxis are
also readily available. Fares to downtown and the University in the North
West are approximately $20CAD(see currency conversion chart). Banff
transit also offers an airporter
service for those straight on their way to the Rockies.
By Bus - Calgary
can be easily reached by bus as well. 3 of the major carriers are Greyhound,
Brewster and Red
Arrow. Red Arrow serves Alberta, Brewster does tours of the Rocky
mountains as well as providing transport in the area, and Greyhound serves all
of Canada - if you wish, bus it to Toronto...they have student fares and sell
travel passes for within Alberta and beyond.
Orientation
and Getting
Around
Calgary is
divided into four quandrants - North West, North East, South West and South
East. The majority of the downtown core is located in the South
West. Macleod Trail divides East and West in the south end, and centre
street serves this purpose in the north. Generally, the Bow River divides
north and west, which can also be marked by Memorial Drive and Bowness
road. Street numbers start at the 'centre' of the city (Memorial Drive and
Centre Street) and branch out from there. Avenues run East/West, Whereas
streets run North/South. Macleod Trail eventually becomes Alberta
Highway #2 southbound, and Deerfoot trail (Calgary's freeway) heads up North to
Edmonton via Alberta Highway #2. The TransCanada #1 turns into 16th Avenue
North cuts directly through the city. The downtown core follows a grid
layout with alternating one way streets - with the exception of 7th avenue SW,
which houses the tracks for the LRT - transit vehicles only. The streets
downtown are numbered, so as such, address finding should be relatively user
friendly.
If one
wishes to cover a large area while visiting, car hire may be the best way to go
- especially for visiting suburbs. There are buses that do cover these
areas, but are often few and far between. The car hire companies listed
above all have locations in the city as well as at the airport. Budget
, for all locations in Calgary call 1-403-226-1550. Avis
- airport 1-403-221-1700, downtown 1-403-269-6166, south Calgary
1-403-287-2113. Hertz - worldwide
1-800-263-0600. Calgary airport 1-403-221-1676 and downtown
1-221-1300. Dollar - worldwide
1-800-800-4000. Airport - 1-403-221-1888, and all other Calgary locations
1-403-221-1887.
The other
option is public transit. Calgary's transit system consists of a 2 line
Light Rail Transit and buses. The main Calgary transit office is located
downtown, and provides schedules for the LRT and buses, as well as passes.
Passes are available on a daily or monthly basis. Calgary's transit fares
are for travel in all of Calgary. Adult fare is $1.60CAD(for 90 minutes),
youth(6-14) is $1.00CAD. Daypasses for Adults are $5.00, youth
$3.00. Full fare details are listed on Calgary
Transit's website. Tickets are available at all LRT stations, on buses
(correct change is needed), and at some convenience stores and newsagents.
don't forget to ask for a transfer if you are taking more than one bus/bus +
train! your train tickets will be valid on the buses for 90 minutes from
time of purchase. If you anticipate riding transit a lot, a book of
tickets will save you some money - a book of 10 adult tickets can be purchased
for $13.50, a book of 5 for $7.25. The area downtown is a 'free fare
zone'. This means that to ride the LRT on the downtown stretch is FREE.
And of
course, there are always the numerous pathways throughout the city which one can
bike, jog, rollerblade or walk their way around Calgary's more scenic
areas. The pathways connect to the downtown area at Prince's Island park
and the Eau Claire market.
Accommodations
Calgary has
a large variety of accommodation, from four star properties to an HI hostel for
budget travellers. Once again, what you will want to see and do will make
a difference as to where you stay. the downtown core is quite safe, and
has the best connections for transit, as well as many attractions. There
is an area located in NorthWest Calgary known as 'motel village'. This is
a congregation of mid range hotels and a variety of restaurants from McDonald's,
to a 24 hour diner and a seafood restaurant. Motel Village is conveniently
located on 16th avenue NW (TransCanada Highway #1), near the University, McMahon
Stadium - home of the Stampeders football club, transit and shopping.
You'll find such chains as Travelodge, Quality Inn and Best Western.
The HI
hostel is located on the east end of downtown(520 7 avenue SE,
1-403-269-8239), a few blocks from downtown LRT stations and within walking
distance to many attractions. For a comprehensive listing, the Calgary
Convention and Visitor Bureau has put together a good site - click
here for more information.
Communications
and Currency
Calgary is 7
hours behind Greenwich mean time (Mountain Standard Time), and observes daylight
saving time during summer months(April through October).
Pay
Telephones in Alberta are run by Telus, and all take both coins, calling cards
and credit cards. Local calls are charged at a flat rate of $0.35CAD -
check with operator for long distance rates. Most are located in booths as
well as in buildings.
Charges for
posting normal size letters (under 30g) and postcards are as follows:
within Canada - $0.45, to the United States - $0.52, and international -
$0.95. Stamps are sold at some pharmacies and newsagents in addition to
post offices - in such cases, they generally advertise this. Post offices
are generally easy to find - most major shopping centres will have one. A
conveniently located downtown location is on the first floor of bankers hall,
8th avenue and 2nd street SW. The 24 hour Shopper's Drug Mart in Chinook
Centre(Maclead Trail South) has a post office that is open until midnight.
Approximate
exchange rates are listed below for a few major currencies. If your
currency is not listed here, or for a more accurate rate, check out the currency
converter. Please note that these are approximate rates as at 12
September, 1999 and are subject to change. Rates provided by Universal Currency Converter™.
$1.00 CAD
(Canada Dollar) = 0.6752
USD (United States Dollar)
0.4176 GBP (Great British Pound)
73.5652 JPY (Japanese Yen)
1.2749 DEM (German Mark)
0.6519 EUR (Euros)
4.2757 FRF (French Francs)
Foreign
Currency may be exchanged a currency exchanges and most major banks. Most
will also cash traveller's cheques for a commission fee and give cash
advances on credit cards (you will likely have to provide passport as proof of
identity). If you are arriving from another country, it may be a good idea
to have enough local currency for the first few days as currency exchanges at
the airport tend to charge higher fees than a chartered bank.
Automated
bank machines are readily available, especially in central and highly touristed
areas. bank cards that contain the cirrus™ and plus™ symbols can be
used in most Canadian Bank Machines. , The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotia bank),
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) The Toronto Dominion Bank (TD),
The Bank of Montreal and the Royal Bank of Canada are the major Canadian banks,
and have many branch locations in Calgary - the main branches of each are all
located within a few blocks of each other in the downtown
core.
If you have
any other questions, comments or suggestions they are all welcome - I have
resided in Calgary for 17 years. Mail me here.
Nearby Banff and Lake Louise provide many
attractions of their own...
The Banff Springs Hotel,
Banff, Alberta
'Hoary Marmot' Mt. Fairview, Lake
Louise
Sunshine Village Ski Resort, Banff National
Park. For more on Sunshine Village, click
here.
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