Calgary

Cowboy hats in July, glass towers of the oil companies, and the peaks of the Rocky Mountains on the horizon: Calgary is Canada's gateway to the mountains. A trip to Calgary combines Western culture, great restaurants, and excursions to Banff and Lake Louise.<\/p>

From Fort to Oil Metropolis<\/h3>

At the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, peoples of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Stoney Nakoda, and the Tsuut’ina lived for thousands of years. In 1875, the North-West Mounted Police built a fort here, which was named Calgary after a place in Scotland. With the Canadian Pacific Railway came settlers and ranchers, and Calgary became a ranching town. Oil discoveries in the 20th century, especially from the 1940s on, made Calgary the headquarters of Canada's energy industry. In 1988, the city hosted the Winter Olympics, and its facilities are still in use today.<\/p>

Sights in Calgary<\/h3>

In the Downtown Commercial Core<\/strong>, office towers rise up, including the Bow building by Norman Foster. The Calgary Tower<\/strong>, built in 1968, offers views all the way to the Rockies from its observation deck with a glass floor. The pedestrian zone Stephen Avenue, with sandstone buildings from the city's early days, is full of restaurants and shops. The red Peace Bridge by Santiago Calatrava spans the Bow River. On the island of Prince’s Island Park, festivals take place in summer. The Glenbow Museum showcases the art and history of the West, while at Heritage Park Historical Village you can see settlers' houses, a steam train, and a paddle steamer. Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, is dedicated to Canadian music history in a striking new building.<\/p>

Neighborhoods: Beltline, Kensington, and Inglewood<\/h3>

South of downtown lies the Beltline with 17th Avenue, Calgary's nightlife strip with bars, cafés, and restaurants. On the north bank of the Bow River, Hillhurst and Kensington are popular for their small shops, bookstores, and brunch cafés, while Crescent Heights offers a beautiful view of the skyline from its bluffs. Inglewood, the city's oldest neighborhood, has antique shops, breweries, and live music venues. In the east, in neighborhoods like Forest Lawn and Sunridge, you'll see Calgary's multicultural side, with South Asian, Vietnamese, and African shops and restaurants.<\/p>

Calgary Stampede<\/h3>

For ten days in July, the entire city turns into a Wild West festival: the Calgary Stampede, founded in 1912, bills itself as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." There are rodeo competitions, chuckwagon races, a big parade, concerts, and a midway. Businesses invite everyone to pancake breakfasts, and nearly everybody wears jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat. Indigenous peoples also present their tipis and traditions at the Elbow River Camp. Accommodations book up early and cost more during this time, but the atmosphere makes up for it. Outside of the Stampede days, Stampede Park hosts concerts and trade shows, and in winter the Calgary Flames play their hockey games at the Saddledome. Canada Olympic Park in the west, a legacy of the 1988 Games, is now a recreation area with ski jumps, a bobsled track, mountain bike trails, and, in winter, a small ski hill.<\/p>

Eating and Going Out<\/h3>

Alberta is beef country: a steak of Alberta beef belongs on every visit. A local invention is the Caesar cocktail, a mix of vodka, tomato-clam juice, and spices, created in 1969 at a Calgary hotel. Ginger beef, deep-fried beef in a sweet and spicy sauce, is a specialty of Calgary's Chinese-Canadian cuisine. Restaurants in Calgary range from steakhouses to modern bistros, and the brewery scene in Inglewood and Manchester keeps growing.<\/p>

Getting There, Best Time to Visit, and Excursions<\/h3>

Calgary International Airport lies northeast of the center and is a hub for WestJet. In the city, the CTrain light rail connects downtown with the suburbs, and it is free in the city center. The best time to visit is between June and September; winters get very cold, though warm Chinook winds can sometimes send temperatures soaring within hours. Banff National Park, with Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, is about 90 minutes to the west, while to the east, excursions lead to the dinosaur finds of Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, one of the world's most important paleontology museums.<\/p>