| Calgary | ||
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| State | Canada | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Canadian Prairies | |
| Altitude | 1,048 m a.s.l. | |
| Inhabitants | 1.162.100 (2008) | |
| Prefix tel | 1 403 & 1 507 | |
| POSTAL CODE | T1, T2, T3 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Calgary is a city in the Canadian province ofAlberta.
To know
Background
Calgary was founded in 1875 as an outpost of the "North-West Mounted Police" (NWMP), a mounted police force created two years earlier with the task of maintaining public order in the Western Territories and preventing Canada from becoming a sort of wild west as had happened in the neighbors United States. In the spring of 1873, an indigenous carnage by drunken bison hunters had occurred in the nearby town of Cypress Hill. The news of the massacre, once reached Ottawa three months later, it caused public consternation and the government decided to prevent a recurrence of similar episodes with the creation of the NWMP.
Calgary was therefore one of several forts created in western Canada by the NWMP to ensure a police presence before settlers arrived. The original name "Fort Brisebois", from the surname of the head of the mounted police contingent, was changed in 1876 to "Fort Calgary" from the name of a bay on the Isle of Mull, belonging to the group of Inner Hebrides.
When the railway reached the locality in 1883, the fort quickly transformed into an agricultural and commercial center. Eleven years later its population amounted to 3,900 souls, enough for the settlement to be given the title of city.
The first oil and natural gas field was discovered in 1914 in Turner Valley, 60 km south of Calgary. Thirty years later these deposits appeared to be exhausted but others were discovered in various locations in the province. The most consistent were identified in 1947 in the territory of today's city of Leduc, near Edmonton. From 1950 onwards, America's major oil companies opened a branch office in Calgary. The oil boom proved to be lasting and by 1985 the city had 720,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area. The city center, an area of low profile, as well as low houses, was invaded by a flood of skyscrapers starting from the 1960s.
In 1980, the drop in crude oil prices caused a setback in the economic development of the city. Unemployment spread like wildfire and growth returned to positive values only in the following decade. The signs of recovery had already manifested themselves in 1988, the year in which Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics, thus placing itself in the international spotlight again.
Calgary is now a city of over one million that is making significant efforts to diversify its economy and expand it to sectors such as tourism.
How to orient yourself
Calgary: full screen map.Below is a review of Calgary's neighborhoods and areas of tourist interest.
Southern bank of the Bow River
- Downtown - The center of Calgary is nothing more than a forest of skyscrapers that inevitably empties after 6pm. Some attempts have been made to revitalize the center with the construction of shopping centers and the opening of pedestrian zones.
- Beltline and 17th Avenue SW - Calgary's liveliest area extends south of downtown along this thoroughfare that runs parallel to the river. The intersection with 4th street is the hub of Calgary's social life.
- Mission - Further south of the previous one, extending around the intersection of 4th street with 17th Avenue SW, The Mission is also a recreational area that is increasingly finding the favor of the inhabitants of Calgary. Its premises are housed in historic buildings with a red brick facade and no higher than 3 floors.
- Inglewood - East of downtown on the banks of the river, Inglewood is the original nucleus from which the city expanded. It is still a somewhat run-down neighborhood despite attempts at its revaluation linked to factors of building speculation. Some of its old warehouses are occupied by design shops and art galleries, while others are empty.
- Forest Lawn International Avenue[1] - A few miles east of Inglewood is the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Forest Lawn. Along its main thoroughfare, International Avenue, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Central American restaurants abound. In the evening it requires some caution.
North bank of the Bow River
- Kensington[2] - A busy shopping district, Kensington has a more bohemian feel than 17th Avenue.
- Bridgeland - Neighborhood of immigrants in the early 1900s, Bridgeland is now a middle / upper class neighborhood with luxury shops and chic condominiums interspersed with period houses that contribute to giving it a "charming" air. Bridgeland was once the "Little Italy" of Calgary.
How to get
By plane
Interior of the airport
- 1 Calgary International Airport (IATA: YYC). The airport has two terminals, one for domestic flights and the other for international flights. The first has three branches named with the first three letters of the alphabet ("A", "B", "C"), the second two: "D" and "E". The latter is reserved for flights from the United States. D and E are connected by shuttle vehicles with 10 seats.
- The airline with the highest number of flights is the low cost one Westjet, followed by Air Canada. The first flies from London Gatwick Airport, the second from Heathrow and Frankfurt am Main.
- The urban transport company Calgary Transit provides the connection between the airport and the center with the bus line 300. The ticket, costing $ 9.50, can be purchased at the Mac's convenience stores present in the international flights terminal. For a slightly higher cost ($ 15) you can use a shuttle service which stops at the most famous hotels. The cost of a taxi ride should not exceed $ 50 (year 2017).
How to get around
What see
Deane House
Reconstruction of the "Prairie Town" village at the Heritage Park of Calgary
- 1 Calgary Tower. 191m high, the Calgary Tower was designed to withstand winds of 161km / h.
- 2 Glenbow Museum, 130 9 Ave SE, ☎ 1 403 268 4100.
Tue-Sat 09: 00-17: 00 Sun 12: 00-17: 00. Art museum dedicated to the history ofAlberta southern. The collections, arranged over 8 floors, include works by well-known Canadian artists such as Paul Kane, Carl Rungius, Belmore Browne, W.J. Phillips, F.A. Verner, Albert Bierstadt and A.F. Kenderdine. An entire floor of the museum is dedicated to the colonization of the Canadian prairies with ethnological collections of indigenous peoples (First Nations) Canadians. - 3 Prince's Island Park.
10.75 $ CAD. Prince's Island is the island in the middle of the Bow River set up as a park. Paths wind through dense vegetation leading to lakes where myriads of ducks wallow. It is connected by three bridges to "Eau Claire", a pedestrian area in downtown Calagary. - 4 Fort Calgary. Open every day from 09:00 to 17:00. Established in 1975, the park surrounds with its 17ha the ruins of the fort built in 1876 by the police force on horseback from the North West. In 1914 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway company, having taken possession of the land on which the old fort stood, had all the buildings demolished to make room for deposits of railway material. What we see today is a replica. In 2001 the reconstruction of the barracks inside the fort was completed by some volunteers. The Deane House, the residence of Captain Richard Deane, is now used as a restaurant.
- 5 Heritage Park. Reconstruction of an early 19th century village. In the park, idyllically positioned on the banks of an artificial reservoir, there are about 150 buildings. Steam locomotives and horse-drawn carriages complete the picture. The multilingual guides wear period costumes to the delight of children but, all in all, also of adults.
- 6 Olympic Plaza (Downtown Calgary). Olympic Plaza is a park created on the occasion of the Winter Olympic Games which took place in Calgary in 1988. During the summer, bands perform here.
- 7 Calgary Zoo. Canada's most visited zoo occupies St. George's Island on the Bow River. It is home to around 130 species of animals. The most admired are the snow leopard native toCentral Asia, the gorillas from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the hippos of the Ghana. Of course, there is no shortage of typical examples of Canadian fauna, such as the gray wolf, bison, caribou (North American reindeer), bears, etc. Destination Africa, where the typical environments of the African savannah and rainforest have been reproduced in huge greenhouses.
Tue-Sat 09: 00-17: 00 Sun 12: 00-17: 00. Art museum dedicated to the history of
10.75 $ CAD. Prince's Island is the island in the middle of the Bow River set up as a park. Paths wind through dense vegetation leading to lakes where myriads of ducks wallow. It is connected by three bridges to "Eau Claire", a pedestrian area in downtown Calagary.Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Shows
Theaters, concerts and operas
Theater Junction GRAND
- 1 Arts Commons, 205 8 Ave SE (near the Olympic Plaza), ☎ 1 403-294-7455, @[email protected]. $10–99. On the stage of the Arts Commons three of the best theater companies of theAlberta: the Theater Calgary with mostly classic reporting, theAlberta Theater Projects (ATP), less conservative and the One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theater (OYR) with decidedly avant-garde representations. The latter company stages a particularly popular repertoire on the occasion of the festival High Performance Rodeo which takes place in January. The theater is also the seat ofCalgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
- 2 Vertigo Theater, 161, 115-9 Ave SE (near the Calgary Tower), ☎ 1 403-221-3708. The Vertigo Theater program mainly includes musicals and pièces with a detective background worthy of the best cinema noir.
- 3 Theater Junction GRAND (formerly The Grand Theater), 608 1 St SW, ☎ 1 403-205-2922. $20-30. The city's oldest theater, set up in 1912, when Calgary still had a population of less than 50,000. It was completely renovated in 2005, thus escaping its already approved demolition. Its current program is quite eclectic and includes, in addition to contemporary theater performances and musicals, also film screenings. A rather salty restaurant has been set up in the lobby, the Workshop currently run (2017) by chef Kenny Kaechele, renowned both for his culinary creativity and for his amazing tattoos.
- 4 Pumphouse Theater, 2140 Pumphouse Ave SW, ☎ 1 403-263-0079. $20-$40. Two small theatrical rooms obtained from a historic red brick building that functioned as a water pumping station. The performances, conducted by a company of young actors, alternate every week.
- 5 Loose Moose Theater, 1235 26 Ave SE (in the Crossroads Market), ☎ 1 403-265-5682, @[email protected]. $10-15. Theatresport-type improvisation theater, based on performances short-form (gag lasting from about one to fifteen minutes). There are also shows for children. The company was founded in 1977, acquiring, over the years, international fame.
- 6 Lunchbox Theater, 160, 115 9 Ave SW (Inside the Calgary Tower), ☎ 1 403-265-4292. $22. Tue-Sat 12:10. Fri 18:10. Single documents given on weekdays during the lunch break and addressed to an audience of employees working in the numerous offices of the downtown.
- 7 Stage West (Stage West Dinner Theater), 727 42 Ave SE, ☎ 1 403-243-6642. $32-105. Concerts and theatrical performances also for children, combined with a buffet lunch.
- 8 Jubilations Dinner Theater, 1002 37 St SW (alongside the Westbrook Mall), ☎ 1 403-249-7799, @[email protected]. $65-75. Philosophy similar to that of the Stage West but with representations focused on the parody of the most successful TV shows.
- 9 Yuk Yuks (Mark Breslin's Yuk Yuks), 218 18 Ave SE (Elbow River Casino), ☎ 1 403-258-2028, @[email protected]. $12-39. Cabaret shows in the form of the "Stand-up Comedy".
- 10 Calgary Opera, 1315 - 7 St SW, ☎ 1 403-262-7286, @[email protected]. $37-163. Calgary's oldest opera company performing at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium accompanied by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
- 11 National Music Center (Studio Bell), 850 4 Street SE, ☎ 1 403-543-5115, ☎ 1 800-213-9750, @[email protected]. $0-18. The center, in addition to staging musicals, organizes various events always with a musical background. There is a museum attached with collections of instruments including Elton John's piano. The building that serves as the headquarters of the center is the "Studio Bell", designed by Portland architect Brad Cloepfil at a cost of US $ 191 million.
Night clubs
- 12 Aussie Rules Foodhouse and Bar, 1002 - 37 St SW (alongside the Westbrook Mall), ☎ 1 403-249-7933. Renowned piano bar / restaurant with a couple of pianists whose compositions, always with a humorous background, are accompanied by dancers and informal choral groups (Sing-along).
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Dinosaur Provincial Park Landscape
- 8 Provincial Dinosaur Park (Dinosaur Provincial Park). Located in the valley of the Red Deer River, the park is famous for its stark rocky landscapes due to the combined erosion of rain and wind. It is one of the largest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world: 39 different species of dinosaur have been discovered and for this reason it was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
- Banff - Internationally renowned summer resort and ski resort.
