Calgary wrap-up

Just got back from a week in Calgary, a visit timed to coincide with my cousin Lisa’s visit from Toronto. Between my sister and I, we showed her many relevant parts of Calgary, from all the shopping (Kensington, 17th Ave, malls) to the Hop to Prince’s Island Park to the Blackfoot Diner (pie!). No point in detailing all of it, but some random interesting bits from the week:

• Lisa cannot drink. A quarter of a pint of beer is enough for her.
• There is Louis Vuitton store in the mall in Banff. There is no Louis Vuitton store in Calgary. The Banff store is staffed entirely by Japanese-speaking salespeople, all the better to target the Japanese tourists.
• Elk tastes... gamey. It’s denser than beef.
• Parking in downtown Banff is all free. The only time we paid to park in Banff was at the Banff Springs Hotel.
• Said parking fee, though, was more than justified by the sweet, swanky washrooms in the hotel, where three tired, sweaty tourists were happy to refresh themselves.
• The ugliest car in the world (seen in the parking lot beside Sakana Grill) is FOR SALE:


• The only JOSEF (upscale Jacob) store in Alberta is at Market Mall in Calgary. They are currently holding a major sale (Natalie), but good luck finding sizes.
• The University of Calgary objective to “improve” 40 student spaces for its 40th anniversary might be politic, but it's not attractive. The entrance to Science B is painted bright green (doors, walls, trim, everything) and the hallway outside Math Sciences looks like someone vomitted IKEA:


• And, finally, Higher Ground in Kensington makes an awesome Cafe Americano.