By Meghan J. Ward
Alberta’s dinosaurs on display at the Royal Tyrell Museum (Photo: Royal Tyrell Museum)
Alberta’s dinosaurs may be extinct, but they live on in the Canadian Badlands. The region, which takes up of the southeast corner of the province, has one of the richest dinosaur fossil deposits in the world and makes for an excellent getaway for visitors or locals. Using Calgary as a base, we offer this weekend trip that follows the path of Alberta’s dinosaurs from the region where most species were discovered in Dinosaur Provincial Park to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, where many of the fossils are now on display.
When to go: To get a snow-free experience, try from May through October.
What to bring: Water bottles, a hat, sunscreen, sturdy footwear, snacks, camera and, if you’re camping, food for dinner and your cooking gear.
Get started on your tour of Alberta’s Dinosaurs »
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Take in Alberta’s big blue skies and warm summer weather. Courtesy Blue Devil Golf Club.
Alberta’s mountain parks are well known recreational destinations, but a wide variety of warm-weather outdoor fun can be had in and around Calgary. (more…)
Best Nightlife Spots in Calgary: Bartender Trevor Smith at Wine-Ohs (Photo: Jason Dziver)
5. Speakeasy With Style
Just off Stephen Avenue Walk, Wine-Ohs Bistro & Cellar is downtown’s newest live-music hotspot. With loads of speakeasy cachet, its upstairs restaurant and lounge is the street-side cover for a basement that features not only cool jazz and warm blues, but bistro fare and an extensive and carefully curated wine menu.
• Wine-Ohs Bistro & Cellar 811 1 St SW, 403-263-1650, wine-ohs.com
• Map and reviews
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Two aliens form a band in Brooklyn in The History of Future Folk. Photo courtesy CUFF.
The Calgary Underground Film Festival runs April 15 to 21 at the Globe Cinema. Film genres include documentary, animation to horror. Festival producer Brenda Lieberman shares her top five festival selections, which she describes as “shocking, funny and all definitely worth seeing.”
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Catch author Martin Amis at WordFest. Photo: Isabel Fonseca.
Calgary is getting downright literary as WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival hosts a swarm of international writers this week. Running until October 14, featured writers will take part in readings, performances, panel discussions and interviews at various venues in Calgary and Banff.
Among the festival’s guest writers are: Ivan E. Coyote, storyteller, performer and author of Missed Her; Martin Amis, UK literary giant and author of Lionel Asbo: State of England; Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC Radio One’s Q and author of musical memoir 1982; Richard Ford, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Canada; and many more.
Purchase tickets at WordFest Box Office, EPCOR Centre Box Office or The Banff Centre Box Office (Banff events only).
Dylan performs in Calgary tomorrow. Photo: Courtesy Sony Music Entertainment Canada.
Music legend and icon Bob Dylan performs at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, October 10th with special guest Mark Knopfler. The Freewheelin’ Dylan performs songs from his 2012 album, Tempest, as well as some of his classics. The show begins at 7:30 pm, for ticket information contact Ticketmaster, 1-855-985-5000.
Patricia Piccinini. Still Life with Stem Cells, 2002. Courtesy of the Artist.
Friday, October 5 If you’re looking for activities the whole family can enjoy this weekend, check out Fairytales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination at the Glenbow Museum. The exhibition is comprised of works by contemporary artists who are inspired by the fantastic stories and characters of myths, fairytales and science fiction in which the boundaries between human and animal are blurred. The exhibition includes approximately 60 paintings, photographs, sculptures and video works by contemporary artists from Canada and around the world. The exhibition will run until January 2nd. Tickets are $14 adults, $10 senior, $9 student and youth $9.
Scared yet? Screamfest 2012 starts this weekend. Photo: Courtesy Screamfest.
Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6 This Friday and Saturday, check out the first weekend of Screamfest. During the month of October, Stampede Park transforms into a carnival of carnage. This Halloween festival includes six terrifying haunted houses, a renovated Bates Motel, indoor maze, rides, musical entertainment, food vendors and contortionists. Tickets are available at Ticketbud and range from $20 to $40. The event runs from 7 pm to midnight.
On Friday and Saturday, check out Soulocentric Festival 2012 at Vertigo Theatre. The festival showcases independent performing artists that are creating new and original solo works in dance, theatre, music and multi-media. Start times vary. To purchase tickets, call 403-221-3708 or visit the festival’s website. (more…)
This holiday long weekend, take the kids back in time at Heritage Park and enjoy free rides, a pancake breakfast and a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
As a thank you for a great summer, Heritage Park is offering free rides all weekend long ($10 value) and a free pancake breakfast for the first 500 guests through the gates each morning before 10:30 am.
Take the family down to Heritage Park this weekend. Photo: Courtesy Travel Alberta.
And to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, the Wainwright Hotel will serve a three-course family lunch. The meal includes roast turkey with mashed potatoes, butternut squash soup and, for dessert, a slice of pumpkin pie with Chantilly cream. The meal will be served from October 6 until October 8, between 11 am to 3:30 pm. The meal is $22.95 for adults and $14.95 for children (under 12).
Good To Know: While Heritage Park is closing for the season, several attractions outside the park’s main entrance will remain open year-round. These include Gasoline Alley Museum, Selkirk Grille Restaurant, Railway Café and the five shops that make up the Haskayne Mercantile Block. Also, as of the beginning of November, the area will feature a free skating rink, open daily.
Select Historical Village venues will reopen for special and ticketed events during the off season, including Ghouls’ Night Out, Ghosts and Gourmet and Once Upon A Christmas, which is held on the five weekends prior to Christmas Day. However, the Historical Village won’t reopen for the 2013 summer season until the May long weekend.
Last week, Calgary comics were joined by some of the nation’s top comedians in performing at the first YYComedy Festival. The week-long affair proved a success and will now be an annual event.
Hot Nuts & Poporn 2.0 returns Oct. 6. Photo: Photobat.
The festival coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Loose Moose Theatre Company. The improv comedy company is known across Canada for its innovative theatre sports and well-known alumni (including Kids in the Hall actors Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney).
A festival highlight was the reunion show of the company’s popular late night live talk show, Hot Nuts & Popcorn. For those who missed the show, it will be held again on Saturday, October 6 at 11 pm. Hot Nuts & Popcorn 2.0 reunites hosts Derek Flores, Comedy Central’s Eric Amber and Terry Cahill of the cult movie FUBAR. The show ran weekly from 1999 to 2002 and featured hilarious improvised interviews with local celebrities. Tickets for the show are $12 and can be purchased on the Loose Moose website. (more…)
PUBLIC TRANSIT
Cost: $8
Time: 30 minutes to downtown Calgary
There are two public transit routes linking the Calgary International Airport with the city. Route 300 Airport-City Centre is an express bus service that connects the airport with the downtown core. The service is available every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. until midnight every day. Customers boarding at the airport need to purchase an $8 Calgary Transit Boarding Pass from the Mac’s store in the airport. Route 100 Airport-McKnight Station links Calgary International Airport with the McKnight Westwinds CTrain Station in the northeast. The CTrain connects with the downtown core, south and northwest Calgary. The route operates every 20 to 30 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends. Both routes can be found on the arrivals level one, near gate C.
TAXI
Cost: $45
Time: 25 minutes to downtown Calgary
Cab fares to and from Calgary International Airport depend on the distance of your destination, but a one way trip to and from the airport from the downtown core is generally between $40 to $45. On-demand airport service is provided by Associated Cabs, which offers wheelchair accessible cars.
SHUTTLE
Cost: $15
Time: 30 minutes to downtown Calgary
The Calgary Allied Airport Shuttle runs every 30 minutes, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. until midnight. Tickets are $15 one-way and can be purchased online or by calling 403-299-9555. Catch the shuttle at Bus Bay 8 on arrivals level one. It connects Calgary International Airport with most major hotels in the downtown core. Some hotels also offer their own shuttle to and from the airport.
CAR RENTAL
Several car rental options, including RV rentals, can be booked at the Rental Car Centre, located inside Calgary International Airport’s departures level two, across the road from the main terminal building. All major car rental companies are represented.
For directions, parking information and more public transit options to and from Calgary International Airport, visit the airport’s website, or call 1-877-254-7427
PUBLIC TRANSIT. Calgary Transit operates buses and a light rail transit system (LRT) known as or CTrain throughout the city. Basic fares are $2.75 for adults and $1.75 for youth and free for children younger than six. CTrain tickets and transfers issued from bus drivers are usable for 90 minutes. A day pass for an adult costs $8.25 and for a youth, $5.25. Books of tickets, monthly passes and day passes can be purchased online or at most grocers, drug stores or convenience stores. The CTrain operating in the downtown core (along 7 Avenue SW between the 8 Street and City Hall stations) is free of charge. Major bus routes begin operating at 5:30 a.m. run till 12:20 a.m. CTrain service runs from 5 a.m. to 12:20 a.m. To plan a route, check out Calgary Transit’s journey planner.
TAXI. You can hail a cab on the street in Calgary (if the roof light is on, it’s available) or you can call a number of taxi companies, including popular fleets like Associated Cabs and Checker. Meters start at $3.40 and increase every 135 metres. Taxi meters from the airport start at a flat rate of $6.40.
DRIVING. In Calgary, Right turns are permitted on red lights unless signs indicate otherwise. The yellow lights marked with Xs are pedestrian signals: when they are flashing, you must stop for pedestrians. Also you cannot drive in bus lanes, marked with white diamonds. Two highways run through Calgary: the TransCanada, which bisects the city east to west and is known as 16 Avenue NW in the city centre, and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, which runs through the city north to south and is known as Deerfoot Trail in the city centre.
PARKING. Street parking downtown and surrounding areas is usually free after 6 p.m. and all day Sunday. To pay to park on the street, remember your zone number and license number and pay at a nearby pay machine. Payment can be made by cash or credit card. Customers can also create an account to pay by cell phone by first setting up an account on the pay machines and then by calling 403-537-PARK (7275) to activate your session or texting your ParkPlus zone number to 77587 (PPLUS). The system is ticketless and eliminates the need to display a ticket on the dashboard. There are numerous paid lots downtown.
BUS & COACH. The three main bus and coach services are Greyhound, Red Arrow and Brewsters. Greyhound provides services across the country. Red Arrow has a direct service bus line between Calgary and Edmonton. Brewsters provides quality coach rides to and from the mountains.
CAR SHARE. Car2Go is a recent addition to Calgary and a popular service for those looking for convenient short-term transportation. The company has hundreds of smart cars available for rent in the city. Users can register online and are sent an access card, which unlocks the car. Cars can be reserved in advance or simply walk up the car and swipe in. Cars can be located via a map on the company’s website. Rental rates are calculated per minute ($.35) and daily rentals can be purchased for $65.99. If you are a member of Car2Go in another city, you can use your card to access vehicles in Calgary.
The delectable crespelle at Borgo Trattoria. Photo: Courtesy Borgo Trattoria.
Swank uptown Italian eatery Borgo Trattoria offers a delicious brunch menu Saturdays and Sundays that is both ample and affordable. The steak and eggs are given an Italian treatment; thin, broiled strips of sirloin are served alongside scrambled eggs with truffle oil and crispy smoked prosciutto. The crespelle is another instant classic consisting of two delicate fried crepes filled with caramelized onion ricotta and topped with prosciutto, sage and maple syrup. The flavours are heavenly and the sweet to savoury ratio is just right. (more…)
