Hitting the Streets of Downtown - a Walking Tour of Calgary
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| Stephen Avenue Walk - the heart of downtown1 |
Walking Tour Facts: Start: Kensington
This walk is around
3.2 km (2 mi) long and will take the better part of a morning or afternoon, not
counting browsing through shops, touring attractions or having a picnic-style
lunch in a park. To
best view the impressive downtown high rises and the ever present Calgary Tower,
the walk starts in the district of Kensington, just north of the Bow River and
eventually ends at the tower itself. Of course the walk can be done in the opposite
direction, providing the advantage of seeing the city first from above.
Finish: Calgary Tower
Distance: 3.2 km (2 mi)
Duration: 2 ½ hrs - ½ day
Kensington
Kensington
is one of Calgary's older and trendier districts and
is filled with a personality and energy that makes it popular on the weekends
with the young and
hip crowd. Regardless of where visitors are staying, Kensington can be easily
reached by taking the clean and efficient C-Train
to the Sunnyside
station and walking the short distance to the junction of 10th Street
NW and Kensington Road. Featuring comfy coffee
and tea houses and over 100 shops
and restaurants
amid character buildings, the streets are a great place to kick-start the tour
with a sidewalk breakfast or small lunch and, if time allows, browse the many
unique shops. If the day is sunny and warm (and it is almost always the former
in Calgary), visitors might consider picking up something from a local deli
for a picnic lunch in Prince's
Island Park, a 15-minute stroll away.
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| Downtown Calgary from across the Bow River 2 |
From Kensington, the river can be crossed either by the Louise Bridge, directly south of 10th Street or via the pedestrian walkway under the C-Train bridge just a few metres downstream. Either bridge gives visitors a good view of one of Alberta's greatest rivers — the Bow River. This glacial-fed river begins at Bow Glacier and meanders 623 km (387 mi) through Banff National Park, to downtown Calgary and onto the prairies beyond. In the summer, people use the river for floating through the city on rafts.
Once on the south shore, visitors will meet the Bow River Pathway and should turn eastward towards the bulk of downtown. The path is part of an extensive system of bike trails in Calgary and is used by cycling commuters, roller-bladers, walkers and joggers. With approximately 400 km, (250 mi) of pathways and on-street bike lanes crossing some 67 bridges, Calgary boasts the most extensive bike network in North America, which even includes snow removal in winter months for all-season use.
To the left of the path is Peace Park, a small park established to recognize the country's International Peacekeeping Role and marks Canada's 125th birthday. A large memorial arch just on the edge of the park leads to 8th Street SW and the Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, a simple white and green wooden structure built in 1924 by landed Norwegians. The church is one of the last remaining buildings of the original Eau Claire district and its age and simplicity are noticeably at odds with the looming floors of glass and steel of the surrounding skyscrapers.
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| Map of Walking Tour |
Prince's Island Park
Continuing east on the Bow River Pathway leads to Prince's
Island Park. This peaceful, wooded area is as the name suggests, an
island in the river, connected to Calgary by Jaipur
Bridge. The popular park is perfect for a picnic lunch, especially in
summer when it plays hosts to several festivals and performances, including
the Calgary
Folk Music Festival and Shakespeare in the Park. The park was named
after Peter Anthony Prince, founder of the Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber Company
which was originally located at the present-day Eau
Claire Festival
Market.
Eau Claire
Next
on the tour is the Eau
Claire Festival Market, directly across from Prince's Island. This modern,
questionably-designed complex is not the best that Calgary has to offer but is
worth a brief look around for its handful of import
and specialty shops and access to free Internet. A mall-style food court
and a smattering of other shops complete the complex, along with a Cineplex Odean
Movie Theatre located on the second level.
Outside the market, opposite the Good Earth Cafe, is a quaint-looking building of black and white which served as the original headquarters of the Eau Claire lumber company, after which the market is named. Dating from 1886, the historic building now houses the 1886 Buffalo Cafe, so named for its beginning and for the bison heads that adorn its interior. This Calgary landmark restaurant has purportedly been serving breakfast for over 100 years, evidenced by the well worn wooden floors and original features inside. Together with a lone-standing chimney at the corner of 2nd Ave SW and Barclay Mall (also 3rd Street SW), these two structures are all that remain of the original mill and the thriving community that it supported.
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| Chinese Cultural Centre 3 |
Chinatown
From the Market, visitors should head directly east on 2nd Avenue SW
towards Chinatown
and the Calgary
Chinese Cultural Centre. The building is easily recognized by its impressive
blue dome, designed to resemble the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The building
is open daily and a step inside is worth it to see the four giant red and gold
columns and the ornately-decorated ceiling of the dome. Visitors can tour the
centre's museum, art gallery, wall murals and 200-year old calligraphy scrolls
or just generally witness the bustle of activity in what is the cultural hub
of Chinatown. Outside,
continuing on 2nd Avenue SW (signposted Daqing Avenue in Chinatown) and then
turning south on Centre Street visitors get an indication of Calgary's thriving
Chinese community, most lively on weekends. In contrast with the downtown's
new and sterile skyscrapers, the neighbourhood, which dates back to 1910, features
small two-storey buildings with neon and hand-painted signs, a plethora of restaurants,
bargain shops, grocery stores and fresh food markets.
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| One of Calgary's Plus 15 Skyways 4 |
After experiencing Chinatown, visitors should continue along Centre Street to 5th Avenue SW and James Short Parkade. The cupola at the corner supports an 1886 clockworks from the tower which originally stood at the site and plaques with photographs show some of Calgary's historic buildings as they once stood. Perhaps of more interest, the semi-circular shaped Sun Life Plaza Plus 15 Bridge here is one of the 59 bridges throughout the downtown district referred to as the Plus 15 Skyway. Named because they are approximately 15 ft (4.5 m) above street level, these bridges account for 16 km (10 mi) of enclosed pedestrian walkways and connect over 100 downtown buildings. It is the world's most extensive skywalk system and ideal for getting around downtown in sub-zero winter temperatures, and not only does it keep the weather out, the skywalk system houses coffee shops, food courts and mini-shopping malls.
Film buffs might know that the Plus 15 was featured in the film Waydowntown, a 2000 Toronto International Film Festival winner about a bet between three Canadian work colleagues on who could stay indoors the longest. No matter the weather, the Plus 15 is worth checking out, and the Sun Life Plaza Bridge is a good place to start. Entrances to the skywalk are efficiently marked and maps of the walkways are frequently located inside. Visitors at this point should make their way through the skywalk system to the western end of Stephen Avenue Walk, eventually arriving at Bankers Hall, located at 8th Avenue SW and 3rd Street SW. In doing so, the chosen route might include the Petro Canada Centre or Energy Plaza, both evidence of the oil and gas industry's presence in Alberta. Indeed, many of the industry's international headquarters call Calgary home and downtown highrises such as these reflect their prominent tenants.
Stephen Avenue Walk
The Trees on Stephen Avenue 5
Stephen
Avenue is the heart, both historically and culturally, of Calgary
and as such is not to be missed. On this historically-declared street, the steel
and glass highrises give way to the city's past: a tree-lined brick pedestrian
walkway complete with benches, statues and century-old restored buildings. Especially
popular in summer months, travellers and locals alike visit the avenue to people-watch,
dine at one of several restaurants
and cafes (many with outdoor seating in summer) or frequent the area's
theatres, pubs,
shops and
art galleries.
The street is named after Lord George Mount Stephen, the first president of the
Canadian
Pacific Railway, whose tracks still parallel the avenue just a block to
the south.
Not only is Stephen Avenue great for people-watching and strolling, it has a number of interesting statues and sculptures. Tourists will first notice The Trees, 25 metre- (85-feet) tall metal sculptures in front of Bankers Hall where new Calgary melds with old. Further along in front of the impressive, column-fronted Hudson's Bay Company is The Conversation, a bronze statue depicting two paunchy businessmen, and a block east at Centre Street, the life-sized Mechanical Horse is a statue made entirely of mechanical tools. The avenue ends at 1st Street SE and across the street from the historic Dominion Bank Building in the southwest corner of Olympic Plaza is the Famous Five, a memorial commemorating five women significant to early Canadian and British Commonwealth politics.
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| Olympic Plaza and the Calgary Tower 6 |
This plaza was established in 1988 for the 15th Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. Medal winners of the events are acknowledged on plaques in the park and bricks inlaid in the walkways list thousands of supporters of the Winter Games. Once the host of the evening awards ceremonies for the Olympics, today the plaza entertains various festivals and events throughout the year. The plaza is a popular lunch spot on warm summer days and has free public skating in winter.
The Glenbow Museum, located close to the plaza at 1st Street SE and 9th Avenue SE, is an excellent museum which has a wide variety of exhibits chronicling the history of the Canadian West.
Various
other sites and neighbourhoods are worth seeing in Calgary but require
further time or transportation: Shop 'til you drop
and take in Calgary's restaurant and pub scene in trendy Uptown
@ 17th Avenue SW or sport your red jersey for The Red Mile during
hockey season. Experience the thrill
of a bobsled or luge run at Canada
Olympic Park. Visit the memorials
and Cenotaph at Central
Memorial Park, Calgary's oldest park. Enjoy Calgary's oldest
district, browsing the cozy antique stores, bookshops and cafes in Inglewood
@ 9th Avenue SE or visit the Deane House Historical Site and Fort Calgary. Grab your hat and
head for the home of the Stampede
Park, home to Calgary's world-famous rodeo.
Calgary Tower
Just a block west on 9th Avenue SE, stands the tour's culmination — the Calgary
Tower, which the visitor has inevitably glimpsed repeatedly at corners
and around buildings while walking through the city. While the 1968 tower's aesthetics
are debatable to many, it is undoubtedly the city's main landmark and symbol.
During the '88 Olympics, a flame burned from the top of the tower and still occurs
today on holidays and special occasions. Standing 191 m (626 ft) tall, a trip
to the top of the tower provides visitors, especially those without independent
transportation, a great panoramic view of Calgary,
the scenic Bow
River and the distant Rockies
to the west.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- C Szmurlo; c/o Wikipedia Commons; Stephen Avenue Walk; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Downtown Calgary from across the Bow River; Calgary, AB, Canada
- c/o Calgary Downtown Association (www.downtowncalgary.com); Chinese Cultural Centre, Calgary, AB, CanadaS. Weppler; The Trees on Stephen Avenue; Calgary, AB, Canada
- c/o Calgary Downtown Association (www.downtowncalgary.com); Plus 15 Skyway; Calgary, AB, Canada
- S. Weppler; c/o World.Web.com; The Trees on Stephen Avenue; Calgary, AB, Canada
- c/o Calgary Downtown Association (www.downtowncalgary.com); Olympic Plaza and the Calgary Tower, Calgary, AB, Canada
