Ontario has it's fair share of weather whiners. These are people & media outlets that never shut up about the heat, cold, humidity, rain, sun, etc. Have Mom Nature drop 2 cms of snow on the roads in Ontario & it's a crisis. Why it's "Breaking News" on certain Toronto radio stations
Out in Calgary, you'll be pleased to know that no such thing exists. It's the hottest summer in the history of Calgary, but I've not heard alot of people whining about it. Given that no one has AC in the house, they're holding out well.
It's a good feeling.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Banff
Yesterday, I made a trip to Banff. I've stopped in Banff, but not spent the day there for better than 5 years.
I'm not a fan of tourist traps, but I can't help but like this place. Yes, it's crowded & very busy and some of the shops are sort of tacky (in a high class way) but overall it's a pretty nice day out.
Banff has a regular population of 9000 people. You'd never know it, it feels like your in a busy city with a million people. There are also some great places to eat including more ethnic food than I remember in the past. I stopped at a place called Wild Bill's where I had...of all things, an Elk Burger & a pitcher of Traditional Big Rock Ale. What surprised me was that the prices were no higher than in Calgary...and in many cases, cheaper. Something seems rather odd that a remote mountain town can have lower prices than a giant city like Calgary. Wonder who is getting scammed ?
One problem in Banff is parking. Obviously, there are alot of day trippers there & it's hell to find parking. A better way to get to Banff is to take the Greyhound from Calgary....it drops you off a few minutes walk to downtown. No headaches, but of course, it's not as convenient as a car. If you do go to Banff in a car, be prepared to walk alot & park at the edge of town. Don't waste your time in the gridlock trying to find a space downtown.
Banff also has a transit system, so use it. You can get to any point in town on the bus & it's pretty decent looking. You can walk downtown but places like The Falls & Sulpher Mountain are a touch far on foot. Bring a mountain bike, that'll give you great choice to get around
Places you wanna see
Sulpher Mountain: Home of a pretty cool Gondola ride to the top. It's 25 bucks per person, but you go way up and can see the entire Bow River valley. Go later in the day, the line is less
Golf Course Road: Follow this road past the Golf Course. I went out that way and not a soul was on it. Walking around, I saw numerous Elk. There are places to park and you can wander down to the river. I saw a whopping 6 people out that way....on a long weekend. Just follow the road, it's a giant circle.
Downtown Banff: This place has a shopping centre, but you'd never know it. It's build in downtown and looks like a typical downtown. They really maximize the space in this city...so be prepared to look in every corner. They should model all cities on Banff. Talk about walkability.
Banff Springs Hotel: I don't much care for hotels, but this place is unreal. Incredible architecture & the inside is beautiful. It's more amazing that they built this place over 100 years ago before cars, trucks and power tools. You can take the bus there and I'd strongly advise you do this
Bow Falls : Not far from the hotel, and a nice walk in the woods along the river to downtown. It'll take you about 30 minutes and while actually in town, it doesn't feel like it.
The other thing I noticed about Banff was the number of jobs there. They number in the hundreds and the pay is as good as Calgary. Often times, if you work in the hotel business, they give you food & accommodation. Not a bad deal if you want to experience mountain life for a summer.
All in all, a pretty damn nice place to go. There are hundreds of km's of bike trails and walking paths. I could live here.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
500,000 Dollars
The "average" price of a house in Calgary has now surpassed the $500,000 dollar mark. This is a typical single family home that I'm talking about.
I have to wonder who buys these houses? I'm amazed at the number of mortgages out here that are 40 years in length. Guys buying with no money down and making payments of 2000 bucks a month.
I went to Ontario a few weeks ago. I was in Waterloo, my hometown. In 2001, the prices for a house there were pretty much the same. I was looking at a townhouse in Uptown Waterloo. It was 179K, which once seemed like alot of money. That same place out here in an urban core would run 450K. 6 years ago the prices were the same.
This is a good thing if you own a house here. But if you don't....well... I've had a couple of workmates give up on Calgary & leave. One to Saskatoon, the other to New Brunswick. Fed up with the high costs of housing & the rising costs of living here.
I have to wonder who buys these houses? I'm amazed at the number of mortgages out here that are 40 years in length. Guys buying with no money down and making payments of 2000 bucks a month.
I went to Ontario a few weeks ago. I was in Waterloo, my hometown. In 2001, the prices for a house there were pretty much the same. I was looking at a townhouse in Uptown Waterloo. It was 179K, which once seemed like alot of money. That same place out here in an urban core would run 450K. 6 years ago the prices were the same.
This is a good thing if you own a house here. But if you don't....well... I've had a couple of workmates give up on Calgary & leave. One to Saskatoon, the other to New Brunswick. Fed up with the high costs of housing & the rising costs of living here.
The lack of fans
I have to whine again about the lack of airflow here in this city. I can live without AC, but would it be possible to put in some form of AIRFLOW? If you've lived in a house without AC in the east, you probably had ceiling fans. They at least kept the air moving.
This is a foreign concept in Calgary. The elevator in my building has no airflow. Step in it on a hot day and it's 35C inside. No airflow. The C train and bus system has no airflow. If you're sitting in a C Train downtown and it's stopped at a light, there is no airflow. Now imagine that C train being STUFFED so full you can't move. And you're in a suit. THIS is the genius of Calgary.
There is a place in The Mission called Nellies. It's a place to eat breakfast. Nice place, but it too has no airflow. When you go in there, it's stuffy and hot. Exactly how am I supposed enjoy my breakfast when it's boiling hot? I'll give them credit, they do have a fan here and there. But it's not enough.
There is one place you can experience AC in Calgary. Goodlife Fitness. Walking in there you get that feeling you got walking into a shopping mall in Toronto. You open the door and POOF, this wall of cold air hits you.
This is a foreign concept in Calgary. The elevator in my building has no airflow. Step in it on a hot day and it's 35C inside. No airflow. The C train and bus system has no airflow. If you're sitting in a C Train downtown and it's stopped at a light, there is no airflow. Now imagine that C train being STUFFED so full you can't move. And you're in a suit. THIS is the genius of Calgary.
There is a place in The Mission called Nellies. It's a place to eat breakfast. Nice place, but it too has no airflow. When you go in there, it's stuffy and hot. Exactly how am I supposed enjoy my breakfast when it's boiling hot? I'll give them credit, they do have a fan here and there. But it's not enough.
There is one place you can experience AC in Calgary. Goodlife Fitness. Walking in there you get that feeling you got walking into a shopping mall in Toronto. You open the door and POOF, this wall of cold air hits you.
Hottest Summer in half a century
It's apparently the hottest summer in over 50 years or some number like that. I guess the word hot is relative. Typically, it's about 27C here, the humidity around 35% and it's almost always sunny. I don't find the heat that unbearable, I just find the constant sunshine annoying, mostly because I walk home in business clothes (for 45 minutes) and it's not that pleasant.
If you're moving here from Ontario, summer's a breeze. For those of you that have never experienced summer in South Ontario, consider yourself fortunate. Yesterday it was 44C with the humidity in my old city. The air is thick, polluted & stifling. Getting in a car that's parked outside in Summer in Ontario is subjecting yourself to pure hell. When I lived in the east, I had no AC, so after some time you just learn to deal with the heat.
I find the most annoying thing about summer is the constant sun. Life here feels like the movie groundhog day. I wake up, it's sunny, I walk to work, it's sunny. I walk home, it's sunny. You'd think one would like the sun, but sometimes I wish it would just get cloudy for a bit.
The other night in the mountains it was 1C. Bring it on.
If you're moving here from Ontario, summer's a breeze. For those of you that have never experienced summer in South Ontario, consider yourself fortunate. Yesterday it was 44C with the humidity in my old city. The air is thick, polluted & stifling. Getting in a car that's parked outside in Summer in Ontario is subjecting yourself to pure hell. When I lived in the east, I had no AC, so after some time you just learn to deal with the heat.
I find the most annoying thing about summer is the constant sun. Life here feels like the movie groundhog day. I wake up, it's sunny, I walk to work, it's sunny. I walk home, it's sunny. You'd think one would like the sun, but sometimes I wish it would just get cloudy for a bit.
The other night in the mountains it was 1C. Bring it on.
Ed Stelmach
For the past 20 years, the premier of this province ignored this city & let the city crumble. When the booming growth hit, the city fell apart. Overcrowded transit, areas without schools for 10 years, etc, etc, etc.
So along comes Ed Stelmach, who "won" the leadership of the Conservatives in Alberta by default. The leadership convention originally pitted Dinning, an urban oil guy against Ted Morton, a backwater hick best suited to some honky tonk in Arkansas. The leadership contest pitted the rednecks against the city people. And up thru the centre came Ed Stelmach, the king of mediocre.
Stelmach's not a popular guy in Calgary. Most of the city is pissed off at him because he seems to care more about the boonies & ignores Calgary & it's needs. Calgary is the economic powerhouse of Western Canada & quite literally, the Centre of the Universe West..and because of that makes demands for money to pay for city services.
So what's Eddie Stelmach do to "inspire the troops"? Rather than fix the transit system, he spouts off about how the "rest" of Canada keep it's hands off "Alberta". That might resonate amongst a bunch of 60 year olds, but it's not going to make it's mark on a city where the average person is 30 years old. It's definitely clear that Stelmach has NO CLUE what's going on in Calgary.
Politicians are idiots.
So along comes Ed Stelmach, who "won" the leadership of the Conservatives in Alberta by default. The leadership convention originally pitted Dinning, an urban oil guy against Ted Morton, a backwater hick best suited to some honky tonk in Arkansas. The leadership contest pitted the rednecks against the city people. And up thru the centre came Ed Stelmach, the king of mediocre.
Stelmach's not a popular guy in Calgary. Most of the city is pissed off at him because he seems to care more about the boonies & ignores Calgary & it's needs. Calgary is the economic powerhouse of Western Canada & quite literally, the Centre of the Universe West..and because of that makes demands for money to pay for city services.
So what's Eddie Stelmach do to "inspire the troops"? Rather than fix the transit system, he spouts off about how the "rest" of Canada keep it's hands off "Alberta". That might resonate amongst a bunch of 60 year olds, but it's not going to make it's mark on a city where the average person is 30 years old. It's definitely clear that Stelmach has NO CLUE what's going on in Calgary.
Politicians are idiots.
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