Calgary in the Future

Skyline in 2012.

Calgary in Photos Today

Calgary in 2007

Calgary in Photos

Calgary in 1969

The end is near

In March of 2007, I started this blog..to talk about my experiences moving from Waterloo, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. It took time to get to know this city..and indeed, it's got it's issues. I love this place, I had a great time out here, even if at times, the costs blow you mind

I found this on Youtube..it dates back to the early 80s in the last oil boom. The skyline 25 years ago was somewhat lacking compared to today..and the city looks so small. It's grown..and for the better.

Hello Calgary...you know that we love you.

Ducky's Pub Part 2

We arrived at Ducky's Pub, 4th and 21st in the Mission. Ducky's is in a small plaza next to the Great Canadian Diner.

When you walk up to Ducky's you're greeted by a pub with iron bars over the windows..and security along with 20 or so smokers out front. To the average passerby it probably looks like a dump.

Ducky's is a unique place. I've eaten there and I think they have 4 things on the menu. It's not a place you take the family for dinner. Ducky's has a clientele that's ..... well everyone that's not at the martini bar up the street. 50 year old guys talking about work...to pink haired glam rocker chicks..to girls having a night out...etc. In short, anyone goes there. The tables resemble the ones in cheap cafes you'd find in a truck stop. The decor..is a few very large TV's, tables, and a pool table with some VLT's.

But Ducky's..is a breath of fresh air in Calgary. It's a place where people go..to have fun. It's not pretentious...it's a place where you can be you. I was in the bathroom going pee & a female walked in to talk to the guy she was with. She..was trashed but saw me pissing and said "is it OK?". I replied, sure. I didn't attempt to walk in the female washroom..;-)

Ducky's is home to karaoke 7 days a week. It is...THE most bizarre place. The choice of music ranges right across the map..and it gets more amusing when the dance floor actually fills up with dancers, dancing to poorly sung Akon songs. The clientele of the bar (should I use that word) have a wide variety of musical tastes...I watched one table rock out to BackStreet Boys..then to Ozzy..then to Black Eyed Peas. The singing..is...terrible, but that doesn't seem to matter.

I don't know about the future of Ducky's pub. I had heard the plaza was going to be razed to put in more swank condo's, but I suspect with the market cooling off, this won't happen. All I can say is GOOD..because a neighborhood needs more than rich art stores and martini bars.

If you like karaoke, if you like dancing to karaoke, or perhaps you're just sick of the rest of the club scene in Calgary...try Ducky's. And if you smoke, you'll probably leave with some new friends. It's a pretty social place, no one seems to take offense to anyone & I've never seen any type of problems at the pub.

Five Stars for Ducky's, in a sick, twisted..but GOOD way. Beer runs about 7 bucks.

Ducky's Pub

Calgary is a place where many of the "dive" pubs have closed down or had their leases nuked..and been replaced by upscale night clubs. My neighborhood is full of them.

Saturday, I headed with a bud looking for some place to go. Our first stop in Mission was OJ's, which was packed full. Not a seat in the house as the hockey game was on. We headed up the street, second stop was Wyldwood. Someone had rented out the entire place for...a party. So..we headed toward downtown again and hit Joyce. It too, packed full. Unlike back East, pubs here FILL up early.

We jumped on the bus and headed downtown to Stephen Ave, then over to Palomino. I've written about this place before, but it's always cool. It's a dive bar, has great meat & that night had some crasy dancer in the downstairs area. Palo..is cool, it's busy, but not too busy and has a great cowboy breakfast. It's got interesting entertainment going on..from live rock music to..pretty much anything. The bathrooms also encourage you to write messages on the wall. Only problem is, it's on 7th Ave, the ;hood in Calgary.

Afterward, headed out to Stephen Ave..home of the "martini" club & a sort of place you go to dress up, look good and look at each other. Bleh.

So we caught a cab...

Food

One bone I have to pick with living in Calgary is the high cost of food. Every time I go to the grocery store, I feel like I've been mugged, especially by Safeway & CO OP. The prices on things can be outrageous at times, things like cereal & fresh fruit are at least twice the price that they are in other parts of Canada. This seems to be a Calgary thing...because in Edmonton, I find prices are far more reasonable. This could be because Edmonton has better choices for food stores & just more competition overall. As time passes and you live out here, you become conditioned to paying 7 bucks for a box of bran flakes or 3 dollars for a red pepper. Or the 3 dollar loaf of bread. Who needs those carbs anyways?

Eating out isn't much better. Typically now, lunch is going to run you 10 bucks, maybe 12 in some places. The pub up the street from my house has their Burger & Fries (sit down Irish Pub) for nearly 14 dollars. With a couple of beers at 7 bucks a pop, an evening out in Calgary pushes 60 bucks.

The better way to save your money is to sign up online to have the grocery stores send you whats on sale to your inbox. One thing about Calgary is that there is definitely a Safeway in your neighborhood, and most likely a CO OP, so going store to store isn't a big deal. Superstore (Loblaws) on the other hand is different..it's a evening long adventure in hell. I've grown to appreciate smaller grocery stores that make getting in and out quickly...part of the package.

I sometimes wonder how a family of 5 lives out here with both parents working. Their food bill must push 1000 bucks a month easily. And that doesn't include eating out.