Downtown

After getting warned to slow down, I headed into Downtown Calgary to check it out. I've been here before, and it's a very changed place. The skyline is very cool looking & the whole downtown is very urban. I drove down Centre Street through what appeared to be a Chinatown. It's not anything like Toronto's Chinatown, but it's still a Chinatown. I have a fascination with cultures & stuff like that. I dunno why.

I drove into the Mission, Marda Loop, Connaught & 17th Ave, the "hip" areas of Calgary. I've not seen this area for 3 years, but it's sure changed. I noticed that Bad Ass Coffee had closed and was now a Tim Hortons. That totally sucks, not that I don't like Tims, but I like indie shops. They make a neighborhood cool.

Downtown Calgary is incredibly vibrant for a city of 1 million people. There is absolutely no parking and people all over the street. The amount of building going on is incredible, and driving downtown takes some time to get used too. It's mostly one way streets and many of the people downtown don't seem to have much patience behind the wheel. I drove around for a while and decided I want to live in The Mission or Marda Loop. They're a bit off the main drag, but pretty cool looking. Marda Loop looks a little uppity near Garrison Woods, it's urban, but seems to lack that low key feeling it used to have. I also notice the Karma Arts House is gone. Karma Arts House was the home to Indie music in Marda Loop........but it's now gone. Ugh.