Exploring the Calgary hoods

So today I ventured out to re-discover Calgary's neighborhoods or at least some of them.

Kensington: Probably Calgary's most well known area, it's a place with a whole lot of coffee shops. I had to pay 2 bucks to park, but no biggie, it's tough to find street parking. The area is very nice, but it's also sorta upscale. I went to Shawarma Station to buy lunch, and it was pretty damn good, altho expensive. That's just a downfall of living here I guess, food costs alot. Kensington is really walkable, but the sidewalks are narrow in some places. It's a place I'd seriously consider living.

17th Ave: This is probably the de facto place to go in Calgary for nightlife, food, etc. Melrose Place, this upscale patio bar was packed at 6 PM, no seats available. Just up the road, what was once KAOS, a Jazz bar, was some new place, but had a patio and was also packed. It's surely the place to go. The Ship and Anchor patio was full, but that's normal. People here seem to have this wierd fascination with going to a patio when its above 5C.

I also drove around the Cecil Hotel & the Mustard Seed, the home to all things homeless in Calgary. The number of homeless people here is astonishing really. I'm guessing that's because of the lack of affordable accommodations. Calgary is a great place, but its a place best suited for people with good jobs. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in the situation where you can find a job, but can't find a place to live. What good is a decent paying job if you can't find a place to live? I saw an apartment that was available today for 825 for a 1 bedroom. Nothing I'd write home about, but people were lined up to get it. That's the situation here, so if you're thinking of moving to Calgary but only have a "decent" job, stay where you are. Unless you have friends here. really.

PS. Did I mention how good 92.9 is?