Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
go to the home page for the two RV Gypsies
Table of Contents
learn about Karen Duquette and Lee Duquette
email the two RV Gypsies please sign the two RV Gypsies Guestbook
The two RV Gypsies in Alaska
Canada adventures of The two RV Gypsies
Countries
Cruises the two RV Gypsies have been on USA states the two RV Gypsies traveled to
Learn about Brian Duquette and his tragedy
Flashback to prior years Links to friendly webistes helpful hints about RV travels Videos by the two RV Gypsies

The two RV Gypsies
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
June 3 - 6, 2016

Calgary location map

Karen Duquette liked the white farm house with a smile face, that is shown below. It was taken somewhere while on the road to Calgary.

white farm house with a smile face

history bookCalgary is a city in the Canadian province of Alberta, situated at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River in the south of the province, about 50 miles east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, and the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. Two rivers run through the city. The Bow River is the larger river and it flows from the west to the south. The Elbow River flows northwards from the south until it converges with the Bow River at the historic site of Fort Calgary near downtown.

The climate of the region is generally dry. Calgary has the most sunny days year round of Canada's 100 largest cities, with just over 332 days of sun; it has on average 2,396 hours of sunshine annually. With an average relative humidity of 55% in the winter and 45% in the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded in Calgary was 36.1 °C (97 °F) on 15 July 1919; The coldest temperature ever recorded was −45.0 °C (−49 °F) on 4 February 1893.

The economy of Calgary includes activity in the energy, financial services, film and television, transportation and logistics, technology, manufacturing, aerospace, health and wellness, retail, and tourism sectors.

In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympic Games.

Calgary was named after Calgary on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. In turn, the name originates from a compound of kald and gart, similar Old Norse words, meaning "cold" and "garden", likely used when named by the Vikings who inhabited the Inner Hebrides. Alternatively, the name might be Gaelic for either "clear running water" or "bay farm".

above quotes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary

welcome to Calgary sign welcome to Calgary sign

Below: The Bow is a 1,700,000 square foot office building for the headquarters of Encana Corporation and Cenovus Energy, in downtown Calgary, Alberta. The building is currently the second tallest office tower in Calgary, and second tallest in Canada outside Toronto. The Bow was completed in 2012 and was ranked among the top 10 architectural projects of 2012 according to Azure Magazine.

Building details:

  • Height: 236 metres (774 feet)

  • 58 stories

    • 2 retail floors - 200,000 square feet

    • 3 floors - sky gardens, spaced approximately every 18 floors (sky lobbies), served by express elevators

    • 53 office floors - 1,700,000 square feet

    • 4 mechanical floors

    • In total over 900,000 square feet of glass

  • Parking: 1,400 parking stalls (6 level parking, spanning two blocks on both sides of 6th Avenue)

The Bow Building and the Calgary Tower first glance at the city of Calgary

Below: The Bow Building Head Statue is a giant female head in front of the Bow Building. The 12-metre tall sculpture, called Wonderland, is made of wire. It has two entrances, allowing people to walk around inside it. It was created by Barcelona-based designer Jaume Plensa, whose work is on display around the world. Lee Duquette stood in one of the openings.

Wonderland - the Bow Building Head statue Lee Duquette inside Wonderland
Wonderland - the Bow Building Head statue Wonderland - the Bow Building Head statue

Below: A very long wedding limo with the names of the bride and groom and hearts on the back. Lee Duquette thought it was interesting enough to photograph.

A very long wedding imo

Below: When Karen Duquette saw people dining on the second floor balcony of Murrieta's Bar and Grill on Stephen Avenue, she wanted go there and have an appetizer and drink.

Murrieta's Bar & Grill Murrieta's Bar & Grill

The inside restaurant looked expensive because it had white tablecloths and fancy settings. The two RV Gypsies were dressed casually, and wanted to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view of Stephens Avenue and the people. They had a pizza for an appetizer, which was unlike any pizza they ever had before, and they enjoyed it.

Murrieta's Bar & Grill famous Hudson Bay buildign

Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary. The mall is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

signs

The street is known for some of Calgary's finest restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars, and provides a mix of boutiques and high-end retail. The street is also home to downtown Calgary's major convention and exhibition facility, the Telus Convention Centre, and two hotels, the Hyatt Regency Calgary, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade, and the Calgary Marriott.

Stephen Avenue is not regarded as a major night spot in the city, although there are night clubs located on the mall. The street was named after George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stephen Avenue contains a high concentration of registered historic buildings and the street itself was declared a Canadian historic site in 2002. Many of these building are made of sandstone that was quarried locally from the Paskapoo Formation; a result of the construction of fire-resistant buildings following a fire in 1886 that damaged many of the city's earlier wooden structures.

downtown Calgary sign statue of two businessmen
a large fancy clock bridge monument
Lee Duquette by a big horse two fish in a circle of art

Calgary also has a nice Chinatown section.

Calgary and Chinatown signs
look below

go back to the SD menu Return to the Alberta, Canada 2016 menu to continue the adventures of the two RV Gypsies in 2016 in the order of your choice.

OR

go to the next adventure of the two RV GypsiesIf you have seen all of the Alberta pages, there is also a link to British Columbia, Canada at the bottom of the Alberta menu, or you may click here.