calgary - help with staying at the hyatt regency
 

700 centre street se
single female and am attending a conference there in the spring. i'm considering going one day early to relax. i thought i'd might waunder around in the evening to explore downtown and eat out somewhere. some reviews say that there are a lot of homeless and not much open in the area (it would be a tuesday). should i just plan on staying in the hotel that evening or is there somewhere you could recommend i go for dinner/drinks ($20 range)

Don't know why someone told you there would not much open as there are several restaurants in the area that will be open. On a Tuesday the stores will close at 6:00 p.m. Directly across the street from the Hyatt is Milestones Restaurant, kitty corner is Saltlik restaurant which might be a little more than you want to spend. Depending on when you're coming in the spring it could still be light out into the early evening. I would not head east or north of the hotel, but if you stay west or south you should be okay.

Ltt,

One thing you need to know about Calgary's downtown is that there are hundreds of thousands of people working downtown everyday, but by 7 p.m., they (and I) have retreated to our homes in the burbs. While there is a move on to build more residential development downtown, it's pretty much a maze of office towers, with no real reason for people to stay downtown after work.

The reports of "a lot of homelsss" are greatly, greatly exagerated. Like any big city, Calgary has its share of panhandlers, but compared to virtually all of the other urban centres I've visited recently (Toronto, Ottawa, Victoria, Seattle) Calgary has very few in comparison.

In terms of evening activities downtown on a Tuesday night in the spring, there are not a lot of choices. There might be a performance of some kind at the Centre for Performing Arts (Epcor Centre), there are a few theatres downtown which primarily show independent films, the Glenbow Museum may be open on a Tuesday evening(?), and there is a great bookstore (McNally Robinson) about a block from your hotel, where you could easily spend a few hours.

If you're staying at the Hyatt, I've heard great things from my wife and her friends about the spa at the hotel. Apparently it's not cheap, but it has a great reputation.

In terms of restaurants, there are many great restaurants within 2 blocks of where you are staying, but most will end up running you $30-40 rather than the $20 range you are looking for. Saltlik is great for beef, Catch (at the Hyatt) has been rated one of Canada's best restaurants, is apparently great for seafood, and for a varied menu, I love Murrietta's.

I forgot about the spa - it would be a great way to spend your evening but you'd have to pre-reserve a treatment. Check out their website www.stillwaterspa.com.

Ditto to what everyone else has said. In addition to the restaurants that already have been mentioned, I'll add a plug for Teatro's (Northern Italian cuisine). But it too is expensive.

If you want a less expensive but still very pleasant meal, you might consider Prairie Ink, which is located on the 2nd floor of McNally Robinson book store. You would be able to find something nice within your desired $20 range.

directly kitty corner to the Hyatt is the Siding Cafe in Arts Central (on 7th Avenue directly behind the C-Train tracks. Ask the Bellman to point it out as you can see it from the front door of the Hyatt). Its a hip diner with a good selection of wine and beer. If you're eating alone it has a counter you could sit at or take one of the tables. You could certainly dine there for about $20 (depending on your choice of alcohol).

On 8th Avenue there is a restuarant called the Avenue Diner -- same idea as the Siding Cafe.

Judy's suggestion of Prarie Ink is a good one or down the block are a few smaller restaurants such as Picnic, Divino or Gypsy.

Unless you're looking for chain restaurants I would stay away from Saltlik or Milestones. Catch has a bar downstairs that is certainly less expensive than the restaurant portion although Catch is now run by the Hyatt and I haven't eaten there since the change over.