Hi, <BR>hope you can help us. We are unsure of where to stay in Calgary. Downtown, calgary West, North calgary etc. <BR>We will have a car but are confused about where is the most central place to be. <BR>What are the must sees of the area? We are only there for a couple of days and then head to Jasper.( We will be there the day after the Stampede ) <BR>Thanks in advance <BR>Donna and Craig Lord

Donna, I sent you an email regarding this. Let me know if you got it. <BR> <BR>Denise

Heritage Park south of downtown Calgary is interesting -- at least it strikes me as being of interest. There is a museum in the downtown area that has a very good display on the Meti (spelling ??) <BR>These people were the neglected, even scorned, mix breed descendents of Indian mothers and French fathers. <BR> <BR>Near Calgary, in the town of Drumheller, is the foremost palenotological museum in the world, The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. It has been designated a World Heritage site. You can take a virtual tour on the web before leaving. <BR>In those open spaces out there, it will not take you long to drive it; elapsed time will less than the average commute time in Atlanta. <BR> <BR>As for places to stay, I am partial to the Greenwood Inn on the northeast side of town. It is almost due south of the Airport. Also, the restaurant associated with the hotel serves food of fully acceptable quality. (At least it was good 2 years ago.) <BR>I presume you are driving up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. There is really no other way to go that makes good tourist sense. I also hope you have planned to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. <BR>

Hi Donna - Bob always has good pointers. I am not familiar with the hotel he mentions but if he says it is good, it most surely is. Also, it would be closer to your connection for Drumheller if you chose to go there.

I love the Eau Claire area at the north end of downtown Calgary. Eau Claire Market has a number of shops and restaurants and an outdoor area where something is always going on. It's right on the Bow River and you can walk or bicycle or inline skate for miles. Downtown Calgary is also very central to most things and is very safe as well. Some hotels have been mentioned in other posts, as well as tourist information sites, so finding a hotel should be easy.

I would recommend the Palliser right downtown - it's a lovely hotel and very good for foreign travellers. <BR> <BR>Definitely spend some time in the Eau claire area...there is a restaurant in the park (name eludes me...) TEATRO is a great restaurant in a beautiful building... <BR> <BR>Calgary is too spread out, but downtown will get you anywhere quicker - get yourself oriented right away...it's a N/W/E/S grid orientation - i.e. 104 - 1st street S.E. <BR> <BR>Drumheller is very cool, but is a bit of a drive, I'd do Banff and Lake Louise, go for lunch at the Post Hotel in LL and shopping in Banff.. <BR> <BR>Safe travels! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

The restaurant I think Natalie is referring to is the River Cafe in Princes Island Park (across a footbridge from Eau Claire). The food is wonderful and you couldn't ask for a better setting on a nice evening. If you hit the park on the right evening, you might even stumble across an open-air Shakespearean play.