tpatricco

I'll be on a business trip in Calgary from 2/12-2/17. My days will be filled with training sessions, but my evenings are on my own for dining & entertainment.

What is there to do in the evenings in Calgary in February, and any dining recommendations would also be appreciated.

I'm staying at the Blackfoot Inn, and will have a rental car.

Judy_in_Calgary

The Blackfoot Inn is at the intersection of Blackfoot Trail and 58th Avenue SE. If you head due west on 58th Avenue, you'll hit Macleod Trail. On the southwest corner of the intersection of 58th Avenue and Macleod Trail is a large mall called Chinook Shopping Centre.

Chinook Centre has many shops, quite a few restaurants and, at its southern end, a movie theatre complex.

Just a warning. You are better off entering the shopping centre from the north end (58th Avenue). Glenmore Trail, which is an east-west artery on the southern side of Chinook Centre, is undergoing a major expansion. At the moment it looks like a plate of spaghetti, because there are temporary ramps leading from Glenmore Trail into Chinook Centre, and some of the entrance / exit ramps have been closed for the duration.

Chinook Centre is a slightly odd looking mall from the outside. That's because it's been cobbled together from what used to be separate complexes in the past. I can still remember the time when there were two malls on either side of 61st Avenue, and you used to be able to drive between them.

To add to the already weird looking appearance of the mall, they more recently added a tacky faux-Egyptian movie theatre complex at the southern end of the mall. If Cleopatra could see it, I wonder what she would think. I visualize her not just turning in her grave but spinning in it.

However, once you're inside the shopping part of the mall, it's actually quite pleasant. And once you've run the gauntlet of sphinxes zapping you with laser beams in the foyer, the movie theatres are quite pleasant too.

A moderately priced restaurant that I like in Chinook Centre is Joey Tomato's. It has an eclectic menu. Some of the dishes have an Italian influence, and some of them have a Thai influence. Joey's also serves an excellent steak.

If, instead of going into Chinook Centre, you turn south on Macleod Trail, you come to Smuggler's Inn after a few blocks. It's at 6920 Macleod Trail South (on the east side of Macleod Trail). It serves excellent steak, prime rib roast, etc.

Further south than Smuggler's Inn, just a bit north of the intersection with Southland Drive, there is a Tex Mex restaurant, Santa Fe Grill, which I rather like.

If you keep going even further south on Macleod Trail, you come to Southcentre Mall. It's on the northeast corner of the intersection of Macleod Trail and Anderson Road.

At the east end of Southcentre Mall's parking lot, there is a large pyramid shaped building. It's a public library, and I like going there sometimes.

Across the street from the public library is the Family Leisure Centre, where there is an indoor swimming pool, water slides, etc.

If you go north instead of south on Macleod Trail, you reach downtown where there are numerous restaurants.

Near Macleod Trail, on 8th Avenue / Stephen Avenue Walk, is the Glenbow Museum. They currrently have a visiting exhibit about Petra, the ancient stone city in Jordan. I can <b>highly</b> recommend it.

The museum's hours are:

Monday - Sunday:
9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.

Thursday:
9.00 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.

Hmmmmm, so if you're in training all day, I guess the only evening on which you'd be able to visit the Petra exhibit, if you were interested in it, would be the Thursday evening.

NOTE: Although the museum is open till 9.00 p.m., the deadline for buying a ticket for the Petra exhibit is 7.00 p.m.

Here's a mini map of the section of downtown in which the Glenbow Museum is located:

http://www.glenbow.org/visiting/location.cfm

You can park in the Palliser Square Parkade immediately south of the museum.

Note that museum patrons get a 50% discount at the parkade.

To approach the parkade, drive north on Macleod Trail. After you've gone over Cemetary Hill and cross the Elbow River, Macleod Trail also will be known as 2nd Street SE. Turn left at 10th Avenue SE, and enter the Palliser Square Parkade from 10th Avenue SE. (The parkade can be recognized from the fact that it's part of the Calgary Tower complex, and the Calgary Tower is a pretty obvious landmark.)

Here is a recent thread that contains many suggestions for restaurants that are close to the Glenbow Museum:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34746408

Hope that helps.

tpatricco

Thanks for the great &amp; detailed suggestions!

I'm sure a few good dinners, some shopping &amp; maybe a movie will be perfect to keep me occupied.

Anyplace for bowling around there?

Also our group will be having dinner at Falkridge one night. I've heard it's a beautiful place. Trish

Judy_in_Calgary

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Anyplace for bowling around there?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

* Chinook Bowladrome (in the previously mentioned Chinook Centre)

* Silver Dollar Action Centre &amp; Casino

* Toppler Bowl

Those three are the ones that are close or relatively close to where you'll be staying. You can check out their details on this list:

http://www.bowling.ab.ca/locations/calgary.html


&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Also our group will be having dinner at Falkridge one night. I've heard it's a beautiful place.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

I'd never heard of it. I had to Google it to find out what it was and where it was located. It does look nice.

tpatricco

Thanks again Judy! I just figured bowling is a good fun option for a group of adults who don't know each other very well if we want to do something together.

Falkridge is owned by the company I'm attending the training for. I didn't know how well known it is in the area (aparently not at all). It's supposed to be very cool.

Judy_in_Calgary

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Falkridge is owned by the company I'm attending the training for. I didn't know how well known it is in the area (aparently not at all). It's supposed to be very cool.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

LOL. Please don't feel bad that *I* don't know Falkridge. I'm sure people who belong to the target market do know about it.

Yes, I've found bowling to be a fun activity when you have a group of people with widely varied interests, widely varrying athletic ability, etc. Just about everyone is happy to turn his/her hand to bowling for a few hours.

BAK

Depending on how bright the moon is, and how clear the sky, it is not all that silly to drive to the Banff Spirngs hotel for dinner.

Long trip, but I've done it several times.

Judy mentions Smugglers... I used to go to Calgary half a dozen times a year, and most of those trips included roast beef at Smugglers. even though I had to drive most of the way across Calgary to get there from near the airport.

BAK

bob_brown

Keep in mind that much if not most of the bowling in Alberta and BC is what I call Five Pins. In the Canadian game, the player has 3 balls to throw at 5 pins.

Although there may be Chicago-Detroit-St. Louis type ten pin lines in Calgary, I have not found one.

In the five pin game, the scoring is different. Each pin has a scoring weight. The head pin is worth 5 points, the two pins next to it are worth 3 points each, and the two corner pins are worth 2 points each, for a total of 15 points. A perfect game is 450, but not likely to happen.

The ball you use is a little larger than a regulation US softball and the pins are similar to the size of duck pins, if you have ever been in a duck pin house around the Baltimore-Washington area.

I think that the game is entertaining and given that no particular reward is offered for being able to throw a 16 pound ten pin bowling with a lot of spin on it to make it hook into the pocket, people of various abilities can enjoy it.

My major complaint was that at most of the house balls I have used are filthy and I come out looking like I had been playing in soot.

Beware, however, that in the winter in Canada inside sports are very popular.
The bowling houses tend to be full of league bowlers during the week.

Before going, I suggest you call first and find out what the league situation is and whether or not open bowlers can have a chance to find a vacant lane or two.

If you have bowled ten pins anywhere with your own ball, you will find that you will need some adjustment. The lanes are usually dry and if you put much spin on the ball it will hook like crazy. If you can control a hook, it will score for you, but making the adjustment can take a couple of games.
Trying to hit the right corner pin for a right handed bowler can be a challenge.

Cruiseryyc

You can't find ten pin bowling in Calgary - you've got to be kidding. Every bowling alley I know of in Calgary has ten pin lanes.

tpatricco

Thanks for the advice on the bowling...we'll investigate about leagues if we decide to go. At home in NJ many bowling alleys are crowded with league play on weeknights too.

We'd just be going for fun to kill an evening with the group...for fun.