Calgary for Dummies

Things to know and "facts" about Calgary and surrounds;

1. Streets run north/ south, Avenues run east/ west. Consequently, there is a bar on the corner of 5th and 5th, called "5th and 5th". When a person asks you to meet them on "8th and 3rd", life gets confusing

2. The Bow River runs roughly East West through the city. The CBD of Calgary is South of the river.

3. Calgary is not the capital of Alberta. Edmonton is. Calgary is just noisier because of the large numbers of Texans living and working for oil companies in Calgary

4. There is no provincial tax in Alberta. Federal GST is only 6% (hooray!) Overall tax in Quebec is approximately double

5. Alberta shares borders with British Columbia (to the West, wear your Rocky mountains climbing boots), Montana to the South (G'day USA) and Saskatchewan to the East (all prairie lands- throw a rock and hit... ?? )

6. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics- the first time a Canadian city had hosting privileges.

7. For an excellent night in, watch, "Cool Runnings" (rated PG) a story of the Jamaican bobsled team with John Candy, set during the 1988 Winter Olympics

8. Most people who live in Calgary now did not live here in 1988

9. Calgary Tower was not built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It was already there and just a lucky coincidence it was shaped like a torch. They painted it red for effect. The Olympic Flame burned from the top of the tower for the duration of the Games

10. Calgary has a huge Ukranian immigrant population. They don't complain about the cold (is pyrogy eating linked to cold resistance??)

11. Every person in Calgary under 5ft 7 inches is;
a. of South East Asian descent
b. is from Nova Scotia
c. is me

12. Nova Scotians in Calgary talk about their boats and multi-generation fishing heritage back home. There are no jobs in Nova Scotia. They are the friendliest people in Calgary

13. Nova Scotians who live in Calgary go inflatable rafting on the Bow River in summer with beer to feel more at home.

14. Calgary hosts a 10 day festival called the Calgary Stampede during the 2nd week of July. It consists of a Rodeo, chuck wagon races, pancake breakfasts and parties. Denim is permitted as office attire for the duration and everyone turns overnight into a cowboy/girl. Attendance at the parade is usually 350,000 people

15. Calgary has a Saddledome where the Hockey (ice) is played. The dome of the stadium looks like a saddle (I know, I know)

16. The Calgary professional hockey team are the Calgary Flames. Their arch-rivals are the Edmonton Oilers

17. The Calgary Flames are likely to make it into the playoffs this year. The Edmonton Oilers aren't. The locals are happy

18. A staple food for watching a hockey game in a pub is chicken wings (and legs) with sauce and beer. No one knows what happens to the rest of the chicken