As usual, my post comes late after the fact but if you have been following my
Flickr account, you would have noticed I had quite the weekend last week!
Normally by this time, my unreliable memory (coupled with the fact I've just aged) would reduce the whole experience to a few bullet points but such treatment would be injustice to the trip. So instead, I've decided to bring my friend onboard and let her knack for remembering the smallest of all details tell the story. Think of this as an interview with a few insights from me.
Let's start at the beginning. Last week, I took a trip with Sharon down to Calgary to visit some friends that I haven't seen for a few months and as we had work on monday, we only stayed the one night.
Dickson: Thanks for joining us and helping out with the post.
Sharon: My pleasure. It's a privilege to be here!
Okay, so it didn't go quite like that but I think the details of arm-twisting and coercion are unnecessary.
We left early Saturday morning and stopped by McDonalds for breakfast.
With Tim Hortons' introduction of their own breakfast sandwich, it was more difficult to choose where to enjoy our first meal. But the thought of Tim Hortons' greasier sandwich sitting in our stomachs for the next few hours while we drove to Calgary quickly settled the matter. What did you think Sharon?
"I'm not normally that cheap - "
I never said you were...
"...bringing outside drinks into an eating establishment, but in my defense, I had thought we would be eating in the car. Their ease of disposal makes the cups very travel-friendly. Besides, my homemade Folgers produces a much better brew than McDonalds' coffee."
No one is blaming you - it's not your fault.
We left the city just after 10am, and though AMA reports had green lighted Calgary commutes, the continuous flurries and windy conditions begged to differ. We passed by several cars that had been abandoned in the ditch, and a few accidents that were even more recent.
Agreed. We must have passed over a dozen ditched cars on our way to Calgary. Some were recent and others' at least a few days old. The funny thing was that most of the cars ditched/flipped over were large vehicles - vans, SUVs, 4x4, and the occasional car - and here I was driving an Echo Hatchback, which was by far the smallest vehicle on the road, braving the icy conditions. Fortunately, the additional weight from our luggage and my passenger kept the car grounded.
We arrived in Calgary after 1pm, and drove into the city in search of my first desired stop. Along the way, Dickson realized he had missed a turn, and in a U-turn attempt, nearly slid into a stop sign while trying to avoid an oblivious woman shoveling snow, indifferent to the fact that her life could have been in danger. We were okay, and the Echo had thankfully missed the pole by a few inches.
I swear, the sign swerved into my driving lane! But that's beside the point. The point is had we not reached Sharon's first desired stop at a novelty cupcake shop, the money we would have saved would have been enough to repair any mishaps to my car, pay for gas home AND still have enough change to make one last stop at McDonalds. Just look at these prices! There ought to be an international organization to govern these prices.
Warning: Prices known to cause heart attacks.
But a purchase was made anyways to satisfy Sharon's insatiable hunger for cupcakes from every corner of the earth. In her defense, I must say the cupcakes behind the display case were very tempting.
I've only been to two novelty cupcake stores so far and I'm not sure if there's really a difference between the two - or in fact, any of them. The cupcakes seem to be so loaded with sugar that I could have ignited them if I so wished.
"I guess they're not that much different. The prices are relative to one another (~$2.50 each), and honestly, on a blind taste test, I would not be able to identify the maker of any individual cake. I think it's more of a novelty thing at this point, for me to visit a bakery if I have the time and means to do so."
After that, we picked up Jen then checked into our hotel at the downtown Marriott. Given the price, I'm more than impressed by the hotel. It was in a convenient location with a Starbucks in the lobby, and the room was very clean, spacious and well designed (see photos). Violet joined us soon after and we proceeded to Market Mall. For the most part, shopping in Calgary feels like shopping in Edmonton as we share many common stores. There was, however, one store I particularly liked that had some unique products. Sharon and I picked up a few items from the store and just before we left, Sharon snapped a picture of her favorite item made by the Unemployed Philosopher's Guild.
Freudian Slippers
Tired and hungry from hours of driving and shopping, Violet directed us to Pho Kim for some Vietnamese cuisine. It wasn't bad but the establishment's close resemblance to a house was a little unnerving. And so while Sharon and Violet was busying prodding their food, Jen and I debated where the normal house fixtures would have been to confirm our suspicions.
The next morning, Dickson and I visited Diner Deluxe for a late breakfast. In my planning, I had consulted the "Best of" list published in FFWD Weekly, Calgary's equivalent to Edmonton's See Magazine. Diner Deluxe was voted one of the two best places for brunch, so seemed like a safe bet (though really, the place is worth visiting from their very cute website alone). It turns out the Diner is one of five Calgary dining establishments operated by an "inventive culinary couple." Their other holdings include a bakery, a seafood restaurant, and a cafe. After our experience, I wouldn't mind heading to Open Range, their steak house, the next time I'm in the city.
What sharon neglected to mention was we WAITED A WHOLE 45 MINUTES TO GET IN! But it was sooo worth it. The decor matched the food being served and the way the kitchen opened into the dining room provided a nice home-made feeling, filling the place with tantalizing aromas that teased us while we waited in line.
10i complete with mono sound
Armed with a gazillion calories, we drove to Chinook Center where Sharon insisted on riding on their in-mall carousel. But daunted by the $2 admission price (and presumably her pride), her dreams were never fulfilled.
"I'm not normally that cheap - "
SILENCE. I'm not done.
For the next few hours, we put on our treasure hunting hats, looking for good deals to no avail. I did pick up a shirt from RW & CO. but somehow that doesn't justify the hours spent at the mall. With one last stop to Starbucks, we left the mall and headed back home. When we got back to Edmonton, we thought it might be nice to wrap up the entire trip with one of my favorite dishes: steak served by the KEG. Unfortunately, somewhere along the lines between me and the cook there was a communication breakdown and my request for medium rare ended up as nuke the damn thing, twice!
Carcinogenic Flavored.
I ate it anyways.
By all standards, this was a very short trip but it was fun, memorable and a much needed break!
Dickson: Thank you Sharon for joining us to share your experiences. I trust you have been properly represented in my post.
Sharon: I hate you.
Dickson: Touche!
For more photos from the trip, click here.