Kim's Convenience presented by Theater Calgary

Every year my friend Diana and I buy subscription tickets to Theater Calgary. I love this time of year, summer is about parties and being outside and a break from the norm but as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, we all migrate inside and experience theater. The first play of the season always welcomes this transition.
 
 
This year, the play is called Kim's Convenience and I'm excited to see it. It has received rave reviews since debuting at the Toronto Fringe Festival last year, critics calling it touching and funny (my favorite combo of emotions if you ask me).
 
 

Date(s): Sept. 3 - 29
Venue: Max Bell Theatre, EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, 205 8 Ave. SE
Tickets: Prices vary
Korean immigrant Mr. Kim is nearing retirement and wondering what will happen to his convenience store when he stops running it. This family tale that looks to the past and future with love and laughter is by Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company, presented by Theatre Calgary.
For more info or to buy tickets go the the Theater Calgary website

downtownfood: simple. elegant. local.

When craving delicious, farm fresh cuisine, Downtown is the place to go!

Focused on sustainability and local ingredients, Downtown Food's small, well-crafted dinner menu inspires your palette with new flavours like the savoury watermelon salad. Signature dishes stand out like the bold tastes of the Korean BBQ-inspired Noble Meadows Crispy Duck Leg. Working with local Albertan farmers directly, you know that what arrives on your plate is healthy and environmentally sustainable.

While it might not be the easiest place to find (but hey, that's what a GPS is for), Downtown Food is centrally located with plenty of parking spots nearby.

628 Eighth Ave. SW., Calgary,

587-353-3474

  

Lunch Menu

Dinner Menu

and as an added bonus here is a fantastic review by Scrumptiously Fit Food

Devonian Gardens: Grand Reopening June 27th 2012

What the gardens use to look like.

Devonian Gardens opened in 1977, it was a state-of-the-art facility that attracted international attention. Thirty-four years later, much of the infrastructure had exceeded its 30-year lifecycle, and The City of Calgary Parks is rejuvenating this key downtown attraction. 

Devonian Gardens will be reopening to the public on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. After a four year closure and complete renovation, the new Gardens will once again be a favourite destination for lunch crowds, tourists, families, and corporate and private events.

Devonian Gardens "Tropical Oasis" Celebration - Event Schedule

Wednesday, June 27

12:15 - 12:30 p.m.: Official Re-opening speeches
12:30 - 2 p.m.: Drop-in Activities:

• "Palm Tree" - Your Handprint of Sustainability
• Devonian Gardens Scavenger Hunt
• Photo opportunities with face cut-out displays
• Garden Trowel give-away
• Interpretation by Nature Experts throughout the park.

Refreshments will be served.

 

 

 

Thursday, June 28

11a.m. - 2 p.m.: Drop-in Activities

• Artist Demo: Botanical Watercolour
• Garden Tours every half hour - fun facts on the development of Devonian Gardens
• Devonian Gardens Scavenger Hunt
• "Palm Tree" - Your Handprint of Sustainability
• Photo opportunities with face cut-out displays

 

 

 

 

Friday, June 29

11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Drop-in Activities

• Garden Tours every half hour - fun facts on the development of Devonian Gardens
• Devonian Gardens Scavenger Hunt
• "Palm Tree" - Your Handprint of Sustainability
• Photo opportunities with face cut-out displays
• Drop-in Art Activity for Families

2:15 - 4:15 p.m.: Adult Watercolour Course: Botanical Watercolour

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 30

11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Drop-in Activities

• Garden Tours every half hour - fun facts on the development of Devonian Gardens
• Devonian Gardens Scavenger Hunt
• "Palm Tree" - Your Handprint of Sustainability
• Photo opportunities with face cut-out displays
• Drop-in Art Activity for Families

Ignite Summer Block Party – June 21

June 21st

We're celebrating the summer solstice with a classic block party on Stephen Avenue. Featuring live art, sound by The Bass Bus, signature cocktails and fabulous food to kick start the season.

Tickets are $40 or free for Pivot members.

for more info, click here

Carifest 2012

The music, the food, the vibration of the event!

Carifest is an annual festival held to showcase the arts and culture of the Caribbean. Events include a Gospel music show, Movie Night, a Friday night show at the Telus Convention Centre and Sunshine Festival at Shaw Millennium Park.

June 2nd - June 9th

Visit the website for more info

[picture borrowed from here]

Calgary Jane’s Walk 2012

Brought to my attention by the always informative and quickly becoming one of my favorite people in the social networking world, Mr YYC wrote a post about Jane's Walk in Calgary for 2012.


Here are a few of my favorite walks as posted by Mr. YYC:

Chinatown Tour

Guided by Jing Grace Wang

Want to know more about Chinese culture but never got a chance to visit China? Chinatown tour will be the best choice for you! Chinatown is a small reflection of China embedded in brilliant culture and exuberant history. We have murals that are painted to fight the graffiti in Chinatown, and in turn shares stories of how the Chinese started its roots in Calgary. The 100-year old Canton building, “dinning block” that serves tons of amazing traditional Chinese food, The Chinese Cultural Centre that holds lots of great Chinese events, Sien Lok Park that is always promoting Chinese language, philosophies and culture, and The Dragon City Mall that runs different business related to Chinese culture, these are all fantastic places you don’t want to miss!

 

 

Unique Food Shoppes of the Beltline

Guided by Paul Chambers

Don’t know where to get that unusual ingredient or favourite treat? The Beltline has a food store for that!

We’ll spend two hours exploring the diverse range of specialty food and grocery stores in the Beltline, all within walking distance of each other. We’ll meet the passionate owners and staff who contribute to the Beltline’s unique gastronomic culture. We’ll learn the history of the stores, where they source their products and even get some tips for cooking your dinner!

We’ll be visiting Community Natural Foods, Epiphany Chocolate, Kalamata Grocery (Greek), Matrioshka Grocery (Russian), Boyd’s Lobster Shop, Rustic Sourdough Bakery, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese & Wine Ink.

[I have writen about Epiphany Chocolate before]

 

 

The Calgary That Could Have Been

Guided by Jason Markusoff

In a city with a mythology of risk-takers, dusty shelves are full of proposals and blueprints that promised a very different-looking Calgary. This walk starts at the Prince’s Island Museum that never existed, retraces the path of the expressway that almost flattened Eau Claire and Chinatown, and ends near the canal that didn’t dissect East Village. We’ll ponder how these alternative realities would have transformed our city.

[This walk reminds me of a post I did in 2009]

For further details check out the inspiration for this post Mr. YYC's post on Jane's Walk

Or Check the Jane's Walk site for info on all the tours.

 

"This is My City" Photo Walking Tour

 

 

This is My City: Photo Walking Tour

 

March 24th, April 21st — 11:00am to 1:00pm

Meet in front of City Hall, Macleod Trail SE

Cost: Pay what you can
 

Bring your camera and join artist Cat Schick and a photographer who has experience of homelessness on a walk through downtown areas that are off the beaten path. See the city from a new perspective and receive guidance on how to capture it in pictures.

Part of This is My City Festival on through May 3.

**

This is My City was a project initiated by The City of Calgary, Arts & Culture, which provided Calgary’s homeless community with increased opportunities for creative expression and engaged Calgarians in a dialogue about the issues surrounding homelessness and the place of art and culture in society today. The City of Calgary, Arts & Culture, has worked extensively with This is My City, (TMC) which is now a not-for-profit society that picks up where the original program left off. Many members of the artist-mentor team combined their talents and vision to take TMC to the next step through the creation of This Is My City Art Society, so that it might continue to grow and share this work with all Calgarians.

Peace Bridge Opening Party

Can you believe it? It's been how long and used up how much money and the day has finally come to unveil Calgary's controversial Peace Bridge. March 24th at 02:00 pm - 04:00 pm / Location: Eau Claire Park, 700 Block of 1st Ave SW (south end of the Peace Bridge)

There will be food, fun and lots of entertainment!

For more info see the City Information Site

The Big Taste

It's finally here. Our taste buds, mouths and wallets squeeee with delight!

THE BIG TASTE in CALGARY

March 2 - March 12, 2012

This is a once-in-a-year opportunity to experience new works
at participating restaurants in the heart of the city.

SET PRICE DINING
Lunches $15 and $25 per person
Dinners $25 and $35 per person
Gourmet $85 per person, includes chef favorites and wine pairing

Book directly with restaurants in this directory.
Please indicate you are a Big Taste patron at time of booking.

Please go to the website for further information on participating restaurants and what they have to offer.


Bon Appetite!

Thing to do in Calgary this Fall

Whiskey Tasting at Kensington Wine Market
We love our wine tastings, but this fall, it’s all about whiskey. Check out the Kensington Wine Market’s tasting nights, focusing on rare whiskies that have been aged for more than 20 years from closed distilleries. You might discover a new old-school favorite.

Kensington Wine Market; 1257 Kensington Rd. N.W.; 403-283-8000

Heritage Park Historical Village
It’s your last change to enjoy the Historical Village as it closes for the season following Thanksgiving. Go back in time with costumed townsfolk and a collection of impressive antiques and artifacts.

Heritage Park Historical Village; 1900 Heritage Drive S.W.; 403- 268-8500

Calgary Collects
Fall means new shows in all of the city’s galleries – and until the end of the year, The Art Gallery of Calgary will be displaying rarely seen works of contemporary art acquired by avid Calgary collectors. Time to get gallery-hopping.
The Art Gallery of Calgary; 117, 8 Ave. S.W; 403-770-1350

Cooking Classes at The Cookbook Co. CooksCool weather calls for hearty, home-cooked meals. For some culinary inspiration, take a class or two at the famous downtown kitchen. Choose from a variety of options including couples nights, a class on how to cook with squash or the best of Moroccan meals (from $85). The Cookbook Co. Cooks; 722 11 Ave. S.W.; 403-262-3322

Autumn Birding Course at Fish Creek ParkNature enthusiasts rejoice: Alberta is the best for birding (a.k.a. bird watching). Get out and be one with nature (and the birds) this fall by taking weekly two-and-a-half-hour sessions, which include plenty of field trips. Fish Creek Provincial Park; 15975 Bow Bottom Trail S.E.; 403-238-3847

m0851

Montreal, how we love thee: your city is romantic, your bagels are the best and your fashion sense is fierce.

And now, we Calgarians can have a little piece of you here at home with the opening of m0851. Founded in 1987, the Canadian label specializes in beautiful leather outerwear, bags and accessories all made in Montreal.

the Classic bag ($330) in chestnut for day, the 3-Pocket Drawstring Backpack ($495) from the new Authentiques collection for travel, the 2-Zip Computer bag ($450) for work and the Varsity leather jacket ($720) to match all of the above.

And the love affair continues.

m0851

2nd Floor, Bankers Hall
Downtown Calgary

The First Thursday Outdoor Dining Room

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

6PM-10PM

The FOOD TRUCKS are here! Alley Burger, Perogy Boyz, BLAMwich, Fiasco Gelato, Los Compadres and maybe more, PLUS a huge communal table under the Olympic Plaza pergola, board games and bocce. 8^th Avenue SE at Olympic Plaza (in front of the EPCOR CENTRE)

Libertine Public House

 

lib·er·tine noun \ ˈli-bər-ˌtēn \

1: a freethinker 
2: a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality; specifically : one leading a self-indulgent life
3: seeking only life’s simple pleasures

**

It’s a Calgary ritual as ingrained as the Stampede: the race to nab a patio table on a hot summer day.

With the opening of Libertine Public House, there’s one more go-to patio to add to our list. The Stephen Avenue pub is an airy, two-level space with large booths, exposed wood beams and a small patio ideal for people-watching.

Stop in for a microbrew pint (from $7.25) or wine by the glass (from $8.50), or settle in for a delicious flatbread combo like the Stout BBQ ($13), a charcuterie beer board ($19) or a wild boar burger on a pretzel bun ($16).

Libertine Public House
223 8th Avenue S.W.
403-265-3665

Calgary Food Trucks

 

 

 

 

 

Time: 11:00 am - 03:00 pm / Location: 100E Block, Stephen Avenue Walk

 

August 11th will be the official launch of The Food Truck Pilot Project. YYC Food Trucks has teamed up with The City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary and The Downtown Calgary Association, to launch the first-ever food truck festival in the city. The event, "YYC Taste The Trucks" will be held on August 11th from 11:00 A.M to 3:00 P.M on Stephen Ave in the Convention Centre Block (100E Stephen Ave).

This event will be a showcase for the general public and offer an opportunity for interested parties to experience the fine food and fabulous trucks.

The event is family-friendly and admission is free. The food trucks will be offering their new regular menu at street-friendly prices. The participating trucks are: Fiasco Gelato, Perogy Boyz, Alley Burger, Fries & Dolls, Pimentos Mobile Pizzeria, Jojo’s BBQ (although, I heard today Jojo's might be an issue), Los Compadres Mexican, and perhaps one more.

Wall Climbing Calgary

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a little mountain goat that can easily jump from rock to rock and climb up anything you put in front of me. All while wearing a dress. This is why I am starting to consider wall climbing. For fun. I don't have anyone to do it with but I don't think that's an issue. The people at Stronghold Calgary should make it easy for me.

They have a 2 hour registered adult beginners course and then after that different levels of lessons are available if you wish. You can rent all the gear you require and they have a large selection of walls and courses to try so you never get bored. One of the reason why I like this particular place is because it's close to downtown and it's near where I get my hair done (plus Peters Drive Inn which has some of the best milkshakes in this city!). I don't have a car a prefer to walk everywhere so this place is within my walking radius.

I think it's a great way to keep yourself toned and active plus way more interesting in then the gym. Not that I have anything against the gym... okay... I kind of do. The gym and I are not meant to be together but that's a whole other post.