Calgary has a little over 1.3 million people. For me that's a huge city but some of you will smile and some will scoff when I think that a city with this population is huge. When I came here in 1969 the population was not quite 300 000 so it's grown over the years. We used to go to Calgary 2 or 3 times a year. When our daughter lived there we went more than 2 or thee time a year. Since our daughter moved we rarely go to Calgary so we are not used to it. Calgary seems like a sprawling busy city with large industrial areas and many ugly malls.
The highway to Calgary is a 4 lane divided highway but traffic is extremely heavy. There are many large trucks. The are also light trucks and they think they're big, so traffic an sometimes be chaotic. I saw one guy with an old beater of a motor home with a boat behind it and he floored the motor home and stayed in the left lane!
I found the appointment location. It's in a mile long area with malls on both sides of the street. Malls and mall buildings are absolutely ugly. There were huge parking lots and very few empty stalls. I realized later that it was a Ctrain station so commuters parked their cars there.
Now one thing I wasn't prepared for is to find 90% of the people in the mall were Asians.We tried to ask for directions a few times and they did not speak English. So I was surprised at the density of Asians.
Part of getting out of the city is the dreaded Deer Foot Trail. It's a freeway with a speed limit of 110 kmph but everybody is doing 130. Except in rush hour the traffic can stop and stop and go. It's a mean piece of road.
To add to an interesting situation a strong thunderstorm rolled in. First, there was dust then heavy rain and the visibility was poor.
So you can imagine this little old man finding his way through a busy town that has grown so much that he doesn't recognize much of it anymore. I know the solution is go there and keep up with the times.
I refuse. I cannot handle a situation like that. That’s when I call on children or friends.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is that I don't drive in situations like this often enough to be used to it.
DeleteI can understand why it would seem so very busy and chaotic if you don't get there very often. I find it tiring to spend time in large cities where I don't know where the rest areas are or where to get a quick refreshment or go to the washroom without having to buy a meal and so on. I haven't been to Calgary in ages but I remember how fantastic the scenery was south of Calgary all the way to BC. Simply spectacular.
ReplyDeleteYes, beautiful ranch country up against the the Rockies. Don't forget Kananaskis country.
DeleteI live in a congested metropolitan area, so I understand what you are saying. While I'm used to it, congestion is still a pain.
ReplyDeleteKey word is used to it. I don't drive in it often enough to be used to it.
DeleteTwo points Red:-
ReplyDelete1) You talked about the "density of Asians" but many Asians are clever people.
2) Why don't you have the next drug consignment shipped directly to Red Deer?
Ha Ha! Yes Asians are clever and many of them are my good friends. No problem with drugs. the pot shops are open!!!
DeleteI now know Calgary well. Having been there at least twice, and the last time staying in a hotel there for a week. I did like the city and all the neat sculptures. the restaurants were great, if expensive. I guess it used to be known as a cattle town like Denver. I have been in bigger cities like New York, so find Calgary fairly easy to get around in, except it is hugely spread out.
ReplyDeleteYes, Calgary is very long by north and south There are beautiful areas in the city. The area I was in the other day wsasawful.
DeleteI think you are right! We very carefully plan times to visit Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteYes, we do have options to choose times when it's better.
DeleteI personally think 1.3 million is a good-sized city! Things change quite quickly in the big cities. And there is always so much going on. It can be quite dizzying.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in a big city and now I just visit. Living in a smaller, more peaceful area is much more pleasant at this point in my life.
Hey, I hear ya. Red Deer is a little over 100000 so it's good for me.
DeleteYour going to Calgary sounds like me going to Seattle. It's big, scary and incredibly filled with stop and go traffic. I usually take the bus if I'm going there, so I don't have to drive. Glad you found your appointment location. And you got a good post out of it, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe bus is awkward and the Greyhound bus is closing so we will have only one bus.
DeleteWe were in Calgary a couple years ago. My brother in law and sister in law live at Ghost Lake. I love that area!
ReplyDeleteGhost Lake isn't far from where I live.
DeleteDriving in traffic on a congested highway and during a downpour...all of my least favorite driving experiences as well Red. Thankfullu, Grenville handles it better than myself so I am the designated navigator on many of our trips. Glad you came and went safely. Thanks for the comment on our current road trip too.
ReplyDeleteOne has to drive in busy conditions to get used to it and feel confident.
DeleteIt's been a long while since I've been in vasectomy.
ReplyDeleteI drove through Calgary in 1990 when I went to Banff. I don't remember much about it, but it seemed a pretty big city even then. Interesting that there's such a high Asian population, at least in the area you visited!
ReplyDeleteYes, ya gotta go through Calgary to get to Banff. The Asian high population is explainable but I would need much more space.
DeleteI have not been in a city that big in years, we hate the traffic in Fargo ND and the population there is 120,000 uffda over a million population and we would stay home. Glad you made it out alive.
ReplyDeleteI visited Minot often in the early 60's when I was a teacher near Estevan.
DeleteI sympathize! I'm definitely not a person who could live in a city.
ReplyDeleteBeing a country girl at heart I am never really drawn to the city so can relate. Washington DC is a place I enjoy once I get there however but am always looking towards the mountains. The name Calgary has such a nice ring to it.
ReplyDeleteHello, I would love to visit the Calgary area and the Canadian Rockies. It is on my wish list, but I do not enjoy driving in big cities. I am glad you had a safe trip. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead.
ReplyDeleteYour journey to Calgary sounds so much like our trips to San Francisco and even worse -- the dreaded Los Angeles area. So many cars, so many people driving FAST, so much happening all at once. I drove across Canada once in the mid 1970s. I remember Calgary being a nice city, and truly beautiful once you get through it and into the beautiful mountains to the west.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a big city and after I got married, we've been living in much smaller places and love it. Killybegs has 1200 people and I love it.
ReplyDelete1.3 million is a very big city to me, even though I live in S. CA. I avoid LA and other populated areas like the plague... too confusing and the traffic is absolutely terrible. Good job navigating your way through a city that is no longer familiar to you!!
ReplyDeleteWe don’t have a complicated downtown but it is busy and I stayed away from it. Now that I live eight miles away from it I find that I am getting use to it. It still isn’t easy but it is better than being scared of it. Our courthouse is downtown and I do have to go there once in a while. I can seem to stand up straight on my slopping front yard so dealing with the stepladder for me is a slow concentrated effort. My balance is being messed with as I get older. Be careful.
ReplyDelete