My first impression of Calgary came by way of a road sign that I noticed during the quick 11-mile ride fromCalgary Inter- nationalAirport to downtown. “Welcome toCalgary:TheHeart of theNewWest,” the sign read,with the graceful silhouette of a cowboy hat perched over “Calgary.” Iwas participating in a three-day famtrip planned around
the start of the Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo, exhibi- tion, and festival—billed as “TheBiggestOutdoor Showon Earth”—that has taken place here every July since 1912. I was being hosted by Meetings & Conventions Calgary (www.meetingscalgary.com), and had read up enough on the Stampede to anticipate being immersed in cowboy cul- ture—so I got the hat’s importance. The “new” part became apparent as we approached down-
town and Calgary’s modern skyscrapers came into view. Still under construction,EnCanaCorporation’s crescent-shaped, 58- story glass office building, The Bow, already seems an iconic element of Calgary’s cityscape. And while The Bow is perhaps the largest andmost striking newfixture in downtownCalgary, the city’s continueddevelopment is evident inthenumberofother cranes atwork in the area. We crossedover theBowRiver toarrive indowntownCalgary.
Maybe itwas the river’s dazzling turquoise color,which it owes to its source, theBowGlacier.Or it could have been the backdrop of themajestic RockyMountains. Perhaps itwas the brightmid- morning sun, the dry and crisp air, and the fact thatwhile itwas July 7, the temperature hovered in the 60s.The city just felt fresh.
TAKING OFF: Calgary International Airport offers 1,800 flights per week and nonstop flights tomajor cities around the world. It is one of eight Canadian airports with U.S. border preclearance facilities.
94 pcma convene September 2011
Saddle Up After checking in to the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, I toured the Calgary TELUS Convention Cen-
tre (CTCC) and the three hotels thatmake up theCalgaryCon- vention Connection—the 355-room Hyatt Regency Calgary, the384-roomMarriottCalgary, andthe405-roomFairmontPal- liser. (See “The Calgary Convention Connection,” p. 96.) While strolling around Calgary’s downtown, I crossed over
Stephen AvenueWalk, a lovely pedestrian mall that is studded with shops, outdoor eateries, and huge hanging flower baskets. The city was decked out for the Stampede, with cowboy illus- trations painted on every building’s glass front and hotel lob- bies displayingWesternmemorabilia. I’d only been in town for a fewhours, butmy experience so
farmadeCalgary seema bit of a contradiction: It gives the sense of being wide open, yet it’s compact and walkable. (And those who want to take a load off can hop on the free light rail run- ning throughout downtown.) It’s a bustling modern city, but it’s got an authentic frontier-town feel.And it seems to embrace bothworlds. Next on the itinerary was a trip to Lammle’sWesternWear
&Tack, sowe could dress the part for the Stampede.With our Western-gear purchases in hand,we headed down the street for a dinner reception at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre. Once there,wewere eachgivenawhite Stetson.Being“white-
hatted”is aCalgary tradition—the equivalentofbeing giventhe keys to the city—that dates back to the 1950s Stampede.Our
ENERGY TO BURN: Calgary is the uncontested energy capital of Canada. The oil-and-gas industry is the single-largest contributor to the city’s GDP.And while it was built on the consump- tion of fossil fuels, Calgary is home to the largest urban pathway in North America.