This is the 2nd of a series of posts dealing with my 2023 trip to Calgary, Edmonton, and vicinity. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification. These are indicated by “NOW”.
I slept a lot better until around 4:30. There was a couple in the room and it appears they left but the woman left her cell, and its alarm started playing the same part of the same tune over and over. I went outside and took some photos, but then couldn't find the code. Fortunately someone let me in and showed me where the code screen was.
[NOW: I was staying at Calgary Hub hostel. I later found out that there’s a room beside the one I was in where lost items are kept; the cell phone was actually in there.]
I went back to bed but the cell was still at it so I finally gave up and walked east along McKnight. I Had to cross over a highway below but finally reached a McDonald's for breakfast. I returned the same way and walked south down Edmonton Trail to downtown. Along the way I saw a sleeping doggy in the window that I don't think is for sale. I tried to find the Rider Express bus for tomorrow. but at that point couldn't find it. I decided to head south since I had lots of time to kill before anything opened. I saw a small park by Bow River (Bow Island Park?) and worked my way to Stanley Park, getting some nice aerial views of the park along the way. By the way, I saw lots of magpies throughout the day. Pretty common in Vernon but not Victoria.
[NOW: Actually Elbow River and Elbow Island Park.]
Calgary's Stanley Park is pretty small, way smaller than Vancouver's. I worked my way north, having to climb a hill at one point. I made my way to Daily Globe News Shop, then went north and found the probable Rider Express stop.I visited Sanktjuri-buks in Eau Claire Market. Due to a volunteer being away the worker couldn't access the DVD area but that's an easy enough place to revisit later. I worked my way south to 17th, visited Achieve Pawns, and got a fountain pop at Circle K. I walked up a very steep hill to Phoenix Comics which had Melodiya Records inside. I walked back downhill (both ways the street passed over another road well below).
I visited Sloth Records before having lunch at A&W. By this point two serious problems with Calgary were apparent: a lack of drinking water fountains anywhere, and a lack of public washrooms, even for customers at fast food places. Both took a toll on my health as the day went on. Those are serious flaws and will likely stop me from vacationing in Calgary again once this trip ends.
I couldn't find Blackbyrd Myoozik. I visited Sigla Books. In an Asian mall I visited Super Video but couldn't find One to Ninety Records. I crossed Bow River to the area just north of downtown. I visited Pages on Kensington but couldn't find World of Books. I visited Hot Wax Records, A Rare Bookstore by DJ, and Another Dimension Comics (the lady gave me a free comic. It was one I already read but I took it to be polite. I can always reread it (Batman: The 10c Adventure).
[NOW: I later figured out that I had left out a digit on the address for Blackbyrd Myoozik. World of Books has closed.]
I walked up a steep hill and gradually made my way, after visiting a convenience store close to it, Redd Skull Comics (sic, though the entrance does show the Red Skull). I visited Turn it Up! Records but forgot about another Phoenix Comics, being dehydrated and not having used the bathroom since this morning. I try to shoot around people but a biker said, "I hope you weren't taking pictures of me you f--king..." and then tried to knock me down with his bike before going on. In my tired state I don't know how I got the energy to dodge.
I went to a Shoppers Drug Mart on Centre St but drinks were too much. I did get a drink at a Safeway. I continued north and had dinner at a DQ. No public washroom there either. Continuing on I saw a cop pull a guy over. Tired and needing to use the bathroom since this morning, I ended the day early and returned to the hostel. Between that and the dehydration at times, I think that was partly why I didn't buy anything. My eyes just glazed over. So due to a lack of public washrooms even for fast food customers, as well as drinking fountains, they are probably losing tourist dollars due to people not being able to look after themselves well enough to shop properly.
There was also a free transit area downtown but I hadn't done a enough research to know the range.
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