CALGARY

Al was here: on August 2, 2017.
Recommended number of days: one, if it was recommended.
My score: 1/5.

Let’s see how I say it without hurting sensibilities. Calgary did not seem like an unpleasant, noisy, chaotic, dirty or insecure city. On the contrary, it is one of the quietest Canadian cities that I have visited (maybe too quiet), and it is very likely that it is even a pleasant place to live. If I do not recommend it today, it’s because being one of many similar cities (Toronto, Seattle, Auckland, etc…), with its park, its half-eighties half-glass skyscrapers and its tall and ugly concrete tower, Calgary is in my opinion, the one that has least to contribute. On the other hand, it is the gateway to the Canadian Rockies, one of the wonders of nature and totally recommendable, so it might seem difficult not to have to spend at least one night in the city, but it is not true; the magnificent Canadian infrastructure allows us to land at its airport, pick up our rental car, spend a fantastic week in the mountains, go back to the airport to return the car and continue our journey taking a new flight to another place, without looking back.

Calgary is a city in full development. The buoyant economy of Alberta, thanks to its natural resources and its proximity to the Rockies, is leading to considerable improvements. It would not be surprising that in a few years it has become one of the capitals on fashion, but at the date of 2017-2018 it is not exactly an essential destination. Even so, those who wish to give it a chance, as I did, will be welcomed with open arms by their kind citizens, eager to promote tourism and the good image of their city, and although not memorable, the experience will not be unpleasant at all.