Calgary

Calgary’s downtown core rises over the Bow River, a rushing ice-blue vein that cuts through the prairies from the Rocky Mountains just visible on the western horizon. It’s a city with a unique character — a modern oasis between the foothills and the flatlands of Alberta. A juxtaposition of cosmopolitan urbanism and tradition, Calgary may be booming on oil and gas revenues, but it hasn’t lost its old-time frontier feel and spirit. Big business, boutique shops and cutting-edge restaurants thrive in the city’s downtown, Stephen Avenue and Kensington districts, yet people in the province’s largest metropolis still drive pickup trucks, swear by Alberta-raised beef and take the world-famous annual rodeo, the Calgary Stampede, very seriously.