[Igottago]

Originally Posted by indierockorgy

BUT, and it's a big BUT, we have a lot of vibrant little corners of Calgary, and if you're willing to suck it up and put up with that 35 minute transit ride more often, and do some exploring, you'll find that Calgary offers a hell of a lot to do. What is lacking is a certain sort of vibrant atmosphere, but that's mostly forgotten once you find some of the city's hidden little gems. So go for walks (I'm now addressing anyone who thinks Calgary is dull, not the troll OP), explore, try coffee shops, bars, clubs, music venues, little art galleries, restaurants etc. you haven't been to. I like to think that we've got something here, but we just gotta get it to cohere.

This is very true. If you make an effort to escape the urban sprawl Calgary offers pretty much anything a larger "more cultured" city would, albeit on a smaller scale. You can even see it with things like Sled Island festival (a good indie music festival that has gained some popularity the last few years), the Calgary folk fest (almost always has a good line up), amongst many other events. Calgary feels like a place where people are going to make things happen, rather than bigger cities who apparently already have that stuff and people are more cynical about it. There's something about pioneering that cultured side of a city that I think can be exciting. A city's identity is based on the people that live in it. As long as people are coming here for the opportunities and the generally good lifestyle, they will bring their tastes with them. Calgary is getting there, and its more there than people like to give it credit for. If you want to experience it get the heck out of the burbs for once and try something new.