Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger
Good question. Depends on how often I have to go to work. The less often I need to go to the office, the further away I'm ok being. Except I don't know the answer to that yet.
I'd say Marda Loop is a perfectly fine location but slightly more central would be preferred. Maybe. I'm not sure. Is right downtown better?
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It all really depends on what you're looking for.
What you'll get in Marda Loop is a complete community that is a lot less sketchy than some parts of downtown. There's also a Safeway, Blush Lane and Shoppers Drug Mart with plans to build a Co-op in the future. If you're into coffee, it also feels like the unofficial coffee district of Calgary. It has ample park space and good transportation options - bike paths, roads, BRT close by. It's also extremely easy to get to places outside of downtown. Chinook centre is an 8 minute drive, kensington is 7 minutes away, 17th ave is 5 minutes away, Westhills and Deerfoot Meadows are both a 10 minute drive. The restaurant and pub scene is decent and improving. If you're a single, straight male, there's also a good number of weirdly friendly women in their 30s here. In fact, everyone is weirdly friendly in Marda Loop.
With that said, out of all the inner city neighborhoods, Marda Loop is probably the least "happening". It does feel kind of suburb-y and is a bit sleepy after 9. There's also a lot of losers that drive around in the summer in their Harley Davidson bikes making as much noise as possible. So it gets incredibly annoying. Though the restaurant scene is improving, I can't think of any one restaurant in the area that is that great. It's all decent, but nothing to write home about. Finally, yes the transportation options are good, but the lack of a CTrain station makes getting downtown a bit of a drag. The BRT has improved things, but waiting outside for your bus at 5 pm when it's -30 outside is painful. Mind you, I can't imagine that walk being much better to the belt line for example.