Trip to Canda: need some help

[BluesFan67]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Depends what your definition of "inconvenience" is . If you want to drive from Calgary to Vancouver to Edmonton you are looking at at least 24 hours of driving. March isn't exactly springtime around here either so there might be snow in them thar hills. You might compare it to driving from St.Louis to Denver and then to Indianapolis.

A junior hockey game in a small town (Red Deer, for example) is a pretty cool thing for a hockey fan.

I'll bet. Sounds pretty good to me but my buddy isn't too keen on skipping out on that Nucks/Blues game. So I don't know what we'll end up doing.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by fotze

Is that the hostel that is in the "East Village"? If so avoid that place, the absolute rectum of Calgary.

The hostel isnt bad and it is only 1 block into the east village. I mean we're not exactly in Kansas anymore but it is still quite tame. Especially to Saint Lou. SO bluesfan67 I would still check it out as it is cheap downtown accomodation and hihostels are very nice and maintain a high standard (or at least you know what you are getting).

[4X4]

That's alot of driving, but since there's three of you....... I'd say do it.

As for the idea of skipping vancouver, if you did, there's plenty of spring skiing and snowboarding close to calgary to enjoy.

My opinion is that if you're going to skip one of the games, skip edmonton. Driving from calgary to van to edm in less than a week is no vacation. And skipping vancouver would be a minor tragedy (especially to go to edmonton instead).

I'm sure that this post is going to raise the ire of some, but let me explain that I'm not dissing edmonton. Edmonton and Calgary are just so similar whereas vancouver is a totally different experience (especially for a guy from st. loo. Hell, you already live on the prairies, you really wanna see two more prairie towns at the expense of one coastal town?).

As much as calgarians love to dis van, it really is a beautiful place. Edm is not much different from calgary.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

4x4 makes a good point, to an outsider Calgary and Edmonton are going to be identical compared to Van

[Hack&Lube]

Yes, I agree, do Vancouver/Calgary and skip Edmonton.

[RedDeerFan]

Don't come to Red Deer. I live here, it's a dump, and the WHL is no where near NHL calibre hockey.

First you have to ask yourself, are you coming solely for hockey or some entertainment as well?

If it's not only hockey, then come in the summer time where you can also tour Banff/Jasper.

Ignore some of the posts to skip Edmonton. If you're skipping anything, you should be skipping Calgary as there really isn't much to do in the winter time. Edmonton is pretty much the same, but at least you can check out West Edmonton Mall, which is Alberta's number one tourist attraction. I'm sure you'll have a blast there. www.westedmontonmall.com
If you decide to come to Calgary, check out Calgary tower and the Olympic park. Both cities are much more attractive for tourists in the summer though.

Personally, if you're spending all that money, I'd go to all 3 cities. www.aircanada.ca cheap flights, and contrary to what people will say, it's a decent airline, and cheaper than Westjet. Fly, don't take the train (only route is between Edmonton and Vancouver) and you'll save time.

Like I mentioned, if you're coming mainly for hockey, then go to both Edmonton and Calgary. If you want some fun as well, add in Vancouver. You live life only once. At the end of your life, it won't really matter if you saved $100-$200. If hockey isn't your main priority, come in the summer (July) and tour all 3 Western Canadian cities as well as the Rockies

Tickets - buy them online the day they are released. ebay.ca won't have EXCESSIVE prices in both Edmonton and Calgary, maybe 15-25 dollars above face value. TNTtickets.ca for the Oilers is another option, though they overcharge more...

Enjoy your trip.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by RedDeerFan

Edmonton is pretty much the same, but at least you can check out West Edmonton Mall, which is Alberta's number one tourist attraction. I'm sure you'll have a blast there. www.westedmontonmall.com

I heard it even has a FCUK store!

[FlamesAddiction]

Hopefully you get some nice weather. March can be a real wild card month. You could get nice warm spring weather in Alberta, or you might get snow and cold. Vancouver will either be torrential rain, or it could be nice.

[Ducay]

Not sure if its been obviously pointed out, but Calgary and Edmonton are on the praries, while Vancouver is on the other side of the Rockies....

I hate to diss my city, but Id suggest coming here another time. If you do. Definatly fly to Calgary, then drive to Banff and then to Jasper and finally arrive at Edmt for the 2nd game.

If you are willing to pay to fly to vancouver, then by all means do it. It is a gorgeous city (I hate giving them compliments) but it really is. Its a massive change from Calgary and probably even more than St. Louis

[Sparks]

Edmonton is pretty much the same, but at least you can check out West Edmonton Mall, which is Alberta's number one tourist attraction. I'm sure you'll have a blast there. www.westedmontonmall.com

Please don't go to West Ed. Please. It's not worth your time - it's just a big mall. There isn't anything exciting about it, unless you like big ugly malls.

On the other hand, if you can go to Vancouver, don't miss it. Seriously.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Keep checking the flights. They should get cheaper. I usually fly to Van for about $250 return including tax.

I would think you can get both of you flights for under $300 Canadian including tax if you wait until they go on sale.

Also, check both Air Canada and Westjet. I agree about the Westjet bias. People often miss out on cheaper flights because they only consider Westjet. AC has poorer service, but on a 1 hour flight who really cares? go where the good prices are.

[RedDeerFan]

Originally Posted by Sparks

Please don't go to West Ed. Please. It's not worth your time - it's just a big mall. There isn't anything exciting about it, unless you like big ugly malls.

On the other hand, if you can go to Vancouver, don't miss it. Seriously.

WHy would you say that? Tourists love the mall. The novelty wears down if you frequent the mall more often, but for the first few times you go there, it's a real cool place.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by RedDeerFan

WHy would you say that? Tourists love the mall. The novelty wears down if you frequent the mall more often, but for the first few times you go there, it's a real cool place.

What exactly about it do people love? The dead dolphins? The bad 80's gold trim? The 3 Gap stores? The roach-bath known as the waterpark? WEM is a cesspool of gaudy crap....there is nothing there you can't get in any other city in a smaller, nicer looking, package.

Edmonton has many nice ammenities...but WEM is not one of them.

[Resolute 14]

Agreed. There are much, much better places to go in Edmonton than the mall. Check out the legislature. Check out the River Valley. There's probably an overrated festival or two going on at that time. All of which are much more entertaining than a mall that simply has two of everything every other mall has.

[RedDeerFan]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Agreed. There are much, much better places to go in Edmonton than the mall. Check out the legislature. Check out the River Valley. There's probably an overrated festival or two going on at that time. All of which are much more entertaining than a mall that simply has two of everything every other mall has.

Apparently tourists don't agree with you. There must be something that makes it Alberta's number one tourist attraction.

The Legislature in March? Save it for the summer. River Valley? Much more appealing in the summer. Festivals? Almost all of them are in the summer. West Edmonton Mall is year round, and has plenty of things to do for a day.

Everytime a friend or family come to Alberta, I have to drive them north because they want to see West Edmonton Mall. Let's give him some honest advice guys, instead of letting our emotions of the rivalry get in the way of the opinion.

[Reggie Dunlop]

West Edmonton Mall is an architectural eyesore and a chain store celebration of the culturally banal. It has all but sucked the life out of the city -- as a result, Edmonton is bereft of the sort of quaint, funky shopping districts found in cities its size and larger.

That it's touted as a "tourist attraction" no doubt speaks to the unsophistated nature of the out-of-towners it attracts. It evokes all the charm of the era in which it was concieved: Shag carpet, Avocado-hued kitchen appliances and bad '70s Norman Lear spin-off sitcoms.

There is absolutely nothing to recommend contained upon its premises. It is an abomination.

[RedDeerFan]

Originally Posted by fotze

Yes they may get the tourists because their families tell them it is good. If you grew up in a small town like Tilley or small-town saskatchewan the mall may be cool, if you are from a city like St. Louis, the mall will most definately not be cool. Let's be honest, they have barely updated the thing. I thought it was pretty cool when I was in junior high school, but when I went back a couple years ago it was terrible and my wife who grew up in Europe and likes shopping hated it much more than I did.

Same mall. Which is exactly my point. A tourist will not go over and over again. For the first time, he'll likely enjoy himself.

How are you to judge whether someone from St. Louis will enjoy it or not? I've had friends and family from Toronto and San Jose enjoy their time in that mall.

Originally Posted by fotze

The waterpark is a pretty good one IIRC. Let's be honest and not let one's personal preference get in the way of some good advice.

I rarely go there, but everytime a friend or family comes from out of town, that's where we end up going because they want to check it out. They usually have fun. Speaking from experience, rather than preference. It is the number 1 tourist attraction for a reason in Alberta.

What else can the guy do in Alberta, besides hockey games in March? Our province's toursim industry is the strongest in the summer. If he's coming to Alberta, he might as well check out West Edmonton Mall and make a judgement for himself.

Personally, I'd recommend coming in the summer and checking out the Rockies, but that all has to do with whether he/she wants to watch a hockey game, or just for a trip and entertainment

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by RedDeerFan

Everytime a friend or family come to Alberta, I have to drive them north because they want to see West Edmonton Mall. Let's give him some honest advice guys, instead of letting our emotions of the rivalry get in the way of the opinion.

Don't be a hypocrite. When you register here simply to say "Avoid Calgary, go to the mall instead", you arent exactly playing neutral party either.

And if we are going to be truthfully honest about what to do in Alberta, visiting Banff/Jasper, the Royal Tyrell Museum, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, etc would be far, far, far better suggestions to make than to go to WEM.

Regardless, This is evidently a hockey trip for BluesFan67. If his goal is to watch hockey in the Canadian Prairies, then yes, a Rebels game would be better than visiting the Mall.

Besides, it isn't like these are mutually exclusive goals. The Blues game in Calgary is on the 12th, the game in Edmonton is the 17th. If he goes to Vancouver, he wont have time for anything but the games. If he skips Vancouver, he has five days to explore Calgary, Edmonton, go to a WHL game if he so chooses, and spend an hour in the mall if he so chooses.

[RedDeerFan]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Don't be a hypocrite. When you register here simply to say "Avoid Calgary, go to the mall instead", you arent exactly playing neutral party either.

I lived in Calgary, thank you very much. I registered to let him know that there's absolutely nothing to do in Red Deer. Sure, I have a split season ticket holder for the Rebels, but I'm not going to kid myself and recommend an out of town tourist to come here just to watch junior hockey when he can rather go to the best of the Western Canadian Cities (vancouver)

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

And if we are going to be truthfully honest about what to do in Alberta, visiting Banff/Jasper, the Royal Tyrell Museum, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, etc would be far, far, far better suggestions to make than to go to WEM.

Different preferences for different people. Not everyone likes Royal Tyrell Museum, although it's kind of cool. Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump is still a lengthy drive. I already recommended Jasper/Banff, but March isn't the best time to visit.

Based on personal experiences, people usually have fun at the mall on their first time. I imagine if he were to ask for advice on what to do in Minnesota, the locals would recommend The Mall of America.

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Regardless, This is evidently a hockey trip for BluesFan67. If his goal is to watch hockey in the Canadian Prairies, then yes, a Rebels game would be better than visiting the Mall.

Is it exclusively just a hockey trip? Must have missed that.

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Besides, it isn't like these are mutually exclusive goals. The Blues game in Calgary is on the 12th, the game in Edmonton is the 17th. If he goes to Vancouver, he wont have time for anything but the games.

Vancouver is an hour's flight. Hardly not ''have time for anything but the games''

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

If he skips Vancouver, he has five days to explore Calgary, Edmonton, go to a WHL game if he so chooses, and spend an hour in the mall if he so chooses.

And do what in Calgary or Edmonton? Sure he can go to chinatown, the tower, olympic park, the legislature, river valley in the 2 cities, but from a tourist perspective, if he wants to explore, Vancouver has the better entertainment and tourist options, and if he's a young guy, definitely better night life options in Vancouver.

If he's coming only to Alberta, I suggest checking out the West Edmonton Mall, and it will take more a good 7-10 hours, if not more, for a first time visitor who is willing to spend some money. The Waterpark alone should take 3-4 hours.

[Jagger]

Wow. RedDeerFan. Nice to dump on your city like that. Red Deer is a fine city. However, I do agree that there is not much to do here for a tourist. It is hardly a dump though. Ever get out on the trails around here?

He wouldn't have to spend much time here anyway. He could take in the WHL game which is good hockey, even if nowhere near NHL calibre. The Blues have a number of players that played dub hockey so it is relevant. The drive to Edm or Cal is only 90 minutes and there are lot's to see and do in both cities.

I thought that Snakeeye's idea was a really good one.