New York Times: 52 Places to Go in 2014. (#17 Calgary, Alberta) - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Mista_Incognito · 01-10-2014, 07:57 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...laceId=calgary

There are some pretty cool places on that list and I would love to visit. Calgary comes in at number 17 on the list. If I make it to two of these places this year I will be pretty happy.

Is Calgary really growing up culturally?

Maybe flood sympathy?

Blame the bridge?

What are your thoughts?

getbak · 01-10-2014, 08:01 PM

Oh no, artsy-fartsy Brooklyn hipsters will be coming to walk across the bridge. We'd better call in the latte reinforcements!

But seriously, it is pretty cool to be on a list like that, and not just for the wild party of Stampede.

worth · 01-10-2014, 08:02 PM

I should be in and or around at least 9 of the places on that this this year.

I doubt the NYT really knows anything about the flood, but yes, the city is growing up culturally. Still a long way to go, and it can be a lot better, but we've got a good start, especially for a city that is 139 years old. We're competing with cultural areas that have thousands of years of history.

Table 5 · 01-10-2014, 08:12 PM

Great to see us on this list.

Whether a bridge brings in tourists or not, or whether it means a city is more cultural, is up for debate. But it's exactly the type of thing that gets attention of outsiders...and just getting yourself noticed is half the battle of every tourist board in the world.

nik- · 01-10-2014, 08:26 PM

I think it's pretty safe to say the bridge doesn't bring tourists. I think it's also safe to say that it adds to the fabric of an already nice city to visit.

And it's hard to argue its aesthetics when it's in such a large number of pictures of downtown now. People obviously like it. Taste it Rick Bell.

Dion · 01-10-2014, 09:04 PM

Edmonton would probably be #1 on the list of places you don't want to visit.

Mista_Incognito · 01-10-2014, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Edmonton would probably be #1 on the list of places you don't want to visit.

Edmonton #1 Place to Wear Sweatpants

Bunk · 01-10-2014, 10:28 PM

The Peace Bridge has become a very important identifier for the city. It's a modern and interesting landmark for a city that (I believe) wants to be modern and interesting as a whole.

It maybe doesn't bring in people specifically to see it necessarily, but it definitely helps create an identity for the city that people are more interested in visiting (or moving to).

Bridge shows up in an amazing amount of tourism and promotion materials. Simple example is the Calgary Red Tag page.

http://www.redtag.ca/Deals/calgary.php

MrMastodonFarm · 01-10-2014, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunk

The Peace Bridge has become a very important identifier for the city. It's a modern and interesting landmark for a city that (I believe) wants to be modern and interesting as a whole.

It maybe doesn't bring in people specifically to see it necessarily, but it definitely helps create an identity for the city that people are more interested in visiting (or moving to).

Bridge shows up in an amazing amount of tourism and promotion materials. Simple example is the Calgary Red Tag page.

http://www.redtag.ca/Deals/calgary.php

Has the mayor changed his thoughts on the bridge to align more with what you've very accurately described?

I remember as the Bridge was about to be finished he had some very silly comments, brought up an art piece (or Museum?) in Minneapolis.

Daradon · 01-11-2014, 01:04 AM

Seems we're the only Canadian city on the list too. (Unless I missed one)

Kinda weird that while most of those places are cities, they did through in the occasional whole country or area. Scotland, Taiwan, Arctic Circle.

It's nice to see us being recognized as more cultural, I think I lot of us who have lived here a long time have noticed some great changes in the city the last ten years. Course, it comes with the bellyaching from the usual suspects of things like the 1% rule, but I think it's a good idea. A city is a living thing, and the more pride people have in their community, the better they treat it and others.

undercoverbrother · 01-11-2014, 07:20 AM

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-to-go-in-2014

Alberta listed at number 9

Table 5 · 01-11-2014, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik-

I think it's pretty safe to say the bridge doesn't bring tourists. I think it's also safe to say that it adds to the fabric of an already nice city to visit.

Let's be honest, very few people visit Calgary just to visit Calgary. They come here to go to the Rockies, visit family, come here on business etc.

But the city itself is not the destination.

The Peace Bridge isn't a magic bullet to change all that, however I do think that there is a tipping point where if you have enough of these types of attractions/interesting elements of a city, it does make a city the destination. I've gone out of my way to visit otherwise perfectly average cities (ie. Stuttgart, Modena) just because of a couple of key attractions (Porsche, Merc, Ferrari museums) that made it just interesting enough to go out of my way for.

And as Bunk touched on, I think it's also a positive for people who are considering moving to Calgary. Personally I don't think I would've been able to convince my wife (or myself!) to move here 10-15 years ago...it was just a little too conservative for us considering our fields of work. However to me, seeing things like the Peace Bridge (and the Bow, and all the other nice new projects/restaurants and things that make a city more interesting) being built signified a shift in mindset, and made me think of Calgary as more than what it was before. Enough so that we made the city our home.

It's funny to look back and wonder what the fuss was about for 20 million bucks (or whatever exact amount it was). I think in the big picture, it was an absolute no-brainer in terms of what it does for the city.

MrMastodonFarm · 01-11-2014, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

And as Bunk touched on, I think it's also a positive for people who are considering moving to Calgary. Personally I don't think I would've been able to convince my wife (or myself!) to move here 10-15 years ago...it was just a little too conservative for us considering our fields of work. However to me, seeing things like the Peace Bridge (and the Bow, and all the other nice new projects/restaurants and things that make a city more interesting) being built signified a shift in mindset, and made me think of Calgary as more than what it was before. Enough so that we made the city our home.
.

You've hit on why I really like Calgary and can't imagine myself anywhere else right now, I love watching and being apart of a city in transition.

jar_e · 01-11-2014, 11:55 AM

Great article on how they come up with the list.

http://skift.com/2014/01/10/how-the-...es-to-go-list/