Love Letter to Calgary

My interest in Calgary began in 1989 when I was born a Calgarian; no move required besides the drive home from the hospital. Being raised in and around the equine community has instated in me a true understanding of the western heritage our city is connected to. I feel strongly about protecting the authentic Western culture that does exist here and support more exposure of the real modern West and the history that it is built on, what that looks like, and what that means.

In part, it means that many are up before daybreak; we work hard and we play hard, we take things in stride and can be unwavering even in the face adverse challenges. In my opinion, Calgary has its flaws as every place does but it also holds its magical and worthwhile spots. Not many know but the official motto of our great city is “onward,” and I do believe we serve that motto appropriately as we have an abundance of motivated, driven, and inspired individuals living in Calgary, especially for our size. We are always looking to improve, innovate, and succeed.

Now that I am living in the core, from time to time I hear others say that culturally our group lacks and while there may be some areas that need a bit of attention and rework I believe it has been coming around for us in a big way through the recent years. I am loving the direction our walkable inner-city communities are going such as Kensington, 17th Avenue, and Inglewood or music mile as it is being known. More cool shops, more live shows, more reasons to get out of the house. The food and drink scene continues to knock it out of the park, which is great and we are very lucky to have the establishments we do. The festivals and events we hold are great and will hopefully only become more popular. I find there is always something to do in Calgary even when your eyes freeze over from just looking outside, and if you don’t agree you must not be looking hard enough! If all else fails, go bowling dude!

These are some of the reasons I remain in Calgary, I believe it is a great place to live and grow. Tough times could be in the forefront of thought right now but it will pass as it always does and we’ll rise stronger than before. If ya’ll haven’t gotten out there for a little exploration and experience you must plan a weekend out of the house during your favorite season with family, friends, or just a solo expedition, you won't be disappointed! The state of Texas has a saying, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!” I am confident Alberta and Calgary, in particular, could adopt a similar adage soon enough ; )

All the best to you, Calgary.

Dylan K. Callaghan
www.stocktrades.ca

Motivated entrepreneur, part time artist. YYC born and raised, exploring the core and the many fantastic neighbourhoods in our great city. Surrounded by the people and places of the equine industry and the arts community for most of my life. Spent some time on the outskirts of town but now loving the inner city living.