Choosing Urban is about Calgary’s downtown experience.
Downtown is unique, downtown is where it all comes together. What do it’s citizen’s value? What is the local culinary scene like? Where can I see local artists, performers and authors? Where can I support local clothing designers? Where can I see my cities history, what came before, why are things the way they are? Our downtown is rich with variety and expresses what makes our city great.
My family has chosen to live downtown, we wouldn’t have it any other way. This is our preferred location, and lifestyle. We simply didn’t find the suburbs to be appealing, they didn’t reflect what’s important to us. Everyday this means walking to our favorite places, playing at the park, stopping for a coffee and dining out. We can’t imagine being anywhere else, we have no ambition to leave, this is ideal for us.
We’ve heard the stories that downtown is noisy, and yes it is. We’ve been told that there’s so many people, and there sure is. Also it comes up surprisingly often that parking is terrible, we wouldn’t know we walk everywhere. Our home isn’t large, but it perfectly reflects us. We have one car, and don’t want a lifestyle that would require two. We keep our life focused on downtown, for diversity, for convenience and for enjoyment.
Here on Choosing Urban I’m going to share what we love about downtown. The new places we go no one’s heard of, and the ones everyone has. The spaces in our city we consider better than a backyard and even the attractions that take us out of downtown. Perhaps you prefer to live in the suburbs, then I welcome you to see the city through our urban eyes. Perhaps you too live downtown, then I hope to show you something you’ve missed.
We’ve chosen downtown and these are our stories.
I’ve lived in Calgary since September of 1999. I’ve loved the city’s downtown since I arrived and have wanted to share my experience with people but lacked a method. While there are lots of ways to find out about things going on in the city. I still feel that things slip under people’s radar. I hope my site can be another way to learn what’s happening. This is my first real website, and I don’t claim to be much of a writer, or know what I’m doing. Just someone with enthusiasm for Calgary.
As I begin Choosing Urban I have all kinds of ideas. However if you have a suggestion or feedback, particularly of a constructive nature please contact me. All pages here are a work in progress, nothing is set in stone. I expect the tone and angle of the site to change over time. All opinions are only my own.
If I’ve posted a factual mistake, or a picture with some soft of a problem in it please contact me for correction.
garygeyer@choosingurban.com