Calgary

September 18 & 19, 2024

Flight UA 1132 from LAX to YCC (Calgary)

Earlier in the year, we did a Rocky Mountaineer trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip but it was too short, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time at any one stop.  After seeing the area, I wanted to spend more time exploring the area; I wanted to see Lake Louise when it wasn’t frozen and I wanted to see Banff and the surrounding areas.  I booked an evening flight to Calgary where I would spend the night and would drive to Kananaskis the following day where we would spend the week.

The flight from Los Angeles was a just under three hours, it wasn’t a full flight and we got upgraded to first class.  I loved the extra room and although it sounds real nice, it was an older plane with the small DirecTV screen and ashtrays that were screwed shut.  Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that I got upgraded but I was wishing the plane had been updated.

We arrived Calgary and spent the night at the airport Marriot Courtyard before heading to Kananaskis.  I was looking for a place to eat when I came across Cluck n Cleaver which served fried and rotisserie chicken.   When I puled up the website I immediately recognized Nicole Gomes.  She was on Top Chef World All-Stars and had won Top Chef Canada. Sophon loves fried chicken, I knew he would want to check this restaurant out.

We went and we both loved it. Sophon thought it was the fried chicken he has had.  I was a bit surprised with Nicole’s culinary background that the restaurant wasn’t a bit more upscale but I reminded myself that the contestants on Top Chef don’t always have fine dinning establishments and we both enjoyed our lunch!

As we drove out of Calgary, I found myself thinking that I should come back and spend some time in Calgary.  It is a pretty city and it is much bigger than I thought it was.   When I looked it up, it said that the population was 1.3 million.  As we drove out of Calgary we saw the Olympic ski jumps.   Later, I looked up the year that Calgary hosted the Olympics and felt old. It was 1988 and I remember watching those Olympics!