June 5, 2006
Kensington - One of the Main Entertainment
Areas in Calgary
Calgary is currently experiencing a major boom and one of the most
dynamic and fastest growing cities in Canada. It is truly the gateway
to Canada's West. During a our trip this spring to Banff
and Lake Louise we had a chance to get to get a sneak peek at
Alberta's capital and one of the areas I explored is called Kensington,
a lively neighbourhood featuring a variety of restaurants, coffee
shops, bakeries and speciality retailers that has received awards
for its shopping opportunities over the last few years.
I had a brief stroll through this neighbourhood and a chance to
meet one of the local restaurant entrepreneurs, Kevin Nguyen from
Indochine Bistro,
who shared his interesting personal story and entrepreneurial background
with me. Here is Annie MacInnis from Visit
Kensington to tell us more about this historic neighbourhood
in Calgary:
1. Please give us a general overview of Calgary's Kensington
area, its location and its history. Please tell us about the Hillhurst
Sunnyside Community that surrounds Kensington.
Kensington, and the neighbourhood of Hillhurst-Sunnyside is one
of Calgary’s oldest neighbourhoods, datig from the early 1900s.
It has retained much of the small town flavour of those early days
and still goes by the moniker of “Village in the City.”
Just across the Louise Bridge from downtown is the intersection
of Kensington Road and 10th Street NW, the two main roads that comprise
the Kensington Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ).
Kensington is one of the most walker friendly neighbourhoods in
the city. Numerous bus routes, an LRT station, and bicycle pathways
all pass through Kensington. With reputably the most coffee shops
of any such area in the city, Kensington is a great spot to meet
friends and/or people watch on your coffee break.
Kensington is also easily reachable by car. In fact, from Toronto,
get on the Trans Canada Highway and head west. When you reach the
outskirts of Calgary watch for a sign reading 10th Street NW. Hang
a left. Kensington begins about five blocks south!
2 . Please tell us about the variety of culinary experiences that
are available in the Kensington Area.
Kensington boasts more than 50 coffee shops and tea houses, homemade
chocolates stores, a store that sells only cupcakes, delicatessens,
health food stores, bakeries, pubs and all manner of restaurants.
3. What types of services are available in the Kensington
Area?
You can get spa services, new glasses, dental work, get your bike
or your shoes repaired, furnish your house, buy your groceries,
get something special for the one you love, enjoy a hot drink or
something a little stronger, have a great meal, buy books, see a
movie, work out at one of several fitness clubs, buy trendy new
clothes, consign your old clothes, go to a hardware store, buy art
supplies, get a tattoo or an exotic piercing, get a custom made
t shirt or pillow, book a vacation and then relax over a delicious
meal, all in Kensington, all in walking distance of where you parked
your car or the nearest public transit stop.
4. What type of retail and shopping opportunities can be found in
the area?
Kensington has been
voted the Calgary Herald’s Reader’s Choice Gold Award
for Calgary favorite shopping district for the past five years.
Kensington offers an eclectic mix of shops ranging from coffee and
tea houses, a wide variety of restaurants, day spas, unique bookstores
and gift shops, a shop that sells only cupcakes, a shop that sells
old fashioned children’s toys, high end lingerie stores with
custom fittings, Bernard Callebaut chocolates, menswear, trendy
consignments stores, a hardware store that’s been in the neighbourhood
for generations, an old fashioned movie theatre with velvet seats
and much, much more.
5. There are also a number of nightlife opportunities in the Kensington
Area. Please tell us about those.
Kensington has a wonderful, diverse selection of restaurants ranging
from high end elegant dining through numerous ethnic choices to
excellent small casual dining. Kensington also boasts many good
bars and regular midnight film showings at the Plaza theatre.
6. Please tell us about the Sun & Salsa event.
Sun and Salsa is Kensington’s biggest annual event. On a Sunday
every July, Kensington plays host to at least 60,000 people who
wander the district sampling salsas made by local businesses.. While
indulging their taste buds, festival goers are entertained by live
Latin music at three sound stages placed throughout the district.
The streets are closed to traffic and filled with vendors, beer
gardens, salsa samples, families and dogs. There is a Miss Sun and
Salsa contest and prizes for most popular salsas. This annual event
held by the business community of Kensington is also a charity fundraiser
with the proceeds from the sale of salsa dipping chips donated to
a local charity.
7. What is "Christmas in Kensington"?
On every Saturday in December, Kensington transforms into a reasonable
facsimile of a snowglobe. With twinkling lights in trees and on
storefronts, strolling Edwardian carolers, elves handing out Christmas
wishes, candy canes and topping up parking meters, only Scrooge
would resist feeling Christmasy.
8. What is the "Kensington Bizarre Bikes & Bazaar"?
Bizarre Bikes and Bazaar is one our annual special events. Anyone
can decorate their bike and join in the Bicycle Parade. There is
also a display of Calgary’s most unusual bikes, a Bicycle
Trivia contest, slide shows, and a sidewalk sale.
9. What other special events are held throughout the year
in Kensington?
On the Saturday before Easter, local teenagers dressed as Easter
Bunnies walk the streets of Kensington handing out chocolate Easter
eggs and paying for shopper’s parking. On a Sunday in September,
Kensington has an
annual event called Poet’s Stroll. Throughout the day, poet’s,
bards and storytellers strut their stuff in bookstores, coffee shops,
and tea houses. This free event culminates in a grand finale performance
in the carpenter’s union hall that evening.
Thank you, Annie, for your overview of the Kensington area and
all the best for your many special events!
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Arrival in Calgary and our
whirlwind tour of the city
Discovering Canada Olympic Park,
one of Calgary's most visited attractions
Our fabulous dinner at Il Giardino's
and a connection with one of Calgary's most successful entrepreneurs
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Comfort, luxury and our celebrity
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Arrival in Banff & exploring
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Our first skiing experience: perfectly
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Exploring Canadian history: the
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A real adventure: dogsledding in
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An interview with Tourism Calgary:
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An interview with
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Useful Websites:
Tourism
Calgary
Tourism
Banff Lake Louise
Canada
Olympic Park
Ski the Big 3:
Banff, Lake Louise and Sunshine
Banff
National Park of Canada
Useful books about Calgary and the Canadian Rockies:
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