Calgary’s downtown workers are all about efficiency. But balancing work with family, leisure and exercise time is not always easy. Appealing and easily accessible fitness facilities can help. Early morning training sessions, lunchtime yoga classes and happy-hour squash games are a few of the fitness activities available at these fit spots in the downtown core.
Few simple pleasures are as satisfying as spending an afternoon reading in a café. Calgary has dozens of such trendy, classic and laid-back cafes and here are some of our favourite spots to settle in with a book.
If the only hot chocolate you know is the grainy mix from a store-bought tin or the muck shot from arena vending machines, it’s time to venture into the cafés and chocolate shops of Calgary and treat your taste buds to a much more satisfying version of this decadent winter treat. Even if you do pride yourself on making a quality hot cocoa at home, you’re going to love the variety these hot beverage connoisseurs offer.
Besides being essential to the Canadian wardrobe, there’s just something about sweaters. They’re the one piece of clothing that wraps you in warmth and security, whether they’re gossamer-thin spring cardigans or cozy, chunky cable knits worn to keep out winter’s icy bite. They can also be casual or sophisticated. These are some of the sweetest spots in which to find sweaters.
Paired with a nice cup of coffee or topped with a scoop of ice cream, pie is unbeatable comfort food. And yet it faces stiff competition from cupcakes as the city’s dessert of choice. Well, pie is fighting back with old fashioned deliciousness as well as new and tantalizing flavours.
Forget old-school yoga, hot yoga is the newest trend in exercise, and you’ll find plenty of studio spaces where you can sweat it up in Calgary. Check out the studios listed here to help you find the perfect spot to enjoy a warmly invigorating exercise routine.
Moist chocolate cake layered with chocolate icing – it’s wonderful way to end a meal. While basic is beautiful, some restaurants get wild with the classic dessert recipe, adding mousse and chocolate ganache or further layers to the mix. Here’s a list of some of the best chocolate cake spots in town.
Grabbing dinner and a drink after a long day at work is a luxury that’s so much easier to justify when you can hit a value-priced happy hour. Here are some of the best places in the city that feature early evening deals for the budget conscious. Now that’s something to be happy about! Image credit: iStock.com/ultramarinfoto.
Brunch is a weekend dining ritual, and one that hungry Calgarians can’t get enough of. These restaurants are some of the city’s top brunch destinations, serving their own unique takes on eggs Benedict, belly-busting breakfast burritos, wild Western combo breakfasts as well as fancy French toast, far-out frittatas and much more. [Photo at The Nash by John Gaucher Images]
Whether you’re training to be a cocktail connoisseur, or just want to learn to make a great drink, here’s where to get everything you need from recipes and bitters to syrups and gadgets. [Image credit: iStock.com/LiliGraphie]