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Calgary Stampede 2014
#26

Calgary Stampede 2014

Day 7

For one last time, I decided to hit up Nashville North and the Stampede grounds. I would say I got there at about 5:30 or so and danced with about 10+ girls. Not surprisingly, none of them would split with their groups and isolation was all but impossible (a common issue the whole week). I did see one dude with a walker actually roam around the dance floor and dance with women, though. Deserved plenty of respect for that.

Day 8

Deciding to abandon the grounds, I head over to the Cowboys tent and by 5 PM, it's already pretty populated. Similar situation as yesterday where there were plenty of girls, but escalation and isolation was not happening. It didn't help that the ubiquitous competition and orbiting were in full swing here. One notable thing that happened was me instantly realizing that a fight would break out between these two dudes just by observing them. I saw a few words, tugs, and then punches literally 5 seconds later followed by a swarm of guys going at each other and the vigilant Cowboys staff jumping in. No flag to be acquired today.

Day 9

It's my last day in town and I've got another bar crawl today. I head to Ranchman's for one last time, tired of drinking, and longing to be done with the week. The bus is semi-enjoyable but nothing crazy, as the hosts aren't nearly as engaging as they could be. The bus only ever hits up 3 out of the 4 places, but I do wind up staying for a while at the Cowboys club. I actually do get some makeouts with 2 girls, one of them being a 6 I would say. She evidently has interest but she's not leaving her friends. I eventually just leave and call it a night, as I have to head back east the next morning.


No story in my next post, but some final thoughts and logistical notes.
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#27

Calgary Stampede 2014

Verdict


Calgary is a nice city, but even for Stampede week, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to head there. The place requires some level of experience to do well, and even then it's really easy to be hampered by groups, competition, orbiters, and other random cockblocks. The city has a rather large population of white women compared to many other places I've been to, especially ones on the paler side. The quality is pretty variable, and I would say the women dress well for the most part. However, I didn't go around Calgary outside of downtown, uptown, and the Stampede grounds, so take that with a grain of salt. There is a large Asian population but they weren't noticeable outside of Chinatown or areas far from the heart of the city.

I can't speak for all ethnic minorities, but I wouldn't say that being black gave me much of an advantage here. I can't say anything about other ethnic groups, but I noticed the women definitely seemed to prefer white dudes a bit more. That didn't stop me from trying by any means, but that's something to keep in mind if you come here.

You'll find people from many parts of Canada here, but mostly from western provinces such as BC and Alberta. I did meet some people from Ontario and Newfoundland, as well as a lot of Australians who were working in Calgary for whatever reason. I only met three or so Americans other than myself, and I often got asked what I was doing in Calgary since not many Americans, especially easterners like myself, seemed to visit.

One thing I would certainly recommend is having a wing or some sort of connection. Almost everybody rolls in a group to Stampede events and bars/clubs, and it's a lot easier to open multiple people and possibly isolate with the right crew. One of the three most common questions I was asked was "Who am I with?" or some variation of it. The other two most popular ones were "What do I do?" and "What's your name?". I personally didn't find people that inclusive or overly receptive to meeting me. People here were a tinge friendlier than what I'm used to in the northeastern US, but nothing special.

If anything, this trip has helped me to dispel some myths about Canada, and while I'm glad I got to visit Calgary, I can't see myself there again anytime soon. If I had the option, I would rent a car and do trips to Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, along with any other points of interests. I never got the chance to hit up Banff park but I'd do it again with the right means/circumstances.

Also, if you come to Stampede week, be prepared to drink plenty since many people are quite drunk on some level. More on prices in another post.
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#28

Calgary Stampede 2014

Housing

As others have said in previous topics, you want to stay as close to the Stampede grounds as possible. The best places to stay in my opinion are downtown and the area around 17 Ave. SW called "Uptown". It's best to book this stuff a few months before, as the rates go up quite a bit for the week. I didn't spend more than $175 per night for my place, and there are certainly many options on AirBnB. You don't want to be too far west and have to depend on public transportation.

Transportation

Getting to Calgary isn't so bad if you're from the western US/Canada, since there are often direct flights to Calgary from some city in the region. Going from anywhere else requires some layover, and the most common one for an easterner would be Toronto since that airport has a lot of flights to Calgary every day.

Calgary airport is quite a bit north of the city center and one could drive there in about 10 minutes. There's a limited-stop bus from the airport (300) that will take you to the Calgary Tower downtown for $8.50. If you stayed outside of downtown, you'd probably have to take another bus though. One could also pay $50 for a cab, although I don't know where that would bring you.

Calgary public transportation is decent, but not great. There are several buses that go around the city, but they run every 15 minutes on peak periods, and stop running after 2:30 AM or so every day. The LRT trains run through downtown and by the Stampede grounds, as well as going to other parts of the city, but you'll probably have to find somewhere to even get to a station. The fare system is annoying at $3 ride with a system of paper transfers and tickets. Unfortunately, there's no weekly unlimited ticket, which I didn't like very much.

It wouldn't hurt to rent a vehicle, and this is especially helpful if you plan to hit up nearby parks or even Edmonton.

Food

There are plenty of dining options on 17 Ave. SW as well as 4 St. SW, not counting downtown. One can definitely expect to spend just under $10 on just food from a smaller establishment. The malls along Stephen Ave. (8 Ave. SW) have food courts and there are plenty of places along that strip itself. If you like burgers, you'll have a field day in Calgary since Alberta is known for its beef. I never went to any high-end places for dining, but in a city like this, I'm sure there's no shortage of them.

Safety

I found downtown and uptown pretty safe at night. There are enough areas where it was pretty damn silent, though. Definitely be a little attention at least.

One thing that also happens just about every night is the appearance of these random people playing music on the street. This is typically along 17 Ave. or near the Victoria Stampede station.

Stampede specifics

Your main points of interests during the week will be the grounds and outside establishments. The grounds are set up with a carnival as well as an 18+ tent known as "Nashville North". On weekends, lineups for this and other places start in the day, and on weekdays, expect to see people in the evening (think 5 or 6 PM). Entry to the grounds was $16 this year, and covers typically range from $20-40 anywhere else. Drinks average about $7.50 or so, and many people either pregame or sneak a bottle of some alcoholic drink for the lines. The airport has some duty-free shops, and it worked well for me. Figure out how much you're actually going to drink that week.

Another popular thing that people do is bar crawls. You essentially meet at a place, chill for a bit, and then go with other random people on a bus to three other establishments. They last about 6 hours and the two most common ones I saw were "Bust Loose" and "Student Tours". I did the former and didn't find it too bad. You can easily ditch the bus at any point on the tour and essentially get free entry to a location, which may not be a bad idea if you want to isolate a girl or leave a group with thin prospects. I found the tours to be nice, but nothing overly crazy.

One thing I would highly recommend is having a solid ID. Being one of the few American easterners in Calgary, many of the bouncers didn't trust my state ID, and I had to use my passport. I wouldn't recommend carrying around a passport, so be sure to have something that's a powerful identifier. The drinking age in Alberta is 18.

Locations

These are the places in went to at least once during Stampede.

Cowboy's

Probably the most popular place during the whole week. The actual complex is part of a casino in which there is a club (which is not bad itself); but the main party will be inside the tent that exists only during the week. The area is huge with multiple points for drink purchase and even food. The best talent I saw was here, but there's also a bit of a mean vibe here as this place gets a lot of out-of-towners and people with a bit of a mean streak. In my two times in the tent, I saw multiple fights as well as cops and security rushing to spots on one occasion. This place does bring in 50 Cent every year apparently, and Snoop Dogg also had a concert that I didn't go to.

Ranchman's

This is a bar that is located a good way south of downtown Calgary, but is reachable by the LRT train. It's got multiple bar spots and a respectable dance floor. I actually liked this place a lot since it had a good crowd, some talent, and was actually pretty fun. The main downside of this place is that it's far, and if you stay too late, you're essentially stuck taking a taxi back to wherever you came from.

Ship and Anchor

This is along 17 Ave. SW but it's not a place I would recommend as a prime destination, per se. It's a good bar that attracts a very local crowd, but I would only recommend it as a place to take a girl or have good quality beer. This place got decent crowds almost every night and was able to show World Cup games, which made it a prime destination on those days.

Nashville North

This is the tent inside the Stampede grounds. They always have live performers and the people here are inclined toward the country music scene. There is a mix of age groups here, but don't expect to hear anything other than country music and see anything other than two-stepping. Two-stepping you say? That's another topic altogether but I'd recommend having some basic knowledge of that dance style, or just learn it from some girl.

Marquee

Similar to Ranchman's except with a larger dance floor. I was never here in the night, so I can't say too much about it. It was decent on the bar crawl days, but it's a bit off the beaten path.

Roadhouse

I wouldn't bother with this place. It didn't seem that active when I was there, but if you're downtown it wouldn't hurt to give it a look.
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