![I abused camera filters when I was 12 🤣](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMedIEYs5CdRLfjyseVNarO1qojaSeRi3sAkPxIjUSjqxxvTj2CT0f1LvPTqL3vtm-xJULN_bWDQct8YxRNU_a58qd-e6sYQSxtHrst--Qyj6kJ15ij21kWNXdGOW-KKp_Ax1eAJNZt73YgvzZPouMppw=w1146-h1528-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

"Sometimes It Snows in April" - Prince

Very cold and dry, it is not Toronto and not Vancouver, but good hockey, were my immediate first impressions of Calgary. At the time, I have never been more glad to be from California and have perfect weather in late April. 


 ![The day before the blizzard.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOlk3eyWKXTbmxbgwLoiAwoXuXKUcEBdZVIXIYKxNQGRStSBgNimyJd5bXTHi-wfciawzSTPSQLEPx4dZ2wItyaq2YvPwl2CeMyelVGywWqYln3l3HasqftTUCDl1Z__hKcv1ccx8DLJbvYSbKyk-C8Lg=w442-h588-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

Every building in Calgary is taller than Calgary, which is pretty sad, but I guess in sense, gives the city character. 

 ![Somehow managed to make Calgary Tower look tall here, but then again I was like 4'7" (143 cm) at the time. (not that it matters now 😂)](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczM8xCY0oGkkkjlqHQPJkC6OkyExHb-gYR8kxE-v1yPKdpFZTGLH2Om1cTUxXmktanwarYtowxaPhZWjCGG05tAYxuaqv5J4eHxgyK71dHo1QA4wK4ELiZ3lXGaaEy-Mm_CEeFdhALIdIXYI-6k_7NFNLw=w442-h588-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

I was too young and busy playing hockey to really understand and get a feel for Calgary as a city, but the one day I spent downtown, I thought it was a pretty enjoyable. I would not necessarily want to live here (or root for the Flames).

This may sound disrespectful, but I believe Calgary is the definition of a "layover city". I never had a desire to travel back other than visiting and skating on a frozen Banff lake during the winter. You could probably explore all of Calgary in under 24 hours. I see why Tate McRae got out of there. That's my 12-year-old self and Toronto bias talking, but I still feel the same way.

Here are some photos I took of the skyline at the top of Calgary tower.

 ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO62iRgUYE0Yn9F_Xjj7WKA2f60xFTQMagYmpNOQexUKD-g3RAIKsEDekI1WmkBdUEQqLjwlUELgNJCeRRiXYDVb-bnXom8FXo-6vhfJdu0gAfbQk84IwZAdXTbeXKWU3WKIZuCuXPeYXD5ZbWqiLrfDw=w442-h588-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

![Still the lowest glass floor I stepped on.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOiEBzvgkmpM50oHEri2M3ZLQR2nyzBeyTEn-Gmr5Fh3IiC12RSs9rLnNRgZ7EVoAnIUTNTWq-9EiKLNK-_o85wdrGIN32bqQ6pBehhzrwII9hkd1uLEZ5RIGS8gBBNz1pDhKhE4Pt-KD56TnJKX0gbSQ=w442-h588-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNTDt8_HRvpbgkKQNe5CmQzjtNrONBW-aJ0pYoCnPZutVbz1c056Ql088bZAAnvvd-9OFTbCQDTYsYCE7Ps79qP8IqThA5H5nJi0NN9W3AZMBvFjFt9oxPSa726jGkXAyPgnp4YeiR_3NFzD_NEiRZ85Q=w442-h588-s-no-gm?authuser=0)

Maybe I am too harsh on Calgary, and might need to visit again to have a better opinion.