How do I love thee?

Thanks to a link on CitiBlog, Ray has inspired me to write a similar piece on why I love Calgary and other things I associate with Calgary that aren't necessarily positive. *deep breath* Here goes:

My Calgary

volunteers...how Olympic Plaza resembles a miniature Rockefeller Centre skating rink in the winter...Wicked Wedge...private community manmade lakes...Uptown 17th Ave...community shuttles...Olympic Oval and speed skates...not just one, but TWO urban radio stations within 2 months...patiently awaiting Victor Choy's latest offering to the city's nightlife...Darr Maqbool

Burger Inn...Kensington village...Jarome Iginla (mmmm)...the demise of the Desperados group in the nightclub scene...the uprising of the Penny Lane group and how everything they touch is starting to exude that same Cowboys formula...bellinis at Cactus Club Cafe: Global Dining Lounge...C-Train service ending at 1:30am Monday through Saturday...The Greatest Show on Earth: the Calgary Stampede...C-Trains running 24 hours during Stampede week...Purr

the Alliance soundcrew...urban artists bypassing the city as a tour date up until last year...tension between Bishop Grandin High School and Lord Beaverbrook High School...the fact that the Calgary Tower is by far no longer the tallest building in the city...Peter's Drive-In...Phillip's Forbidden Flavours ice cream shop...campfire barbecues in Fish Creek Park...being on your guard while going through the Forest Lawn community...train transportation occurring at ground level; not underground like in New York and not way above ground like in Chicago...Expo Latino

Eau Claire Market...Prince's Island Park...catching a movie at Canyon Meadows for 3 or 5 dollars when it's still playing at Paramount Chinook for 13.00 or 8.50...Blue Light Special...Sky Bar and their recent salsa night on Thursdays...1988 Winter Olympics...Banff and the Rocky Mountains, a short drive away...the latest I can take a bus home on a Saturday night is 10:00pm...the earliest I can take a bus on a Sunday morning is 9:11am...the patio at Melrose Cafe

Cheesecake Cafe...the Greek Festival...Tabu at Twisted...Globe Theatre...Halloween Howler Club Crawl...the Rock at the University of Calgary...Higher Ground cafe...Bermuda Shorts Day...Carifest...the Arden diner

Tom Baker Cancer Centre...Alberta Children's Hospital...luge rides at Canada Olympic Park...Plus 15s...the bikeway/pathway network...A-Channel...Chinook Centre...Vicious Circle...hotdog vendors conveniently located outside the bars...since I can remember, our house has become considerably less south and more central as the city has expanded