Calgary , General info:
9/10

Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary is well-known as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of major mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area. Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on the petroleum industry; however, agriculture, tourism, and high-tech industries also contribute to the city's fast economic growth. Calgary holds many major annual festivals.

Calgary , Cheap stuff:
9/10

Hard to find anything cheap.

Calgary , Different stuff:
9/10

With approximately 635 km of pathways and 260 km of on-street bikeways within its boundaries, The City of Calgary boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America. Downtown, there are many pathways along the rivers and park areas.

Calgary , Don't miss:
9/10

Eau Claire/Festival District: A mix of riverside condominiums, unique shopping, restaurants, hotels, and urban parkland make Eau Claire and the Festival District among Calgary's liveliest urban districts. In the summer, the Festival District can be found crowded with people enjoying the sights and sounds of Eau Claire Festival Market, one of the areas many pubs and restaurants, or a weekend festival.

Calgary , Food:
8/10

Calgary offers a wide variety of dining options. While Calgary doesn't have a single signature dish, residents are very proud of Alberta Beef.The popular Chinese-Canadian dish of ginger beef was invented in Calgary in the 1970s. Calgary is also home to a very culturally diverse population, with a very wide selection of international restaurants, especially from East and Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean from Italy through Lebanon. Calgary is, however, generally lacking in decent Mexican food, and the inland location means that a good meal of seafood is sometimes hard to find.

Calgary , Hotels:
10/10

With more than 11,100 accommodation rooms, Calgary and beyond offers the vacation and business traveler exceptional service, comfort and legendary western hospitality. World-class hotels, unique and historic bed and breakfasts, heritage homes, inns, cabins/chalets and resorts or a family-oriented facility complete with waterslides, children’s programs and adventure nearby.

Calgary , Safety:
9/10

Although Calgary is generally a very safe place, walking at night should be avoided in the East Village and Victoria Park areas of downtown (generally speaking, this is the area adjacent to the Stampede Grounds and north to the Bow River). However, Calgary is safe by western Canadian standards and by US standards, Calgary is inestimably safe. Calgary's 2005 murder rate of 2 murders per 100,000 inhabitants was, for example, less than one-tenth the murder rate of Chicago and one-twentieth that of Baltimore. Crime should be the least of visitors' concerns, but always keep your wits about you when the bars close, regardless of the area of town.

Take care when crossing LRT tracks, as the trains are large, silent, fast and deadly.

Edmonton , General info:
8/10

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies. It is the second largest city in Alberta after Calgary, and is the hub of Canada's sixth largest census metropolitan area, with a metropolitan population of 1,034,945, making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million. At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal. Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in North America, about 9.4% that of New York City. A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.

Edmonton , Cheap stuff:
8/10

Edmonton serves as the northern anchor of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (one of four regions that together comprise 50% of Canada's population) and is a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories.

Edmonton , Different stuff:
10/10

Edmonton is the most northerly major city in North America. At the summer solstice, Edmonton receives seventeen hours and six minutes of daylight, with twilight extending well beyond that. Edmonton receives 2,289 hours of sunshine per year, and is one of Canada's sunniest cities.

Edmonton , Don't miss:
9/10

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which takes place in mid-August, is the largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world. More than 1500 performers take part in the festival each year. In 2006, over 77,000 tickets were sold to indoor shows, and over 500,000 people visited the festival site.