I’ve lived in Calgary my entire life. Same neighbourhood, same street, same house. The furthest I’ve ever
moved is into what used to be our guest room. As a result of this, I have (regrettably) become so used to the idea of the little Calgary that I know that I often forget that there’s so much to explore in this city than I give it credit. I heard a report on the radio a few weeks ago that said that Calgary was voted one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit this summer and I though to myself, “Are you serious? Calgary’s ranked above major world cities like Amsterdam? Whoever made this list must be seriously biased.”
Soon after hearing that report, I had a change of heart, and not in the way that I would probably have expected. A friend of mine from Nova Scotia came to visit for a week and he had never been here before. It fell on me to come up with things to do and places to see, something that seemed like a fairly daunting task at the beginning. Once we got to talking and my parents joined the conversation as well, we came up with what I can only describe as the best staycation I’ve ever taken. I love travelling and going places and experiencing different cultures and histories and it had never occurred to me that I was missing so much in my hometown.
The first thing I needed to realize is that in Calgary, we are not restricted to activities that are within the city limits. We took day trips out to Drumheller and into Banff, which aren’t that far away and offered unique activities that we don’t get in the city. From the Hoodoos to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Lake Louise, there’s so much to discover within a decently small radius of the city. If you’ll ever believe it, I’d never actually been on a proper hiking trip until about two weeks ago. That’s how tightly bound to my little corner of Calgary that I was.
Not only was I forgetting what other wonders are around Calgary, I was also forgetting that there’s some pretty cool stuff in the city too. Until this year, I had not attended Canada Day celebrations in the city (with the exception of Heritage Park several years ago) and had never gotten to experience any of the vibrant 
festivities in the downtown area. I also attended my first Calgary Stampeders football game and gained an appreciation for how much more exciting football is when you’re watching live. In becoming a guide to someone else, I remembered what I had been forgetting. Even just walking up and down 17th Ave., I was reminded of all of the cool and eclectic shops and restaurants that our city boasts. Between wandering downtown and into Inglewood, I was reminded that hey, Calgary’s a pretty cool place! Heck, I hadn’t even been to the zoo since before the penguins arrived several years back.
All of this just goes to show that no matter how long you’ve lived somewhere, there’s always something to discover. It was fun acting not only as a guide to the places I knew, but as a newcomer to others. The most rewarding part? I got to experience my own city like never before. 
