Huong D.
Google
I parked at the Crescent Heights scenic point and walked into the Prince’s Island Park via the connecting stairs. Pro: I did not need to worry about parking and could instead focus on how BEAUTIFUL the park was and how joyful the people were. Con: I had to walk up a gazillion stairs to get back to my car. Depending on your enthusiasm for cardio, this con can become your pro as I saw a bunch of people exercising by running up and down the stairs. I cannot relate. This may be an ignorant American viewpoint, but are Canadians just that much happier and healthier?? I went on a 2-mile (sorry I don’t know what that is in kilometers) walk around the park and not only did I see beautiful views, I also interacted with lovely people. There were many recreational enjoyers of the park and they took the time to look me in the eyes and smiled at me?? The camaraderie was off the charts. With that said, I feel for the homeowners who live right next to the park because they have to deal with very loud car pollution from the road (side facing Crescent Heights). While walking back to my car, I did have the thought that I should’ve brought my noise canceling headphones because it was so loud that I could not think. If the city of Calgary can invest in safer streets by converting that arterial road into bike and pedestrian paths instead, that would make the park experience that much better. It is my wishful thinking, and I think it could work since driving on that road didn’t seem all that stress-free either. It was clogged up with anxious drivers waiting to get the heck out of there, and it was where I heard the first loud horn during my stay in Canada.