Location
Our History in Brief
MissionCliff Bungalow - Mission is one of Calgary's oldest communities but it wasn't always known by this name. Pere Lacombe, an Oblate priest (better known as Father Lacombe), went to Ottawa in 1883 to obtain a land grant for the Catholic Church "mission" that had been established in our community in 1875, the year the North West Mounted Police came to Calgary to establish a fort. The land grant was east of 4th Street and south of 17th Avenue SW. When this area was developed, the streets and avenues were given French names, many related to the Catholic Church.
Calgary, Alberta - Bow River. The area became a village named Rouleauville after the prominent French-speaking family of Rouleau. Charles Borromee Rouleau was a stipendiary magistrate when he arrived in 1886 and a year later he was named a judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. He became a member of the territorial council where he was a strong supporter of French-language rights. He was later joined by his brother Dr. Edouard Hector Rouleau who helped establish the Holy Cross Hospital in 1891 and who was the first president of Calgary's St. Jean Baptiste Society. Dr. Rouleau lived in the house located across from St. Mary's High School at 114 - 18th Avenue SW.
The area west of 4th Street and south of 17th Avenue SW was granted to CPR as part of the deal with the federal government to build the railway to the Pacific. When this area was developed, the streets and avenues were given English names, many after Governor Generals.
Calgary, Alberta - Elbow River
Despite the early intentions to establish a French-speaking community, the large influx of English-speaking settlers via the CPR changed the character of the community. In 1907, Rouleauville was annexed to Calgary and the French street names became the current numbers. The English street names also became the current numbers.
Mission District
http://www.cliffbungalowmission.ca/
| Calgary, Alberta - Elbow River. Other buildings that are still standing from this era are St. Mary's Parish Hall, now the Alberta Ballet School, Sacred Heart Convent -1893, parts of the Holy Cross Hospital, now the Holy Cross Centre. With the boon years before the First World War, the Mission District experienced residential development. Many walk up apartments were built to house the growing number of single men waiting until they were able to afford to bring their families. |  |
Flexford House, built in 1912, is an example of many still surviving apartments from that period. Over the years, and with close proximity to downtown, many pre First World War houses were demolished to make way for High Rise Apartments and Condominiums being built. Now the Mission District, with its street lined with matured trees, gives a pleasant ambiance to the mix of the old with the new.
The Elbow River
 | Fourth Street SW crosses the Elbow River on Mission Bridge and becomes Mission Road. On the west side of Mission Bridge you are able to access Elbow River Island Park and the footpath that takes you around the island. West of 4th Street and Mission Bridge is Elbow Drive. Within a few minutes' walk is the turning for the prestigious Glencoe Club, which is a sporting and leisure membership club. |
Holy Cross Centre
| The Holy Cross Centre is located on 2nd St SW and 24th Ave SW and is only a couple of minutes walk from Westways, just across Aberhart Park. When the Provincial Government in the mid 1990s decided to close the Holy Cross Hospital, a group of doctors decided to buy the complex and develop the site to cater to medical clinics and holistic medicine. Now, several years later, the Centre has a wide variety of general and specialist clinics, learning facilities and a catering outlet. |  |
Below is a list of some of these facilities at Holy Cross Centre:
- Mount Royal College – Holy Cross Campus www.mtroyal.ab.ca/maps/
- Holy Cross Surgical Centre
- The Inner Evolution
- Calgary Pilates Centre - www.calgarypilates.com
The Calgary Pilates Centre's mission is to empower you, the client, to take an active and informed role in your own health and well-being. Through the philosophies handed down by Joseph Pilates, you will learn to more fully integrate your body and mind. - University of Calgary - www.familytherapy.org/documents/InfoSheet.PDF
- Integrative Health Institute - your trusted source for evidence-based information about complimentary and alternative medicine - www.integrativehealth.ca
- Rideau Hearing Services
- C-era Cardiovascular – evaluation and risk assessment
- Alberta Health Services Chronic Pain Centre
Fourth Street
Fourth Street http://www.4streetcalgary.com/.This wonderful street is only a four minute walk from Westways Guest House and the street is renowned for its variety of restaurants with flavours representing the four corners of the world. You certainly will not go hungry walking along Fourth Street! From bagels to baklava, and tandoori chicken to falafel, there's something delicious on every block. Whether you're looking for fine dining or a casual café, you'll find an impressive selection of establishments filled with ambiance and great food! Some of my favourite restaurants are:
Wurst Restaurant & Beer Hall
Located on the corner of 4th St & 25th Ave SW, the Wildwood is well known for its fine beers and excellent food. The restaurant is on the street level, while the beer hall is on the lower level. You will find a wide range of dishes with local flavours of game, great informal ambiance, and service provided by knowledgeable and attentive staff. Food entrees are large. www.wurst.ca
Aida’s Mediterranean Bistro
Aida's specializes in Lebanese cuisine, and offers everything from falafel to fine dining. A number of guests have told me they have enjoyed the distinctive food at Aida's. aida's
Fleur De Sel
An intimate French Brasserie offering traditional and Nouveau French Cuisine. The proprietors of Fleur De Sel have a world of experience between them, and the cooking will keep you going back for more. Can be quite busy, so you will get to know the next table. fleur de sel
Antonio’s Garlic Clove
A proven hit with many of my guests with its intimate atmosphere and unusual approach to the menu: all items on the menu have garlic as an ingredient, including the ice cream and the beer! garlic clove
Original Joe's
Wide selection of good food and plenty of it. If you are arriving in Calgary late evening then this is the place to go as the kitchen is open late. As Original Joe's is only a 10 minute walk from our Calgary B&B, you may as well leave the car here and you will be able to enjoy their wide selection oif draught beers. They do not accept minors. originaljoes
Anejo
Lively Mexican theme restaurant with a wide range of tequilas www.anejo.ca
Tilted Grill
If you enjoy steaks then this a place for you, even their steak sandwhich was one the best I ever had. Large semi circle bar counter to sit at or table and booth seating. Lots of TVs for those sports enthusiats. tiltedgrill
Petite Restaurant
The Petite Resuarant has a relaxing and comfortable ambiance. Offering a smaller menu that is excuted to a high standard. Service is great complimented by knowledgeable staff. petite
Fat City Franks
Formaly known as Le Chien Chaud, is Calgary ’s premier hot dog emporium and is a small funky space with amazing food. They have top quality hot dogs, delicious potato salad, vintage malted milkshakes, and homemade lemonade. Fat City Franks
Bistro Twenty Two Ten
An excellent small bistro in the classic new style of clean lines and white tablecloths. The Canadian cuisine menu items are well presented and very tasty, and served by pleasant staff. Bistro2210
The Joyce on 4th Irish Pub
For a local pub “The Joyce on 4th” is a good choice with its wide selection of beers and good pub food. Spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room to sit at the bar or excellent lounge chairs by the fireplace. joyce on 4th
La Chaumiere Restaurant
For over thirty years, La Chaumiere has been serving fine French food and a great selection of wines (over 800 wines on the menu!). La Chaumiere is one of Calgary's finest dining establishments, and you will enjoy the food and impeccable service. la chaumiere
Mercato – Italian Gourmet Cultura
Mercato is another favourite restaurant of ours that comes with its own fine Italian foods market. Here the restaurant guests dine at the counter that surrounds the open kitchen and you can observe the preparation and cooking of your meal. Mercato has been serving fabulous Italian food since 1974 - try it, you will not be disappointed. mercato
Yann Haute Patisserie
If you head east on 23rd Ave SW, just off 4th St behind the Bank Montreal parking is a small yellow house that is the place where they produce and sell these wonderful pastries yannhaute
Model Milk
Noisy, brash restaurant with great food, coctails are great also. Ambiance is exciting as you feed into the upbeat personalaties of the guests. Although not on 4th St as is located on 17 Ave SW between 2nd and 4th St. I have included it as I took two of my regular guests for a meal there and they both enthuse about the food and drinks they had. modelmilk
This is only small sample of restaurants on Fourth Street.
There are also theme bars with entertainment. Check out the Fourth Street website http://www.4streetcalgary.com/ for listings of all the dining and drinking establishments.
Fourth Street is a wonderful place to spend the day window-shopping. You will be enticed by the variety of local shops with unique merchandise. From imaginative hand-made crafts to designer fashions, Fourth Street is one of Calgary's favorite places to shop for that "something special."
Fourth Street is the proud host of the Annual Lilac Festival, held the last Sunday of May. The street's shopping mix is enhanced with over 100 local vendors exhibiting arts and crafts. Even the restaurants hit the streets with specialty food stands. A parade kicks off a full day with seven stages of entertainment and kids performances. Admission is free - call 403-229-0902 for more information.
Some of my favorite stores are:
Lululemon Athletica is around the corner from the Art Mode Gallery and is a retail store for high end yoga apparel.
Masters Gallery Ltd is on the corner of 4th St and 21st Ave, and is one of the premier art galleries in Calgary.
Bin 905 is an excellent wine store close to Westways. California wines here cost less than in the US. Tel 403 261 1600.
Walk to 17th Avenue SW and again you will be surprised by the amount and variety of stores, pubs and restaurants. More information on 17th Ave SW may be found on http://www.uptown17.ca/.
Antique Stores and Shopping Districts in Calgary
I am often asked if there are any Calgary antique stores or Calgary markets, as many guests would like to browse these fascinating shops. We do have quite a few individual stores as well as districts that specialize in antiques, all close to Westways Bed and Breakfast.
In the Calgary district of Inglewood on 9th Ave SE, there are a large selection of diverse stores specializing in antiques, second hand and reproduction furniture. Here you will discover all types of antiques and the specialists to repair them.
There are plenty of coffee shops and restaurants to revive the body to continue the search. Not far away, and only open on the weekends, is the Crossroads Market which has a Farmers Market, secondhand stalls, antiques and collectable stalls, clothing stalls and various eateries. On the second floor are large art galleries; all of these shops make for an interesting day out.
For the largest antique shopping mall in Calgary is the Inside Avenue Antiques Inc, 3419 – 8 St SE, just off the Blackfoot Trail.
If you are staying at Calgary Westways for a few days, be sure to check out these two auction houses as you may be in luck and find that special item at a bargain price:
Calgary Stampede Park
www.calgarystampede.com/stampede
About a ten-minute walk heading East on 25th Ave you will arrive at the South Entrance to the Stampede Park. This is where the famous Calgary Stampede and Rodeo has its annual event in July. Within the Stampede Park grounds are the exhibition halls - BMO Centre, The Big Four, The Corral - as well as the Grandstand where you can watch horseracing and the chuck wagon races. Click here for a calendar of upcoming events.
The Scotia Bank Saddledome is found within the Stampede Park grounds, so called because the shape of the roof resembles a saddle. The Pengrowth Saddledome is a venue to many pop music concerts and is the home of our NHL team The Calgary Flames, and local hockey teams The Calgary Hitmen and the Lacrosse team The Calgary Roughnecks.
Lindsay Park
| Turn left after exiting the front door of Westways and walk down to the bridge, which spans the Elbow River. Here you can access the bike pathways, which Calgary is famous for. These pathways follow the river and then connect with the other bike pathways. Cross the bridge and follow the pathway under the bridge which then runs alongside the Elbow river to enter the inner city park called Lindsay. This is where I take my morning and evening stroll with my two dogs Be-Be and Miikka. |  |
Here you can watch the ducks and geese on the river, or the squirrels darting from tree to tree. In the evenings just as the sun is setting, cross the footbridge and look down onto the water to see the beavers swimming and diving. Often they are on the riverbank with their black shiny broad tails laying flat on the grass. Lindsay Park can offer other surprises: last Spring I saw a dark object in the treetop. Thinking that it might just be some old garbage bag trapped there, imagine my surprise when I got closer and found it was in fact an American Bald Headed eagle perched high up the tree and eyeing the ducks! That bird was hunting in the same area the next day but was gone after that to continue on its journey.
Talisman Centre
Talisman Centre is an excellent sports and aquatic building. The Talisman was formally known as Lindsay Park Sports Centre and was dedicated to Dr. Lindsay. It commemorates his service as a legendary physician and former Calgary alderman. The Centre was built in the vicinity of where Dr. Lindsay lived for many years.
There are many path trails within a short walk of Westways Guest House. You can find yourself in a wooded glen, or follow a path up an escarpment and have wonderful views of downtown and the mountains. Explore the island in the Elbow River with access from Mission Bridge. These trails are part of Calgary’s renowned pathway system and Westways has two bicycles for you to borrow and explore.
