Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with calgary

Auto-broker, good or bad idea?

furtive — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:48 -0800

Does buying used through an auto-broker make sense for me? I'm in the market for a used car (1-4 years old, one owner, still under warranty) but I live 90 minutes away from the nearest urban area with a proper used car market. To compound things my truck is on it's last legs and every trip out I expect it to be the last. This makes shopping around for a used car rather difficult.

It dawned on me that there must be a market for auto-brokers, and googling them found me several in the nearest city. Does anyone have experience with these? What should I be aware of? I don't mind paying a few hundred extra for the convenience.

Barbershop for a shave in Calgary, AB?

chudmonkey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:35:55 -0800

Can you recommend a barber in Calgary, AB for a nice, relaxing pre-wedding shave? Hey Gang,

I want to take my buddy for that classic barbershop hot-towel-soap-brush-oh-so-gentlemanly shave before his wedding next weekend, but have no idea where to go. He'll want a clean shave, and I'd be pleased if I could have my beard neatly trimmed.

Do you know of a nice place in Calgary for us to go? Bonus points for places with a cool, fun and/or classic atmosphere. Thanks in advance!

Delicious, mid-range downtown Calgary restaurant

ageispolis — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:12:02 -0800

What are some of your favourite places to go for lunch in downtown Calgary?

Can one order up a miracle?

faineant — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:23:34 -0800

Online shopping in Calgary - help! ACK! I just got notified that a gift I'd ordered to be delivered in Calgary is on backorder (I am in the US). I will kill someone at the original company eventually, but for now I need need need (please, please, please) online shopable Calgary stores *that can deliver before Christmas* to a downtown office. I am willing to look at anything quirky, fun, geeky, motorcycle-ish, art, office toys, any cool stuff - even willing to do food (although that is low on the list) - if you know of a place in Calgary that does online ordering and can delliver - especially if it is one of your favorite places to shop - please tell me about it.

I already know Lee Valley, I have ordered from them before, and while they are great, their non-tool selection is a bit limited from the last time I looked, and nothing jumped out at me as a great gift for my friend. I have had horrible luck with Amazon Canada, and am not willing to do them again.

Any help truly gratefully received - thank you!

kiwi brand knives in calgary

PowerCat — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:33:54 -0800

Where can I buy cheap kiwi brand knives in Calgary? Back in Montreal's chinatown they sell these really cheap knives called kiwi brand. For less than 5$ you can buy these type of knives. they are sharp and cheap.
http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/images/pix/thai-kiwi-knives.jpg

Does anyone know if any store stocks them in Calgary?
Thanks!

Canuck Cow-Town Quarters & Cuisine.

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:47:07 -0800

Tips on Calgary accommodation and restaurants? I will be attending an event in SW Calgary (Glenmore reservoir area) and would appreciated your latest tips on accommodation and restaurants. A cosy rather than fancy hotel, or a kid-friendly B&B would be nice. I love unpretentious upscale food, and and am willing to chase down any exciting new bistro or buzzing breakfast place in the city.

Good property managers in Boston MA or Calgary AB?

cybercoitus interruptus — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:27:59 -0800

Tenants or owners, please rave or rant about recent experiences with property management companies in 1. Boston, MA, or 2. Calgary, AB. Tenants or owners, please rave or rant about recent experiences with property management companies in 1. Boston, MA, or 2. Calgary, AB.

1. We're moving to CA and want to rent out our Back Bay condo. I'm particularly interested in peoples' experiences with NextGenRealty, Jacob Realty, or Boardwalk Properties, Century 21 / Shawmut Properties, Boston Choice Properties, and Brownstone Real Estate Co.. These are the companies that we have either had preliminary meetings with, or had recommended to us.

2. I have a house in Calgary (NW, close to the university) that has been managed by a relative for the past several years, but current circumstances require hiring a different company. I'm considering Residential Leasing Group, RealtyEdge Group, Hope Street Real Estate Group, Emerald Management & Realty, and Amhurst Property Management.

For both locations, we'd like to hire a property management company that screens tenants appropriately, does preventative maintenance as well as responds promptly to tenants' requests for repairs, and as much as possible, meets the standards laid out in this comment and these answers about good property managing. All of the companies above claim to offer superlative service. I have checked online reviews (bearing in mind that some companies give themselves glowing reviews). I'd just like to know, from people who've actually dealt with them, whether they practice what they preach.

Me unemployed in Calgary? That's unpossible!

mariokrat — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:58:35 -0800

What should I be doing to find a job in Calgary's supposedly "hot" economy? I just finished a Master's degree in the social sciences (interdisciplinary, but focused mostly on anthropology of science) and my job hunt has been terribly unsuccessful so far. Are there career opportunities I'm not seeing? Am I out of luck unless I'm an IT person or petroleum engineer? After much thought I find myself looking for a job in Calgary (I have family here), which everyone seems to be saying is undergoing tremendous growth. Still, the pickings seem slim from where I stand. There are occasionally job postings on my undergrad uni careers website that look good, but I have little substantial work experience, and have not gotten an interview in my month or so of trying. I have a varied and (I think) interesting academic background, which I think could be of use in fields like marketing, product development/design, or policy/government relations. I've been told that I'm a strong writer, and I think I have a talent for research. I'd love to work at a newspaper or magazine, but it looks like a tough area to get into, especially because I don't have a strong background in journalism. (I have one published piece in the local free city paper.) I'm about to start applying to burger joints and the like, because funds are running low, but I feel like there is some brilliant opportunity out there that will pop up the moment I start training at Burger King.

Is there anywhere else I should be looking? What's the best way to present a social science background in a city that has tons of oil money flowing around? Should I be cold-calling CEOs and telling them they need someone like me? Am I out of luck unless I know how to put in a pipeline, or serve the coffee of someone who does? Help!

Where can I buy cotton candy in Calgary?

blue_beetle — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:34:33 -0800

Where can I buy cotton candy in Calgary, Alberta? Is there anywhere besides Calaway Park and the Calgary Stampede? I need it asap, and the Stampede won't start for another week, and Calaway Park requires me to pay the park entrance fee before buying anything.

What to do & see in Calgary?

vignettist — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:45:17 -0800

Calgaryfilter: We're going up for a wedding in a couple of weeks, and would like to get a little flavor of the city in the 2.5 days of free time that we will have. Our free time includes all day Friday, Sunday morning (afternoon/evening dedicated to the bride & groom), and Monday (Victoria Day). Not looking for the standard tourist venues. Instead, your recommendations for local favorites, and also dancing/nightlife, please.

Calgary hotel recommendations?

rumbles — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:23:39 -0800

Calgary hotel recommendations? Centrally located, not too expensive, clean, friendly, etc.

Where to eat in Calgary?

gsh — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:32:31 -0800

Where to eat in Calgary? I'll be in Calgary next week and would love recommendations on restaurants and good places to get coffee. I'm partial to Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and French cuisines but welcome all good dining experiences.

EasyCheese, Canadian Style?

blue_beetle — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:29:20 -0800

Where can I buy Kraft Easy Cheese in Canada? It's always seemed kind of white-trash, but I gots me a hankerin' for EasyCheese. I've looked in Sobey and Superstore, but can't find it. Any recommendations for where to find it in Calgary?

Waking up Craigslist Calgary

Milkman Dan — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 20:49:05 -0800

How can I awaken Craiglist Calgary? I’ve been using Craigslist Vancouver for barters and job listings while I’ve been here, but now I’m off to Calgary, Alberta. The ’list moves slooow out there – too slow to be practical at all. Any ideas how to rally more users to the site? I'm not trying to "advertise" on behalf of the service. It's simply that a community-oriented site is only as good as its community. I bet Calgary's got a lot to Craig about, but maybe nobody knows about it.

Bachelor Party in Calgary

metaname — Thu, 18 May 2006 09:45:08 -0800

I am organizing a bachelor party to be held in Calgary, Canada and I could use some suggestions to increase the awesome. I don't live in Calgary and am flying in for the first weekend in June just for this. The basic plan is to find some activity for the afternoon like a shooting range/go-karts/ATVs, then a fancy dinner, and some drinks and poker in the evening. Probably not going to include any exotic dancing in the festivities unfortunately.

One other thing I'd like to do is rent a hot car for the groom to use for the weekend so he can travel in style. Any recommendations of rental places? Thinking either luxury, like a BMW, or a sports car.