“His name is Carl. He’s a good dog, loves people, kids… all he wants is to be scratched and petted. He’s the greatest dog ever.”

“What captures me about this neighbourhood wis the sense of balance… There’s so much room in this neighbourhood compared to others. The houses are proportionate to the people who live here.There’s lots of great little houses that are comforting as you walk through streets.

There’s lots of space for the trees. The houses don’t take up so much room that the trees can’t grow.

It’s all something that I wanted to capture. In this series, I have thirty-two pieces that I call ‘The Sunny Side of the Street.’

I’ve been painting for just under twenty years. The pieces are all at Framed on Fifth for people to come and look at.

My favourite place? Vendome is where I get coffee, but the little shops on 10th street–that’s what I love.” Cheryl Peddie.

“I’ve lived here for thirty-three years. I was a community activist with the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association, I had a small clothing business and I was involved with the BRZ. I started the inner-city coalition and became involved in city issues. Bev Longstaff was the councillor for the ward and decided to run for Mayor. I decided to run and was elected City Councillor of Ward 7 in 2001.

I remember back when a lot of these businesses opened: The Roasterie, Lifesport, Killian… this was a really bohemian place. There was an opportunity for local ownership and there wasn’t a great deal of competition from the big chain businesses. I think it has a lot to do with the affordability. There’s a lot of change in this community and it’s a real challenge to newcomers.

It’s interesting because when we moved here, many of the houses had rental suites for the students for ACAD, SAIT, or the university. There’s been so many redevelopments of these little houses that we’ve lost affordable places for students. It changes the diversity of this area.

What do I love about the neighbourhood? Hillhurst-Sunnyside is my home. I love… How would I describe…

It’s a community that prides itself with its quirkiness and its heart. It welcomes strangers with open arms.

On my street, back in the 90’s there were two sisters who had become collectors of all kinds of things. They also had about twenty dogs, so you can imagine what their home was like. The City Bylaw became aware of it and wanted the house to be condemned and cleaned out, then the community association heard about it and volunteers were lining up to help these ladies. They stripped the home down to the studs and renovated it, cleaned it out and would come back and check in with the sisters to make sure they were okay. It’s extraordinary to see the community come together to help out–same as the flood a few years back.

There’s something about this place that perpetuates the neighbourhood spirit. It gets into your blood.” Druh Farrell, Ward 7 City Councillor, City of Calgary

“I’ve lived here for about forty years… I think we moved here in ’77. I grew up by the Holy Cross Hospital, but I always wanted to live in this neighbourhood because of all the motorcycles parked at the Lido Cafe. Back then we used to spend time in Bowness and we weren’t supposed to stop here, but I did.

It’s really changing now. They’re tearing up the old houses and putting up condos. I’m sure they’re really nice inside, but they’re all so expensive and tiny.

I’ve been buying coffee beans from the Roasterie for… geez, how long have they been open?” Faye.