Educator | Communicator | Photographer
“This neighbourhood is connected everywhere with bikes. I can cruise down to Mission, Inglewood, Bowness, Bridgeland, and be in any of these places in a few minutes. You can go grab some ice cream at Village Ice Cream on 10th ave, and then swing back to the Folk Festival. It’s really amazing! We need more bike racks in the neighbourhood though!”
“Lucy gets stuck under the chairs sometimes. She also likes to eat the bugs in the windows. Yeah, she’s a good dog, she’s got lots of friends here.”
It’s sidewalk poetry season in Sunnyside! The wonderful folks at the Pooh Corner Tiny Library are inviting everyone to come down and add some lines to the sidewalk! Yes In My Back Yard!
“His name is Capone. He’s three years-old. He loves making new friends!”
Rain pours on empty swings in the playground at New Edinborough park. When the first homesteaders arrived in this part of the world, they named their newly established home ‘New Edinborough’. The name stuck, and the city has seen a dramatic change in the past century.
“I remember back when I was a kid, my uncle used to pick up ‘Chicken On The Way’ on his way home from work sometimes. Sometimes my parents worked a bit late, and my uncle would come over to look after my brother and I. He was never much of a cook, but he really knew how to eat. Chicken On The Way kind of ruined french fries for me because I was always comparing other fast food places to them. I was always left disappointed that they didn’t have that flavour. I’m told it’s because they fry everything in the same fryers, it’s what gives all their food that chicken-y taste.
What’s funny is that I’ve eaten their food hundreds of times, but didn’t actually set foot in the restaurant until I was in my mid-twenties. It seemed like somebody was doing a food run and suggest it and I’d just tell them what I want. I can’t think or look at that building without thinking of my uncle showing up at our house with a few boxes of chicken, fries, and those amazing fritters.
I think that if anybody comes to visit Calgary, they should have the food there. They’ve been in business for over 60 years! It just goes to show that Calgarians sure love their incumbents!”
After a rainy May long weekend, residents of Sunnyside and Hillhurst are gung-ho for some sunshine and patios.
“I used to live in Sunnyside. Yeah, a while a go, but it got too expensive. I’m up in Crescent Heights now. I think that neighbourhoods around Sunnyside are gonna really grow in the next couple of years, considering that people want to live downtown, but they can’t afford the boutique-iness of somewhere like Kensington. I’m still down at Higher Ground all the time though…”
“We want to grow old in this neighbourhood. We want to have our kids grow up and play street hockey, or trick-or-treat with other kids. We want them to walk to school, have birthday parties, and ride bikes. There’s nothing like the sound of kids playing–it gives such an energy. It’s the sound of life.”
Wild roses are in bloom on the McHugh bluff. It’s a dreary and soggy May long weekend, but the flowers add a beautiful splash of colour to the world.
© 2024 Ara Shimoon
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