I drive my kids crazy with my constant proclamations of love for Hipstamatic, a photography app that I’ve been using for a few years. Hipstamatic is easy to use, fun, and in a few quick clicks, turns photos into works of art.
My trip to Calgary this weekend was full of food, booze, friends and laughter—as is always the case. Add some gorgeous hotel accommodations—one night in my home away from home (the Hotel Arts), and one night in the newly revamped Kensington Riverside Inn—and voila, a ‘Hipstamatic YYC Photo Album’ is born.
Calgary is a beautiful city that provides unending photo ops. Scroll down and see for yourself. All pictures were edited in Hipstamatic.
Make the Hotel Arts on 12 Ave SW, or their sister property, the Kensington Riverside Inn, your base camp. Both are in fantastic locations and close to lots of food and drink. I stayed at the Hotel Arts last March and wrote about it in a blog post. Want the details? Click here.
The Hotel Arts rooms are comfortable and classy. These guys don’t cut any corners.
The hotel can definitely fulfill your food and drink needs, but if you’re out and about, check out Proof on 1st Street, SW. Great room, super fun menu and über boozy cocktails.
The downtown is full of great art sculptures.
There is a fantastic blend of turn-of-the-century buildings as well as mid-century and of course, ultra modern structures in Calgary. This is the TransAlta building, built in 1965.
Monki Bistro has new ownership. The service was dreadfully slow, but the food was delicious. Beautiful room, too.
Monki’s beef brisket Eggs Benny and barbecue spiced potatoes.
Native Tongues Taqueria never disappoints. Bonus: Mondays feature $5 margaritas. Another great room.
Favourite dish at Native Tongues: Lentejas – black & green lentils, onion, serrano cream, queso fresco, grilled flour tortilla.
The new signage is up on the Kensington Riverside Inn (KRI). The inside is capital G, gorgeous.
Main floor lounge and wine bar with beautiful art work everywhere.
The newly renovated, spanky bar at the KRI.
The Kensington Riverside Inn is a Relais Chateaux property with 19 beautifully appointed guest rooms, and the most comfortable beds I’ve ever experienced in a hotel.
The old restaurant, Chef’s Table is no longer. Oxbow has taken its place with a less fussy menu and mandate, with Chef de Cuisine, Sean Cutler.
This Ahi Tuna dish is devine. The tuna is ‘smoked’ using Lapsang Souchong tea as a brine.
Morning view from my bed.
These are ‘stay-in-bed-all-day’ kind of beds. We may have stayed up a little too late getting familiar with their new approachable wine list. Those sunglasses stayed on all day long.
There is always one place, though, that will get me out of the most comfortable of beds, and that’s Al Forno. The 20 minute walk was the perfect antidote to a night of indulgence.
The coffee and food at Al Forno is always on point, and the room is a great place to hunker down and get some writing done.
Al Forno interior.
Finally! A trip across the gorgeous Peace Bridge.
Questions about Edmonton or Calgary? Find me on Twitter and Instagram @wanderwoman10. I’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Want more info on Hipstamatic? Click here.
See you soon, Calgary.