Image via Neil Zeller on Flickr

[twitter]I grew up in Vancouver. I miss it. While I’ve learned to embrace the C of Red (when they’re not playing the Canucks) and I love the Calgary Stampede like the summer Christmas that it is, I still miss Vancouver.

But, if you look really close, and squint a little bit, you can find glimpses of the coast on the prairies. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to be here, but sometimes I like to dream I was there.

Here’s 11 Places In Calgary That Feel Like Vancouver:

1. The Douglas Fir Trail at Edworthy Park and Bowness Park feels like Lynn Valley.

2. With cranes in the skyline and the water still, this little patch near Prince’s Island feels like Lost Lagoon.

#yyc @TourismCalgary @cityofcalgary @TravelAlberta #springinyyc pic.twitter.com/KQK4cv7qmZ

— Luis Labini Jr. (@ldl_jr) June 9, 2015

3. There is sailing in Calgary, on the Glenmore Reservoir . From the right angle, it can look like the parks and beaches of Point Grey are stretching off in the distance.

Image via Neil Zeller on Flickr

4. An hour away from the city are many heart pounding hikes to the top of the Rockies. Vancouver has the Grouse Grind, Calgary has Ha Ling Peak, Powderface Ridge, Sulphur Mountain and dozens of others.

5. Wandering the old brick buildings of Inglewood can feel a little bit like Gastown. As with Vancouver, this neighbourhood was the original heart of Calgary.

Image via Dave Bloggs on Flickr

6. Calgary doesn’t have a Lion’s Gate Bridge, but it does have a downtown bridge with lions guarding it. I take the Centre St Bridge everyday and pretend I’m heading to the North Shore from downtown.

Lions den #yyc #exklusive_shot #exploreeverything #rawshooters #the_visionaries #thecreatorclass #uncalculated #urbanromantix #urbanandstreet #urbanexploration #instagood #iamdowntown #peoplescreatives #avenuepov #shoot2kill #sharecalgary #streetminimal #streetdreamsmag #streetphotography #h#visualsgang #vanishingpoint #VSCOcam #justgoshoot #killeverygram #capturecalgary

A photo posted by Omar (@omarmerhi403) on Jun 21, 2015 at 11:42pm PDT

Image via Bill Longstaff on Flickr

7. Water. Anything along the water and imagine you’re on the coast. That water is hard to find, though. My wife imagines she’s crossing Granville St Bridge when she goes over the Glenmore Causeway. The pathways along the Bow River and Elbow River, and Glenmore Reservoir are the closest we have to a seawall in Calgary, and I love them.

Image via Dave Bloggs on Flickr

8. There is a strong Farmer’s Market culture in Calgary and any of them feel like Granville Island on a weekend.

Image via Mack Male on Flickr

9. Calgary has a Mount Pleasant, so does Vancouver. Both have neighbourhoods named Killarney. They both even boast a Stanley Park. Now, the Stanley Park in Calgary is much smaller (of course) but it’s still pretty, don’t you think?

Image via James Tworow on Flickr

10. Turn on your radio in Calgary and you’ll hear familiar Vancouver voices like Buzz Bishop (hi!), Erin Wilde (below to my right), Tarzan Dan, and Roger Kingkade. Turn on your tv news and you’ll see Rob Brown, Reg Hampton, and Tara Nelson. Freeway Frank (far left) and Amber Lee (far right) were also on air here for a while too.

11. On summer weekends, my back deck makes me feel like I’m in Vancouver. I pour a Granville Island Brewing Two Tides into my frosted Vancouver Canucks pint glass and wonder how things could have been for that team.

You know what, they’ve got a darn exciting hockey team here in Calgary. They’ve reloaded for the future quickly, and my boys are fans. I guess it’s good to be here after all.

What about you? Do you have favorite places in Calgary that remind you of Toronto or Saskatoon or Houston or Vancouver or wherever you’re from? Share them in the comments below.

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