We flew into Calgary airport direct from Los Angeles, CA. One of the unique things I witnessed a "YYC" was a singer performing on top of the baggage claim area!

We rented a Buick Regal for less than the price of an economy car and then checked into "Comfort Inn & Suites Airport North" which was quiet, convenient and had a shuttle to a number of local restaurants. We found the beds to be a bit too soft but it was only for one night with breakfast included.

We decided to visit Downtown Calgary and enjoyed dinner at "The Keg + Bar" Restaurant which is a casual upscale steakhouse in Canada with a presence in the United States, as well. I've never heard of "Lobster Gratinee" but their ad informing me they had "brought it back" lead me to check their reviews online. I admit it was tasty appetizer served in a baking dish that you'd normally find oysters in.

I filled up on bread and Lobster Gratinee so I had some leftover Filet to take back to the hotel:

We originally planned to visit The Calgary Tower for an overview of the city but it was closed for elevator repairs! It's been nearly a month since our visit and it is still closed so check this link.

Red means "Don't go". Calgary Tower is closed as of this posting on 08-22-19.

... So ...

We opted to visit "Edworthy Park & Douglas Fir Trail" which turned out to be a very large park with well-groomed walkways and bike trails along the Bow River. There were numerous campgrounds and multiple play areas so my sons made it their mission to play at each one.

National Park Tip:

The next morning we drove to C.A.A. (AMA office) with our "AAA" card. We bought an annual Canadian national park pass for about $100.00 US dollars which allows you to avoid the ticket booths into Banff National Park. You can hang it, or leave it on your dashboard to avoid being ticketed. We found this to be a good deal for our nine days in Alberta. After our trip, we sold our pass to a fellow timeshare owner for half price.

Money Exchange Tip:

We wanted to have some "emergency cash" so we visited a local bank. They would not serve us as non-banking clients but they did refer us to the T&T Supermarket next door which had a very good exchange rate! Banks and airports usually have the worst exchange rates so we got lucky.