CALGARY

Restaurant prices are for a three-course dinner for one person, without wine, tax or tip

$        less than 25$$       25-35$$$      35-50$$$$     50-75$$$$$    over 75

- Cities are priced in U.S. dollars - Hotel rates reflect the cost of a double room HOTELS
Calgary Marriott Hotel

110 9th Ave. SE

(403) 266-7331, (800) 896-6878

In the heart of downtown, this hotel catering to business travellers recently underwent a $16-million renovation, adding a private lounge for executive-floor guests and 4,000 square feet of meeting space. Paintings of the Rocky Mountains decorate the lobby walls, there is an indoor pool and 24-hour health club, and the guest rooms are among the largest in Calgary. Rates $185-$245.

Hyatt Regency Calgary

700 Centre St. S.

(403) 717-1234, (888) 591-1234

Open since May, 2000, this hotel was Calgary's downtown showpiece when the city played host to the World Petroleum Congress. Just a block from the Calgary Tower, it's connected to the new Telus Convention Centre and boasts a stunning 18th-floor indoor pool and a canoe suspended from the foyer ceiling. Rates $134-$264.

Kensington Riverside Inn

1126 Memorial Dr. NW

(403) 228-4442, (877) 313-3733

This 19-room boutique hotel is one of the hipper places to stay in Calgary. Staff pamper the guests, who often include visiting authors. Small and intimate, the meeting room holds just 10 people, but guest rooms are equipped with high-speed internet and dual phone lines. Located in the trendy Kensington area, across the Bow River from downtown. Rates $179-$324.

RESTAURANTS
Bonterra Restaurant

1016 8th St. SW

(403) 262-8480

Lunch Mon.-Fri.,

Dinner Mon.-Sun. $$$

This contemporary Italian restaurant co-owned by Calgary oilman Clay Riddell

is a popular lunch spot located on the outskirts of downtown. Specialties include venison osso buco and Tuscan crusted black cod. Slightly removed from the hustle and bustle, it's a comfortable place with an open kitchen, a no-cellphone policy and a soundscape of blues and jazz.

Dante's Cafe & Wine Bar

210, 513 8th Ave. SW

(403) 237-5787

Lunch Mon.-Fri.,

Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$

Nestled in the Penny Lane Mall--a small collection of retail outlets near Calgary's office towers--this restaurant's bistro menu includes pasta with grilled salmon, venison, New York strip loin and a variety of homemade desserts. There is also a tapas and wine bar downstairs.

The Belvedere

107 8th Ave. SW

(403) 265-9595

Lunch Mon.-Fri.,

Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$

In the dining room of this plush restaurant serving contemporary North American cuisine, you can savour a well-prepared rack of lamb, or sirloin over braised short ribs. After dinner, relax in high-backed chairs in the elegant cocktail lounge. Located downtown along the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall, which has become the city's hot spot for fine dining.

Spicy Hut

203B 4th St. NE

(403) 237-0830

Lunch Mon.-Sat.,

Dinner Mon.-Sun. $

This spot in the Bridgeland district near downtown has friendly service and Thai and Peking food, which is, as the name suggests, spicy. Specialties include the classic pad Thai with a bowl of coconut rice on the side.

A short cab ride from the centre.

AFTER DARK
Ceili's Irish Pub & Restaurant 126, 513 8th Ave. SW

(403) 508-9999

This four-floor pub downtown--popular among Calgary's young office crowd--serves traditional Irish food, piping-hot soup and pints of draft beer. It has a number of fireplaces, live music five nights a week, and a lively pub ambiance without the meat-market atmosphere

of the country-bar scene.

Auburn Saloon

712 1st St. SE

(403) 266-6628

It figures that cow town's first martini bar would call itself a saloon. But this downtown bar with high ceilings and rotating art displays is not just a western watering hole--the after-theatre crowd gathers here after attending a concert or play nearby. Clientele is chic and martinis are de rigueur.

FREE TIME
Glenbow Museum

130 9th Ave. SE

(403) 268-4100

Rancher, lawyer and oilman Eric Harvie donated his collection of art and objects, including Indian headdresses, a Hutterite sleeping bench and O-Yorori armour from Japan, to the province of Alberta in 1966. Now housing the collection, the Glenbow has over 20 galleries, with First Nations exhibits among the eclectic collection and an exhibit featuring sacred Buddhist and Hindu objects from Asia.

Sunshine Village Resort

Sunshine Access Road, Banff

(403) 762-6500, (877) 542 2633

Seventy years ago, Sunshine was little more than a log cabin. Today it attracts powder hounds from around the world. Located 1 1/2 hours west of Calgary, its double black diamond runs include Delirium Dive's treacherous, 2,000-vertical-foot cirque. Coaches depart from downtown hotels, including The Westin Calgary, offering a return ride and lift ticket for $65.

SHOPPING
Lammle's Western

Wear & Tack

211 8th Ave. SW

(403) 266-5226

While it may seem obvious, Calgary is the place in Canada for authentic country gear. This shop's flagship store has high-end country and western clothing, boots, hats and gifts, including statues of bucking broncos and barbed-wire art. While the best time for sales is during the Calgary Stampede, a wide selection of goods, from Wrangler jeans to cowboy shirts, is available year round.