Stephen Avenue Walk

Very cool little strip of Calgary with dining and cool shops! Love it in the Spring Summer its the best time to go for little Festivals and events!

Stephen Ave Walk is a neat part of Calgary. I wish we had something like this in Toronto. The only thing that comes close is the Kensington Market when they have the pedestrian days. But Kensington Market has a totally different vibe. Stephen Ave Walk has a ton of restaurant, pubs, bistro’s & clothing stores. Most of the people I saw milling about here were office workers having a bite after a long day of work. Everyone was in suits & nice clothing. I liked the metal tree sculpture they have on the walk as well.

I’m walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone…
Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary and is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The most notable times that I have walked down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams was after a Calgary Flames victory and during a protest when the G8 was meeting in 2002 out in Kananaskis. Otherwise, it’s been a quiet walk over Lunch or strolling in the early evening on the way to or from Dinner.
Stephen Avenue is known for its restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, and shopping, with several nicely restored historical buildings in the mix. Unlike 17 Avenue, Stephen Avenue is not regarded as a major night spot in the city, although there are night clubs located on the mall. In my opinion, parts of this Boulevard are also a little frayed at the edges and need a little urban renewal work.
The street was named after George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stephen Avenue contains a high concentration of registered historic buildings in the city and the street itself was declared a Canadian historic site in 1992. Most of these building are sandstone; a result of the construction of fire resistant buildings that followed a fire in 1886 that damaged much of the city.

What a fabulous part of town. I strolled the Stephen Avenue Walk on two days during my vacation and marvelled over the beauty of the area– all the gorgeous landscaping of hanging flowere baskets, etc. Visually, the walk is stunning. So many restaurants, saloons, gift shops, food carts, etc. There was live music a few days ago. Yes, it’s a tourist destination in close proximity to the Hyatt and Marriott, but I also saw quite a bit of locals streaming out of the office buildings at lunch time.
What a wonderful example of urban vitality!

For me, Stephen Avenue is among the first things that comes to mind when I think about Calgary.
It could be because of all the wonderfully preserved historic buildings that align the walk. Most are in wonderful condition and it does take you back to another era. Though the effect fades away with time.
It could be all the wonderful watering holes on or nearby (helps with orientation afterwards) that I have such fond memories of such as the Bear and Kilt, Unicorn, Local 522 (a few blocks away, but always using Stephen Ave as an orientation piece afterwards) and Earls. All of which I have spilt much money and possibly some DNA in.
It could be how so many young, attractive, professional ladies line the walk during lunchtime. And how I try to, simultaneously, look and not look at these wonderful specimens of nature. Often failing miserably!
It could be that Stephen Ave is the perfect showcase for the energy of the city. A large chunk of the economy happening both slightly north or south of the strip.
Or it could be that I have grown accustomed to window/​browse shopping here at the Core. I rarely buy anything, but it’s just a nice place to kill a few hours (during work or on the weekends) looking at threads that I probably won’t be able to afford. Doesn’t hurt to browse though!
I don’t know. All I know is that I enjoy a stroll down the walk. You never know where you are going to end up or what time you’ll be heading home!
Kind of a warp like that!

Yep, I’m a tourist and I was hanging out on the Stephen Avenue walk. I think there were probably a few locals here and there, probably the after-​work crowd looking for a drink to decompress after a stressful day of shoveling papers or trading oil futures or whatever people do for work here in C-​Town.
With a nice evening’s weather (short sleeves, no jacket), it was lovely to walk along and watch the people, check out the restaurant menus and consider a swift half here or there. The posted signs with Calgary history are interesting to a tourist like me.
Excellent hangout, it’s only a parallel block from the C-​Transit light rail stations.

Stephen Avenue will get four stars from me the day we can all figure out how to make it busier way more often than it is. It will get five stars when it’s the best place to hang out in Calgary any day of the week. But that’s not just a Stephen Avenue Walk problem, that’s an entire downtown Calgary problem (not the association, just the area). I feel like the majority of folks I see on Stephen Ave outside of the lunch hour are all tourists. Locals don’t tend to hang around here quite as much. And yet with the likes of Home Tasting Room, Blink, Mango Shiva and a ton of other great eateries lining the Walk, you’d think that’d help change things. The big tall buildings lining both sides of the street would certainly be a deciding factor on anyone wanting to find a sunny patio.
As it stands, it’s a lovely place for a stroll, whether winter or summer. Although winter, I think, is the most beautiful time to be strolling down Stephen Avenue Walk when the sun’s gone down and all of the pretty little sparkling lights are strung across the road, row after row of them.
If you’re unfamiliar with Calgary, Stephen Avenue Walk is our pedestrian streets. From 6am to 6pm, it’s closed to any traffic, so you’re free to hang out, check out the little sidewalk patios, shops and things of that nature. There are also a few vendors lining the street on warmer summer days. But after awhile, unless you’re headed to a specific restaurant or down to Olympic Plaza for a big event, it kind of loses its charm.