September 2007
You are currently browsing the articles from Review and Things written in the month of September 2007.
Calgary still has some real authentic fast food places and Chicken on the Way is one of them.
A friend took me here when we got hungry and OK we both didn’t go for the chicken but the food was great.
Chicken on the Way is not a sit down restaurant you just go in order and take you food home or eat it on one of the benches outside.
The inside doesn’t look fancy like most of the fast food joints but just a simple menu and an old looking store. Service is friendly and quick.
All the food is packed in Yellow boxes and if you want wrapped in paper.
We got Fish and Chips and the fish was nice and crisp and the fries where nice and well backed. The fries got a bit oily because of the fish on top of it but not to oily to enjoy them.
If you are looking for a quick bite and don’t want all the processed stuff that we are used to these days then maybe give Chicken on the Way a try.
Chicken on the Way:
1443 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB
Written by George on September 22nd, 2007 with 1 comment.
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Buon Giorno is a nice Italian Restaurant on 17 Avenue S.W. in Calgary. There are a lot of restaurants in this area but still when we visit Buon Giorno on a Sunday night it was a full house and to me that normally means that it has to be good.
The Buon Giorno Restaurant has a nice and friendly atmosphere that is created by the decor everything looks clean and maintained but on a day like this it also looks a bit to crowded.
About the menu there is nothing to complain, they have lots of choices and that doesn’t help when you don’t already know what you want.
The portions of food are not to big and that makes a welcome change compared to some of the chain restaurants out there. The food tastes grate and in our situation every body was happy with there choices.
conclusion:
Buon Giorno is a welcome change in the Calgary Restaurant scenery and i would suggest it to everybody out there. Food is good service is good (but a bit to busy on a night like this). So if you like so Italian food i would say go Check Buon Giorno out but be smart and make a reservation!
Buon Giorno
823 17 Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
phone . 403-2445522
Written by George on September 19th, 2007 with no comments.
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Lake Minnewanka is the biggest Lake in the Banff National Park, OK it is not all natural but still the biggest.
The Tour guide on the boat will tell you about the lake and the dam and of course about the nature, history, geology and animals. And they will help you look for the imprints of people and animals in the mountains.
We took the last boat last saturday a beautiful sunny day and a perfect day for a tour on the lake. Our guide was very well informed and kinda funny 
Our guide was interested in everybody on board an very friendly and helpful. For about half of the tour he would tell his story about what we see and about the lake. The other part of the trip he would walk by to answer peoples questions.
The Tour on Lake Minnewanka shows you great scenery and if you are lucky (we where not) you may even see some wildlife. The tour takes more then an hour (i believe close to 1.5hour) and that will really give you a great experience and a nice way to enjoy the national park.
If you get to Banff on a nice an sunny day think about a ride on the boat it is worth it!
Boats are going between May and October but check with the boat company for times.
Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours:
Banff, Canada
(403-7623473
www.minnewankaboattours.com
Written by George on September 17th, 2007 with no comments.
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The Blind Angler Grill is a nice little restaurant on the edge of the lake in the small town of Peachland (20 minutes drive from Kelowna).
This restaurant offers an nice atmosphere for a nice dinner and on a nice weather day you can sit on the patio with that is almost on the lake so you can enjoy a beautiful view while you are enjoying a meal.
I visited the Blind Angler for the second time this July and again i was happy with the friendly and correct service. The food is fresh and has a great taste.
The only disappointing thing on our last visit was that all the pop didn’t have fuss but these things happen.
If you are looking for something different then the usual chain restaurants then go check out this lovely little restaurant in beautiful Peachland and also enjoy the beach and scenery.
And it is smart to make a reservation because they are busy!
Blind Angler Grill
5899A Beach Avenue
Peachland BC
www.blindanglergrill.com
Written by George on September 11th, 2007 with no comments.
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We where invited for a Wedding in Thunder Bay so wanted to find a hotel to stay in that was not to expensive but still had everything we wanted.
So after looking a bit online we decided on the Price Arthur Hotel. It was at that point one of the cheapest hotels available so that was a plus.
I will go on telling you the story from booking to check out just so you can see what we found and we thought of the Prince Arthur Hotel.
After we decided to stay in this Hotel we try to book it online at the Price Arthur website but unfortunately that option was not working for more then a week so finally we decided to call them and see if we could book that way, but also picking up the telephone after business hours is not there strongest thing so we ended up booking our room through the Expedia website but this meant that we could only book a room with city view instead of a view over the lake and the Sleeping Giant. 
On the day off our travel we arrived at the hotel around 11 P.M. and we walk in to the hotel to check in but there was nobody on the front desk we needed to wait for 10 minutes for someone showed up OK the apologized for that but still it was a little bit strange. But luckily our booking was there (two times) so we got our key and where up to our room for the next 6 nights. We got room 408 what is situated on the 4th floor of the Price Arthur Hotel. in general the hotel looks nice it is an old building and still has some of the old fashion feel to it.
OK now we get to our room and it is big it has lots of room and two double beds an desk and a TV cabinet with drawers, TV and fridge. But our first impression was a bit distracted by the duct-tape that was holding a piece of wood up around the air conditioning unit. The room smelled a bit like stuck air but unfortunately you can’t open the window but the AC has a ventilation option so soon we got the fresh air flowing.
The furniture of our room was OK it all looked a bit old and could use a overhaul but it was clean and functional.
The bathroom had a big tub, toilet and sink and a hairdryer. It seemed like they try to update the bathroom but they forgot a mayor thing in my eyes. The bathroom doesn’t have a exhaust fan so there is a little bit of mould growth on the ceiling. I was also not really impressed with the shower it gave great pressure but the temperature kept fluctuation from extreme hot to cold and that is not a fun way of showering.
The Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel & Suites offers free wireless Internet for there guest and it is available throughout the Hotel. We used the WiFi Internet everyday and it worked sometimes it was hard to connected but it always worked out and it is nice to be able to check your email on the road. The hotel also has an PC in the lobby for there guests that didn’t bring there own computer.
Also on the ground floor you can find a pop, ice and vending machine. The Prince Arthur also has a restaurant and banquet facilities but we didn’t try those.
One of the reasons why we booked the hotel is because it has a pool. The Pool is available between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. and has next to the pool also a hot tub, kiddy pool and a sauna. I just used the pool and i was happy with that it has nice size to swim your laps. the pool facilities also look a bit dated but they are clean and save and all the times i was there i was the only one using them so that made it perfect for me you can pickup a towel at the front desk before you go to the pool so that you don’t have to use your rooms towels.
The Prince Arthur Hotel is situated close to the water. From the back of the hotel (parking Lot) you can take the walkway over the road to the marina park where you can walk around and enjoy the lake and the nice scenery. The hotel is also downtown and close to bars and things like that. It is also close to the Thunder Bay Casino for the gamblers.
Conclusion:
The Prince Arthur hotel is nice place to stay if you don’t expect to much. It has the same kind of quality that you get from the super 8 motels and if you are fine with that then that is great. In general the staff was nice and friendly and very helpful. The rooms where cleaned nicely (even better then Chateau Lake Louise) Parking is free and easy right behind the hotel.
I would not hesitated to stay here again. The neighborhood feels a bit dodgy at night but i believe it is save. And to finish this Review i would say think about the Prince Arthur Hotel next time you visit Thunder Bay.
Written by George on September 10th, 2007 with no comments.
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We all know about Terry Fox and his Marathon of hope but did you know about the Terry Fox Monument in Thunder Bay?
The Terry Fox Monument is a giant copper statue of Terry running his Marathon. The Monument is build close to the place where Terry needed to stop his Marathon on after 143 days of running and even with only one real leg he still ran a marathon distance a day!
So to honer this great runner they build this monument next to Highway 11/17 and gave Terry a beautiful view over the Sleeping Giant.
The Monument of Terry fox is build in a small but nice park where you can have a rest stop on your trip and bring a visit to see Terry. At the parking lot you also find a Tourist information office for Thunder Bay with lots of information on Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.
And as all Canadians should know every year the Terry Fox Foundation has runs and walks to support the Cancer Research. In 2007 the run will be held on September 16 and my advice if you can go support this good cause and if you can’t run yourself then think about supporting one of us and that way we all help to get more funds for the Cancer Research. Just click on the banner below for your support!
And when you have a changes in going to visit The Terry Fox Monument then do so just give it a quick visit and learn more about Terry and his Marathon of hope.
Written by George on September 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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We took a flight with Westjet from Calgary to Thunder Bay and unfortunately this means having a stop in the middle.
Our stop was in Toronto and we had to wait 4 hours for our next flight. And that doesn’t have to be a bad thing but this time we got stuck in between gate C40 and B15
and that is probably the worst part to get stuck at.
First of all there is NO real restaurant there just some sandwich places and they charge outrage prices. Also for shopping you don’t want to be stuck here.
Just two magazine shops and two duty free shops and a Canada souvenir shop.
OK we can survive with those shops but the worst part is that you can see all kind of nice restaurants and shop through the window but can’t reach it.
And what is up with those toilets? You are sitting on the toilet doing you thing and then it flushes automatically and not once it just keep doing it. And not this was not the only one that did this and YES it is really annoying.
My advice would be to bring your own food and drinks and hope you can fill your time waiting…….
But i guess we have to live with this. Why do airport designers make such a bad place for people to kill some time? Maybe take examples in places like Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where they even have a Casino and Museum to make time pass quickly.
Written by George on September 5th, 2007 with no comments.
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We booked a Car at Hertz in Thunder Bay and this is our experience.
Our booking we made through travelocity 
that gave us the best price and let us use coupon codes for an even bigger discount. Hertz is not located at Thunder Bay airport and that makes is a bit cheaper because most airport charge a fee to the rental car companies. OK so Hertz in Thunder Bay is not at the Airport but they offer a free shuttle so why not use them :) At around 10.30 PM we arrived at the airport and there was a nice man from Hertz with a sign with my name on it, he helped with the luggage and drove us to the Hertz office (just across the road from the airport).
This Hertz person was very nice and helpful told us what we needed to know and we where of to our hotel quickly.
Yesterday we returned our Rental Car to Hertz. This time we there was a guy hanging in his seat didn’t really say anything and didn’t even respond to the things we had to say about the car. Then another fellow would drive us back to the airport. And this gentleman made it a race to get us to the terminal. It was good that this car had some handles to hold on to because i don’t think that he really knew where the breaks where on this car :( and he also didn’t care about his customers he just sat in the car when we got our luggage out and didn’t say a thing.
Conclusion. if you rent a car at Hertz in Thunder Bay then don’t expect anything when you return the car. To me it seems like the are only interested in you when you pickup your car when you return it they don’t care at all.
For me this means that next time I go to Thunder Bay i will definitely use a different Rental Car company even if it costs double the price!
Written by George on September 4th, 2007 with no comments.
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