April 2008
You are currently browsing the articles from Review and Things written in the month of April 2008.
MacKay’s is one of those places that everybody talks about, it seems to be one of the best ice cream places in the area so I checked it out.
On a warm day expect a line of people all the way outside and inside you will be guided to through a line again so it can take some time before you get your ice cream.
In 2008 MacKay’s is a part of Cochrane for 60 years and that should say something but I bin to Mackay’s twice now and both times I have to say I was not impressed. The ice cream is very tasteless and that means something if I say that because I am one of those people that doesn’t like strong tasting ice cream but MacKay’s doesn’t seem to offer any taste to me.
So i have to say after two visits that I will not be coming back. For me this is not Ice cream that makes me enjoy a hot summer day. But based on the lineup that you see at MacKay’s it should mean that I am wrong.
And if i am wrong then please share your view on this old fashioned ice cream place.
Written by George on April 29th, 2008 with no comments.
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For Lunch today it was Burger King. This time I visited the one next to the Deer Valley Mall in the South East of Calgary.
It was lunch time when I got there and again i was surprised how not busy Burger King is at this time of the day.
Order taking didn’t go quick but acceptable but i guess they can learn a thing or two from the other fast food chains where waits are short.
The ambiance of this Burger King is not great, the seating is all plastic and the rest of the place also doesn’t give you homey feeling. But they have a play area for the kids so that can be a selling point for you to visit it.
No complains about the food it tasted good although a short wait would have bin great.
Is it worth to visit this Burger King again? yes probably I will if I am in the area and i want some fast food.
UPDATE:
Today (June 27, 2008) when I drove by this Burger King I noticed that the place was closed and there is a sign on the window that this Burger King is Permanently closed! So one less place for me to eat lunch when I am in the neighborhood.
Written by George on April 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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These days you see some great deals for a 6 cups water filtration system from Brita.
Brita did a nice job creating this 6 cups space saver model. It has a great little lid that you can open without removing the top and it has a little filter change indicator to help you keep track when you filter need to be changed.
And of course in the days that everybody likes to drink water and don’t want all the bad stuff that you find in you tap water a water filtration system so a system like Brita is a solution and by getting a filtration system you will save on bottled water and of course you save the environment because now you don’t need all those bottles.
The water that comes out of the Brita water filter tasted great and that is for me an important thing. I wonder about what kind of plastic is used in the water pitcher and if that is bad for me so i would love to get one made of glass.
But lets talk a bit more about the water pitcher the handle of this system is great it holds easy even if the filter is completely full. There is one BIG disadvantage to this Brita filter and I think that this is a real bad mistake.
OK what did they do 
they didn’t close up the top of the handle and left the top of the pitcher not end up to the top maybe just to save on some plastic but what happens now when you don’t pay attention to much is when you fill up the reservoir all the way to the top is that the water ends up in the handle and then it starts to drip out and it end up on your sink or where ever you have your Brita standing.
This is a real bad but something i need to live with but i hope that Brita fixes this in there next models.
Written by George on April 24th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Today for lunch I quickly went to Burger King at 4818 17th Ave SE and this was the first Burger King I visited in Canada.
The place looked nice but there was a lot of dirty trays lying around that people didn’t put away 
It was lunch time (12.30 PM) but the place was kinda dead. There where 3 people waiting for there food before me and they all seem to be waiting for a while. There was 1 girl helping the customers and she seem to be frustrated by the speed the food was coming.
I ordered a BK Fish meal and it was a surprise to see that this one came quicker then the meals that people ordered with the regular burgers.
The Fish burger was pretty good and the rest of my meal was also pretty good from taste specially if you compare that to some other fast food joints I visited in the past.
I still think the the Fish burger from McDonalds is my favorite but this one comes close.
Don’t know if this Burger King wins me over but i will definitely keep Burger King in mind next time i am hungry and forgot to make my own lunch.
Written by George on April 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Today I needed some keys cut and you know most times you go for these things to a mall but today I just happen to pass by Aboe Lockwork on Centre Street here in Calgary.
Aboe has some parking spots in the back and that is handy specially on Centre Street.
The Aboe Lockworks store seems well equipped for all the lock work you need. My keys where cuts in minutes and although the guy that helped me didn’t seem the most friendly of them all it at least gave me a feeling that they know what they are doing and you wonder about that at a key cutter in the mall.
I guess next time i think of Aboe Lockworks again when i need a key.
Written by George on April 14th, 2008 with no comments.
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Joey’s Seafood is situated on Lakeshore drive in Sylvan Lake. This Joey’s is situated on the 2e floor and has a nice ambiance and give you a nice view over the harbour and the lake.
This time I didn’t just go for the great tasting fish and chips this time I got the Jack and Joey’s combo that contains a piece of Chicken and a piece of fish. And this meal also tasted great for me the chicken could have bin seasoned a little bit less but it was not over done.
When we got to the Joeys Seafood around 6 there was only one table with guests but soon it completely filled up and when we left all tables where taken and to me that always means that food should be good.
If you ever get to SylvanLake and feel like some quality Fish and Chips then think of Joey’s ok it is a chain but still they seem to keep quality up.
Written by George on April 14th, 2008 with no comments.
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Bears on the Black Run is a BBC documenturay about two Black Bear Families both consisting of a mom and two cubs.
One of the familes will keep high in the mountains when the other familie chooses to get there food in the busy Whistler town. The documentary gives a nice view about how the bears are trying to live around the busy ski resort at Whistler Mountain.
It is a very nicely made movie that shows you footage that you normally will not see that easily available. The movie will show you how bears are behaving around each other and around their food sources. Also it give a sad look about how bears getting closer and closer to the people of Whistler.
If you like bears see you can get a copy of this 30 minute documentary at you local library.
Written by George on April 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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The Not from Ikea is probably one of the cheapest floor lamps out there and you when you get one you know that you didn’t pay for a great product that was price cheaply.
The Not Floor lamp is a two in one unit with a nice standing lamp with a side reading light. The Not is easy to assemble and you will get it working in minutes. There is a big downside to this lamp and that is that it is not the most sturdy lamp you can get it seem to be able to stand on it’s own but that is about it.
Another downside to me is that the wires run on the outside and that of course doesn’t look as nice as if it was build in to the frame.
A well the Not is not the worst you can get but it is definitely not the best either. But for like 20 dollars you can’t expect to much. Would i buy an Not again? probably because it is handy and the price is right but if i had lots of cash to spend i would save a bit longer for something stronger.
Written by George on April 9th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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With all those fast food chains around the globe place where you can get a decent burger for a decent price are getting spares but there still some great places out there and one of those is Peter’s Drive-In right on Highway 1 in Calgary.
Peters is a Drive in so don’t expect a place to sit in side but there are lots of benches outside but with the Calgary weather that means that often they will not be used.
Peters’ is probably the busiest burger joint in town and that should mean something. often you see busloads of people waiting for there food so be prepared for a little wait that will be worth it.
The burgers are great and are not even to compare with any other fast food place. Fries come in two sizes small and Large and large in this case means TO large
Next to that they offer some great shakes that are to die for.
The conclusion for Peters’ can only be the best fast food in town and you can’t not stop there for some great quality food.
Peter’ Drive In
219 - 16 Avenue NE
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 1J9
www.petersdrivein.com
Written by George on April 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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Yes it was time for some fastfood again this time just because i needed some food quick and McDonald’s was right around the corner.
The Faclonridge McDonald’s has a big play area for the kids but it is seperated from the rest of the restaurant so that the other visitors don’t have to enjoy the noise the children maken when they are playing.
I got there on a weekday at lunch time and it was busy really busy. And that made the servers a bit stressed out and not very efficient. There where people waiting for parts of there order when i came in and when i was helped like 5 minutes later they where still waiting.
The admosphere at his McDonald’s was nice lots of clean sitting space and the food was as you can expect at McDonald’s.
Written by George on April 6th, 2008 with no comments.
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