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If You Go To Calgary
As the oil and gas capital of Canada and one of the major financial centers, Calgary is well represented with properties of the big hotel chains: Sheraton, Westin, Radisson, Fairmont among the higher-end hotels; Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Super 8 among the lesser priced. Most have properties downtown, a commuter train stop or two from Stampede Park. I stayed at the Delta Bow Valley, a wonderful hotel, part of a Canadian chain. My 20th floor room provided a great view of the city and came with all the modern accouterments, including cable TV and phone jack for Internet connection. The hotel also dresses up for the Stampede, the staff in cowboy outfits and the lobby decorated in western motif, complete with hay bales and chuck wagon.

Dining comes in a full range, expected of a major city, everything from contemporary to all of the popular foreign cuisines. A substantial representation is along 8th Avenue, which is a promenade for about a half-dozen blocks. Alberta prides itself on its beef and justifiably so. My particular favorite for a great steak was Drinkwaters Grill, where I had a Danish blue cheese encrusted filet with garlic mash potatoes and stir-fried vegetables. The mushroom soup that preceded it was so thick you could have eaten it with a fork. The Jackson Triggs cabernet from the Okanogan Valley in Canada's far west was a lovely representative of Canadian vineyards that are gaining an international reputation. The Glenbow Museum Art Gallery has wonderful permanent collections showcasing western art, first nations' arts and crafts, along with pieces from other parts of the world, from both historical and contemporary periods. At 626 feet above the city, the Calgary Tower (somewhat reminiscent of the Space Needle in Seattle), provides a great outlook on what man hath wrought beneath, with the wonderful natural backdrop of the prairies and the mountains in the distance.

Air Canada, the leader in air transportation between the U.S. and Canada, offers convenient service between U.S. gateways and Calgary. The airline was recently voted the "Best Airline in North America" by frequent flyers from around the world and its frequent flyer program, Aeroplan, was also voted the world's best in the prestigious annual survey of the Official Airline Guide. Call toll-free, 1-888-247-2262 or visit online at www.aircanada.com

For more information on the Canadian travel experience, including a free copy of Great Canadian Adventures, call toll-free 1-877-8CANADA or visit on the Web at www.travelcanada.ca
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For the second time in four years, naturaltraveler.com has won the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Northern Lights Award for Internet Reporting, this time for my article entitled: "Newfoundland, Where Landscape Defines Literature." It is another in a series of journalism awards writers for the site have won over the past few years. I am particularly proud of this award because the article calls attention to the kind of innovative, in-depth coverage, by my fellow journalists, that defines naturaltraveler.com. It also represents the level of planning and cooperation that goes into articles for the website. Beginning with the premise that many people choose a destination on the basis of a beautifully wrought piece of fiction, I found a wonderful example in Newfoundland and worked closely with Gillian Marx of Newfoundland & Labrador Media Relations, who was indispensible in setting up the interviews with the world-class authors who are quoted in the article. I feel I share this award with Gillian and her colleagues.

If you’d like to read the article, click on: Newfoundland, Where Landscape Defines Literature
Awarded Second Place for Internet Travel Reporting by the Society of American Travel Writers Central States

–for John Ostdick’s story (June 2004): Acapulco Revisited: A New Look at the Poster Resort
Winner of the Canadian Tourism Commission's 2002 Northern Lights Award

–for Internet travel writing and photography for a story in the June edition: Calgary Stampede: Ridin’, Ropin’ and Madcap Chuck Wagon Races."
Awarded top prize for foreign travel by the Society of American Travel Writers Central States

–for Marilyn Bauer’s story Nature’s Time Machine on the Galapagos Islands in the May 2002 edition.

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