Dear 17th Avenue

Dear 17th Ave… oh how I’ve missed you and your stinky streets; your eclectic feel and your character. Oh how I love your little breakfast nooks, the paintings on building walls and little artsy fetish shops.

I had forgotten how many casually light up a cigarette and stroll down your streets, how many people stumble down your length only to pass out somewhere along the way.

It was good to see you again with all of your billboards, discarded coffee cups and familiar faces selling independent newspapers. I’ll try not to stay away as long next time.

6 comments on “Dear 17th AvenueAdd yours →

  1. Wow I never realised until now just how much I really miss Calgary and 17th ave. Ohhh the familiarity.

  2. Clearly 17th Ave. is one of those special places which gets under your skin and I have therefore added it as an attraction at trivago, as well as placed a link to your article. Perhaps you would want to add some photographs for the benefit of our global travel community?

  3. You’re bang on with the nostalgia and the love of 17th Avenue. I spent three angst-filled years at Western Canada High School, located directly across the street (but unfortunately not visible) from the shops in the second photo. This whole strip played a key role in my youth and the time I spent there has left an indelible mark on my memories. The rare times that I skipped class (being the good student that I was), I invariably spent the time wandering through these very shops. Although some of the stores have changed in the 16 years since then, many remain comfortably unchanged and familiar – stink and all. It’s too bad they tore down the Sagesse and Bagels ‘n Buns building just down the road. I wasted many happy hours in there too.

    And so, from 3500 km and more than a decade and a half away, thanks for the skip down memory lane Shar. Like you said, I’ll try not to stay away so long…

  4. Good eye. That is a shop that sells hemp products — so hemp shampoo, hemp clothing, yadda yadda. It’s been there for a really long time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *