Photo by Michael Gil.
Things have been getting a little bit hot this past week in Calgary. Our average temperatures have been about 12 degrees higher than usual, and the weather spike has been causing huge electricity demands, with brownouts occurring all over the province. On July 30th, the Alberta Electric System Operators tweeted that Alberta had hit a new record for summer electricity demand at 10,419 MW. Mayor Naheed Nenshi and other local politicians informed citizens to cut back on energy use, solving the crisis – you can turn your AC back on, everyone. However, for those of us without air conditioning, or for those looking to get out of the house, here are a couple of our best tips to chill out in the city this summer.
Get wet.
There are a ton of great wading pools, spray parks, and outdoor pools spread out all over the city – the City of Calgary website has a great roundup here. If you’re trying to avoid getting a sunburn, there are also a ton of great indoor pools and recreational leisure centres.
Get icy.
There are so many great independent ice cream and gelato shops in Calgary that it’s hard to just name a few. Some of our favourites include Village Ice Cream (try their cardamom ice cream, it’s incredible), Amato Gelato, Fiasco Gelato, My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe, and Made By Marcus (their gluten free ice cream sandwiches are to die for.)
Get spicy.
It might seem counterintuitive, but many people agree that eating hot and spicy meals can help cool you down. Whether you’re digging in to some delicious vindaloo at Moti Mahal, hot sauce from The Spicy Jamakin (it will burn your face off, in a good way), a plate of spicy chicken udon at Oriental Dumplings, or your plan is just pouring as much sriracha as you can into a big bowl of pho from Tamarind Vietnamese, the capsicum might help your body cool off while having the opposite effect on your tastebuds. Either way, you’ll at least be enjoying a delicious meal in an air conditioned local restaurant. Also, if there’s one thing in common most of these restaurants have, it’s delicious cold drinks available for dessert.
Stay Shady
The most important thing in the summer is staying safe – lots of hydration and limiting your sun exposure. Of course, the best way to do that is by enjoying a couple of drinks on one of the city’s many gorgeous outdoor patios.
If you have any great tips for staying cool this summer that you’d like to share, or are looking for more advice, Mayor Nenshi started the hashtag of #yyckeepcool over on Twitter that has a ton of great advice.