The best of Calgary: Hear it from students

As a prospective student, knowing all the best spots for hanging out, eating, and even napping, can take time. If you are going to be new to the city or campus, you might not even know where to start – That’s why we’ve created a guide for you! Hear it from Aidyn, Fiona, Asfa, Alfredo, and Vanessa for guides on what they believe are the best places in Calgary!

Aidyn

Best place to live:

Anywhere near the Bow River! Going for walks, runs, and bike rides along the river gives me a chance to breathe and take time for myself.

Best cheap lunch:

The tomato & feta pasta salad at Brew & Blendz never lets me down! It’s the perfect amount and always tastes so good.

Best place for a nap:

I usually don’t take naps and just continue to drink coffee instead.

Best breakfast:

My favorite brunch place in Calgary would have to be the Bro’Kin Yolk! There are a few locations across the city, but sometimes it can get busy and you might have to wait for a table – so worth it though!

Best place to study:

I find myself most often studying in the Business Library in Scurfield Hall since it is so convenient! There is a talking zone and a quiet zone, so you really get the best of both worlds.

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Fiona

Best place to live:

I think the best place to live is in residence. Living in residence myself, I found that it was the easiest for commuting, accessible study places, and meeting new friends!

Best cheap lunch:

The best cheap lunch is Bake Chef’s pepperoni buns! It tastes like a pizza all wrapped up in one warm bun for a super great price!

Best place for a nap:

Since I lived on campus, it was super easy for me to go back to residence and nap! I would highly recommend.

Best breakfast:

I love going to the Denny’s on 16^th Ave, which is right by campus! It has a great selection of food and is very close to campus.

Best place to study:

The best place to study is Murray Fraser Hall. I enjoy studying there as it is close to my classes and is not as busy as TFDL usually is!

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Asfa

Best place to live:

I think Brentwood is super convenient! There’s a C-Train station there so it’s easy to get around the city, and it’s close to the university and Market Mall too.

Best cheap lunch:

Umi Sushi Express in Mac Hall is my go-to. They have a wide variety of food on their menu with big portions, all for a good price. I also want to add Bake Chef, since I love their cookies, which are made from scratch daily!

Best place for a nap:

The upstairs level of Mac Hall has a bunch of couches.

Best breakfast:

Breakfast sandwiches and hash browns from A&W are always so good.

Best place to study:

I love the Engineering building! They have so many places to sit and most of the study spaces have outlets to plug in your laptop and phone.

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Alfredo

Best place to live:

Bridgeland or Kensington are amazing communities to live in that are close to everything you need.

Best cheap lunch:

A pizza bun from Bake Chef is the perfect cheap lunch for when you are in a rush!

Best place for a nap:

The Social Sciences hallway is the perfect place to take a nap in between classes as it is full of comfy couches!

Best breakfast:

Nothing beats IHOP.

Best place to study:

The large tables on the sixth floor of TFDL will give you the best views of campus and the city, plus seeing everyone else working hard around you will motivate you to stay focused.

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Vanessa

Best place to live:

Brentwood. It’s within walking distance from the University of Calgary which is convenient for students to have an easy and quick commute to school. There is also a bus station located in Brentwood and a train station nearby, making it easy to travel to downtown and other areas such as Kensington where there are a lot of amazing restaurants, patios, and shops to go to! 

Best cheap lunch: 

The Vietnamese subs over at Bake Chef. It’s one of the cheaper options for lunch in Mac Hall and is a fan favorite for a lot of students at the University of Calgary. 

Best place for a nap:

Anywhere that there’s a comfy couch. A go-to spot for many students to nap is on the third floor of Mac Hall! 

Best breakfast:

An eggs benny from the Bro’Kin Yolk! OEB Breakfast Co. and Namo Cafe are also great restaurants for brunch to check out in Calgary. 

Best place to study: 

The Taylor Family Digital Library (TFDL) is my favorite. There are individual rooms that you can book on the libraries and cultural resources page of the University of Calgary website. Booking a room on the upper floors of TFDL is a great place to get some studying in without having any distractions.

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And now for the ones that were all agreed upon…

Weirdest UCalgary tradition: 

Spinning the Zipper sculpture located in science theatres. It has been a tradition for students to spin it for good luck before an exam, although it is said that an engineering student broke their arm by getting it stuck through the Zipper while it was spinning. Now the Zipper is known to bring good luck to all students except for those in engineering!

Best UCalgary event:

The best campus event is definitely Kickoff for us! It’s the first Dinos football game of the season when everyone comes back for the fall semester. We love seeing all the excited students coming back to campus and the start of a fresh new school year. There are games hosted by the Students’ Union, students cheering and dressed in Dinos gear, lots of food, and it’s free for students to go!

Best food on campus:

Korean BBQ House! They give a big portion of food and allow you to choose a variety of different sides for your meal. It is super filling, so you can never go wrong.

Best downtown activity:

We all love walking around downtown and exploring the many stores, restaurants, patios and coffee shops! Studying in coffee shops is also a great way to stay motivated by changing up the scenery from campus once in a while.