skywalk

Calgary is a glacial mess during the winter. So much so that the city has connected numerous of its downtown office towers and buildings with a network of skywalks, called the Plus 15.

The Beth Israel Medical Centre on the edge of Gramercy also has a skywalk stretching between two of its buildings on East 17th Street. And though it's just the one skywalk, every time I see it (which is often enough to stir memories) I can't but help feel a little nostalgic about the Plus 15 from my birthtown.

CONSUMED: East 17th St, between 1st and 2nd; Gramercy (Manhattan)

yellow autumn leaves

I was born in Calgary. Actually, I lived there for 8 years before moving east with my family. And so I was old enough to have memories from the time I spent there — I remember feeling giddy at the Dinosaur Park at the zoo, buying slurpees at the 7-11 down the street from my house, coming out of my house in the middle of winter and being amazed at the warm chinook weather. One thing I do not remember is Calgary's monochromatic autumn.

Yellow. That's all that happens to the deciduous trees that shed their plumage each year. None of the beautiful auburns and coppers and fiery rusts that we achieve on the east coast. It's because of the poplar and the larch, people told me, that gives Calgary its vibrant mustards. And while it was stunning to see the sides of the mountains swathed in gold, all I could think of was how I missed the east coast rainbow.

CONSUMED: Calgary and Canmore, Alberta