Calgary's Downtown Power Hour
Richard White, July 2, 2014
Everyone everywhere has heard about rush hour, lunch hour and happy hour, but the term power hour I think is unique to Calgary. I first heard the term in the mid ’90s when the manager of the downtown Hudson Bay department store and I were chatting and he talked about his power hour. When I asked what was a “power hour” he informed me that for his store “noon hour is when downtown employees do their power shopping.”
Since then I have expanded the term to beyond just shopping, especially in the summer when downtown employees’ noon hour thoughts are not only about shopping or lunch, but about getting out for a power walk or a run.
Recently, I decide to get out on my bike and check out what happens in Downtown Calgary at noon hour when 150,000+ employees are let out to play for an hour.
Stephen Avenue Power Hour
Power Hour on Stephen Avenue looking west from the +15 bridge connecting TD Square with Bankers Hall. The 300W block of Stephen Avenue is one of the most densely populated blocks in Canada with 200 floors of office buildings. So when the bell rings for lunch, they pour out onto the street like elementary students into the school yard. (photo credit: Jeff Trost).
This is what the power hour looks like at street level on The Bay block.
A "power hour" lunch on Stephen Avenue looks more like the board room than the lunch room.
Even the kids like to get our for a "power hour" ride.
You never know what you will see on Stephen Avenue during the power hour. It is a popular place for marketing promotions and give-aways.
Bow River Power Hour
In addition to Stephen Avenue Walk, Calgary's downtown "power hour" is also celebrated along the south and north sides of the Bow River on the north side of downtown. Here you will find joggers, power walkers, cyclists, strollers, bladers and skateboarder all mixing and mingling.
The Bow River promenade in downtown's Eau Claire district on the north side of downtown is a very popular spot for joggers, walkers and cyclists.
The new Calatrava Peace Bridge over the Bow River can become grid-locked during the power hour.
The Eau Claire Plaza pool is a popular place for families to meet up during the power hour and have some quality family time.
Not everybody love to work up a sweat during power hours, some are happy to just gets some fresh air or meet up with a friend along the Bow River. One of the big advantages of working downtown is that you can easily meet up with family and friends who also work downtown. I just happened to run into an old acquaintance who I hadn't seen in 10 or more years on this everyday trip.
Downtown's Outdoor Power Spots
While Stephen Avenue and the Bow Promenade are the busy "power hour" spots, downtown Calgary has many outdoor places where office workers can catch some sun, relax and chat.
Harley Hotchkiss Gardens is downtown's newest public space created as part of the new Calgary Courthouse complex. It is about as "centre ice, mid-field or center court" as you can get.
As a winter city, Calgarians love to sit in the sun whenever they can.
A bocci ball game during the power hour at Hotchkiss Gardens.
Many of the Stephen Avenue power walkers are heading to Olympic Plaza where they can sit, have their lunch and people watch.
Century Gardens on the west side of downtown has a sunny grassy knoll that looks out to a pond, cascading stream and tall coniferous trees to create park-like setting in the middle of the high-rise office towers.
Two young children exploring the Century Gardens river while Mom and Dad have lunch nearby.
Promenade to McDougall Centre a century old sandstone school that has been converted into the Alberta Premier's office when he is in town. The school sits in the middle of the block with public spaces all around it.
The McDougall Centre backyard.
Prince's Island is an old gravel bar in the Bow River that has be transformed into a downtown park that offers workers some alone time at lunch. It is also home to the Calgary International Folk Festival and Shakespeare In the Park.
There is a steady stream of people heading back to work at the end of the power hour from Prince's Island.
This could be the most minimalist downtown park in Canada - no name, no trees, no decorations, just green grass and four picnic tables randomly spaced.
This downtown office worker climbs Jaume Plensa's "Wonderland" sculpture on the plaza of the Norman Foster designed Bow office tower during his power hour.
Footnote:
While many see downtown Calgary a concrete jungle, you can see from these pictures that it is full of interesting public spaces some intimate and some animated, many with lots of vegetation. All of these spaces are within one square kilometre of each other. Everyone who works in downtown Calgary has access to an attractive outdoor public space no more than a five minute walk away.