festive Archives - A Flimsy Plan

December 14, 2024 No Comments

Okay, I am getting this in just under the wire. I probably could have written another post earlier today, because I did have a little break between work at Moveology and going out. But for once in my life, I was ahead of a thing and I so wanted to write about it. So, a middle of the night post it is! Because today, Tyler and I went to Sound Room!

First, though, we swung by Market Collective, which long-time readers will know is one of my favourite holiday markets. It is the perfect mixture of fancy and mid-range artisans. This year, I didn’t get any delicious hummus, but I did fill out my Christmas shopping a little bit. And Tyler ate poutine perogies. Everyone won!

And then… 4pm rolled around. The time had come. The time for us to be trendsetters and make our way to 1st Street. To venture into the basement of the Calcutta Cricket Club and check out Sound Room.

As mentioned in his Beer Exchange post, Ol Beautiful is Tyler’s favourite Calgary brewery and he has been missing their taproom. Sound Room is similar, but different. It is vibey and cool. Maybe too cool. The bathrooms had affirmations playing on the day we were there. The bartenders were all very hip (yes, I used that word on purpose, it sounds funny!). It did sort of feel like hanging out in your coolest friend’s living room – especially with how good the music was. We Shazaam’ed more than one song while we were tucked away in a corner with our beers.

I should offer a caution. Sound Room should not be confused with a taproom. It doesn’t have the same vibes and I can’t see anyone hanging out there for hours, playing board games. It’s more like a very cool lounge, but a little bit less pretentious. And also beer. Good beer.

So when are you going to hit up Sound Room?

Zoolights

December 10, 2024 No Comments

This is typically the time of year where I am going to start writing “oh, the weather outside is weather”… but it’s been pleasantly mild for the last several days. I’ve still needed a jacket and toque, so I wouldn’t call it warm, but mild is very accurate. So accurate, in fact, that Tyler and I actually left home and went to Zoolights last Thursday.

Or, as this signage says, “OOLIGHTS”.

And it was just classic, festive, fun. Because it was so nice out, we really took our time wandering the grounds. We bought hot chocolate, both spiked and normal, and sat next to the many fire pyramids that are dotted around the zoo. We chatted with the fire attendants and shared our favourite holiday movies. (Look, we weren’t a thing last Christmas season, so we have a lot of movies to catch up on.)

We even managed to tick off one more item on my unhinged Bucket List! One of the fire attendants let it slip that mulled wine was for sale! We grabbed a mulled wine and made a game of guessing what animals the lights were supposed to be shaped like. Pig? Hippo? Sheep?

Don’t worry. It eventually became apparent that it was a hippo.

Our night was mild and it was easy to stay outdoors, but I do think it would be do-able in slightly colder weather, especially if you bundled up. Like I said, there are tons of fires with seating throughout the zoo. But also, the conservatory is open this year and they have lights set up on both sides! It was the perfect setting to warm up and get a few cute pictures. (In theory. I was not cute in our pictures, so they are not included.)

For those interested in the stats, this is what you need to know about Zoolights, running from Nov 15, 2024 – Jan 5, 2025. Entry begins at 5pm and you cannot stay from the day into the night – it is a separate ticket. The price is variable from day to day, but it’s usually around $20. They recommend buying your tickets in advance for a better price. We were on the grounds for about 2.5 hours, though, so fairly good value.

I don’t know, guys, it was just so damn festive. Maybe a little bit pricey, but I’m so glad we did it.