Calgary: The Heart of the New West // Places to Shop

Words & Photography
by Sisi Zheng



Filled with skin care products and chemical-free ailment reliefs, this is a perfect place to hit up. From essential oils to candles, this store has it all.

Saje Natural Wellness //
2308A 4th St. SW
Calgary, AB, T2S 1X2
Canada











Stocked with cute little plants, mostly cacti, this store is for sure a must! If you’re like me and lack green thumbs, succulents are the ideal plants to keep in your living space. From shelves to carts filled with these beauties, it’s hard to walk out without one. I always get a bit excited when I step into this store.

Plant //
1335 9th Ave. SE, Unit C
Calgary, AB T2G 0T2
Canada







Not even a block away from Plant, situates this cozy spice store. Right when you walk in you’ll see cabinets and shelves full of spices. The cool part about this store is how shoppers can actually watch the workers prepare spices for packaging. If you are attracted to vintage items, like me, this corner shown above will be your favourite.

The Silk Road Spice Merchant //
1403 9 Ave. SE
Calgary, AB T2G 0T4
Canada



Located in Inglewood, Recordland is definitely the coolest place ever. Instead of flipping through CD’s and vinyls, you’ll be on your tippy toes most of the time.

Recordland //
1208 9 Ave. SE
Calgary, Alberta
Canada



If you live in Calgary and feel like contributing to its music scene, head over to Vintage Music for some stringed beauties. Right across from the music store, is Leroux Music Studios. I’ve been taking lessons there for years and I always look forward to that one hour of music after a busy week. Plus they have my absolute favourite corner. I cannot stop swooning over this instrument wall situation.

Vintage Music //
2114A 14 St. NW
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

Every time I leave Calgary for a few years, I always end up coming back, for some strange reason. I think it is because I am constantly drawn to its simplicity. It’s not continuously moving like a city that never sleeps or anywhere close to being monotonous. The city has its own pace, just like everyone has a different pulse, and mine beats within “The Heart of the New West”.

Calgary: The Heart of the New West // Places to Eat

Words & Photography
by Sisi Zheng







Situated in Kensington, this coffee house is one of my most visited. It is the quietest one I’ve found and I’ve completely turned it into my lair. With delicious bagel sandwiches and lattes, it is the perfect place to sit down to catch up on work or a book. The House is also the only cafe in Calgary that serves non-profit coffee.

The colour of that wall is the perfect example of grlue (green+blue), am I right? The afternoon light is also absolutely spectacular. Natural light is an important component to my photos so I love how it’s always quite bright in there.

The House Coffee Sanctuary //
126 10 St. NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1V3
Canada











Coffee and a perfect dish, what more could you ask for? Having only tried this place once, I know I will certainly be coming back for more. The wall designs also add to the black and white contrast of the whole restaurant.

Market //
718 17th Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2S 0B7
Canada







One of my favourite places for coffee. This cozy coffee house is located in the Mission area. Be sure to bring a book and order a small latte to stay.

If you’re a latte art lover like me, Phil & Seb’s is, without doubt, the perfect place to see the baristas pour some lovely designs.

Phil & Sebastian //
2043 33 Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2T
Canada





Even when it’s -20°C, Village’s desserts are still to die for! They have the classic flavours, and some of them you’ll only get in Calgary like their new Phil & Sebastian’s coffee flavour, as seen in the photo above.

Village Ice Cream //
431 10 Ave. SE
Calgary, AB T2G 0W3
Canada





Also located in Mission, this house/bakery painted in bright yellow is hard to miss! Their macarons will surely satisfy your sweet tooth. There is dozens of flavours to choose from so I always find myself leaving with boxes full of them!

Yann Haute Patisserie //
329 23 Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2S 3C4
Canada

Calgary: The Heart of the New West // Places to Visit

Words & Photography
by Sisi Zheng

If I said I could count the number of times I wanted to create a city guide for Calgary, I would be lying. I kept holding myself back because I felt that there were already so many amazing guides out there and if I were to create one, it wouldn’t come close those. And maybe it won’t be as great, but I will attempt to make it my own.

Whenever I travel I try to visit places that are less well known but still worthwhile, and enjoy dining at places locals normally would. So instead of showing the usual tourist-musts, I thought it would be neat to showcase some of the everyday places a Calgarian would go, in order for people to get a taste of what it is like to live in Calgary. And if you already do live here, feel free to check out some of these places as well! So in the next three days, thanks to Habit & Home, they will be posting some of my favourite places to visit, eat, and shop in Calgary.



The Calgary Tower is the second tallest building in the city and it is in the heart of downtown Calgary. The night view is absolutely unforgettable, and be sure to head to the Sky 360 for a lovely meal that comes with a gorgeous view of the city as the restaurant floor spins around the tower while you dine. This used to be the tallest building in Calgary until the Bow tower was built, but it is still the tallest building that is open to the public.

Calgary Tower //

101 - 9 Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1J9
Canada



This is one of the tallest towers in all of Canada, excluding the ones in Toronto. Sadly, The Bow is not open to the public, but at the front entrance stands the uniquely designed Wonderland sculpture by Jaume Plensa that is for sure worth a visit.

The Bow //
500 Centre St. SE
Calgary, Canada







Hidden along Elbow Drive, Wood’s Park definitely has a magical feel to it. Depending on the season, there’s always something different and new about it. During the summer, roses are planted throughout the park and during autumn, needless to say, everything is covered in a shade of gold.

Griffith Wood's Park //
Discovery Ridge Blvd. SW
Calgary, Canada