Cool Calgary: Global Greeter Network
Local volunteers guide city visitors off the beaten path
Eiffel Tower — check.
Empire State Building — check.
Sightseeing while on vacation oftens feels like you're just ticking items off a list.
But if you prefer to live like the locals when you travel, there are actually hundreds of people around the world who want to take you to their favourite coffee shop or food truck.
"When you meet someone who is on vacation, no matter what was going on with your day, you kind of become part of that time off and it's a great way for us to unwind and meet some new people," said Chris Cameron.
He's one of the founders of the Calgary Greeters, a chapter of the Global Greeter Network — an informal association of cities that have passionate volunteer residents willing to show off their beloved city to complete strangers.
Cameron and his wife, Keely, used the free service for the first time three years ago when they were visiting Chicago.
"It ended up being the best part of our trip," she said. "The fellow who greeted us... we ended up having lunch with him and hanging out in his neighbourhood which was completely off the beaten path."
She says lately, most of the visitors they tour around in Calgary are business travellers.
"I think they just don't want to sit in a hotel room by themselves after their meeting. So they're looking to someone to talk to for an hour or two, just to fill some time," said Cameron.
Calgary Greeter Mark Krysinski says he's taken travellers to Village Ice Cream and to a few hidden coffee shops.
"The intent is to keep visitors away from a guided tour where everybody is moving around in a herd. It's meant to be a bit more casual, like you're walking around with a friend as opposed to walking around with a tour guide."
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This summer, the Calgary Eyeopener is featuring people contributing to the "cool factor" of our city. If you know someone who is making Calgary cool, send an email to eyeopener@cbc.ca