Bigs als in Calgary Decemebr 1st

[Porthos]

Delphinus, you are right, I am in the North

However, I'm in the far North, so like you, I would also consider Wai's and Ocean's to be pretty central, just like Riverfront and Golds. The only store I can visit somewhat easily is Red Coral (although it is still out of the way), but luckily that is also one of my favourites to visit.

Elite and Golds are actually too far for me so I don't visit them often. The new Big Al's is also out of the way, but I work close by, so I can visit it at lunch and after work pretty easily. Hopefully it will be good so that I can check things out often. I wasn't in the hobby when the old Big Al's was around.

I think those that live far North have it just as bad as those that live in the deep south. Most of the stores are pretty central when you think about it, other than Elite and Red Coral, and those are still somewhat central.

For people in the SW, if you have easy access to Crowchild, it is actually pretty quick to get to Red Coral if you aren't driving during rush hour. Red Coral is like a minute off of Crowchild Trail.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by Porthos

For people in the SW, if you have easy access to Crowchild, it is actually pretty quick to get to Red Coral if you aren't driving during rush hour. Red Coral is like a minute off of Crowchild Trail.

Take it back! Crowchild is my worst nightmare. I'd rather listen to screaming children on a 14-hour flight to Hong Kong (and I've done both, so I know...lol).

Let's face it, Calgary's just a crap city to have to drive long distances for things. We have two seasons here: winter and construction. Neither are very conducive to driving long distances and maintaining a healthy mental state.

Riverfront is downtown, which is a frustration all unto itself. Wai's and Ocean City are on 16th, which again, is a construction/traffic/HWY 1 nightmare. Red Coral is connected to Crowchild hell. Gold and Elite are pretty much the only stores I'll visit on an even remotely regular basis. I went to see if Pisces had a saltwater section (again), and it took me 30 minutes to get there, and that was mostly by Deerfoot.

When Big Al's opens, maybe I'll pack a picnic lunch, fill the car with gas, make sure my camera battery is charged, and make a day of it. Because I'm sure that's what it'll take. Then I'll write a blog entry about it entitled, "No Money for Fish, Spent It All On Gas".

[Tyson]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Thing is, I'd consider Riverfront and Gold more "central" than anything. Yes, by the map, Gold is in the south. However, it only takes me 5 minutes more driving to get to Wai's than it does to get to Gold's. So to me it doesn't really feel all that "south". Porthos I asssume you live in the north, I don't think you'd say that otherwise

To be honest, I really did enjoy Big Al's previous location. It was close to work, close to home, I could go there for a quick boo and be back home inside of an hour. I can't do that to any store anymore except for Elite. And ... well .. short of M.O., guess who gets most of MY business? Sorry, location being convenient is a BIG factor to me nowadays. Before I had kids and I had lots of time to spare, I didn't mind driving all over the wazoo. Now with small kids at home, no ... not so much. So .. yeah, I don't think I'm being unreasonable feeling the way I do. And if you think I am .. well .. tough, I'm not changing my opinion!! Well .. actually, no. It's not an opinion. It's fact. From where I live, it's inconvenient to get to the north (or "north-esque") stores. It takes a bit of planning and juggling things around to do it. I realize it's not this way for everyone, and that's cool. But that's how it is for me.

I feel the same way, when i was single and liveing at my parents place it was easy is to go kill a day driving around looking for stuff(not just reef stuff). When big al's left and i got married my time became costly, but i still find time to pack a lunch and journey to the north dispite my wifes objections. It's the reef madness that compels me to go.