I love taking a stroll to St. Patrick Island after enjoying an espresso and chocolate croissant at the Simmons Building. Just follow the river walk east and walk over the pedestrian bridge from East Village.
Once on the island (31 acres of island) there's a walking path that loops around that makes a nice stroll past water features, a bridge, "Bloom' Sculpture (it's 7 stories high!), a park with a great big hill, an amazingly long bench for lounging in the sun with your 20 closest friends and picnic tables.
In the summer, you can enjoy a 'movie in the park'. The movies run in front of the great big hill. The hill has the perfect slope to lean back and enjoy the big screen. When you're on the hill you face downtown Calgary which looks amazing at twilight.
In the spring you'll see geese leading their goslings around the park and on the river. There's nothing cuter than a bunch of goslings. read more