Hangout Handbook

In our annual Hangout Handbook, Exclaim! asks some of our favourite artists to discuss their favourite hometown haunts. Here, the members of Lab Coast discuss their picks for Calgary.

Eggs and Burgers
You'll notice that many of these choices have to do with sweet deals; it's a theme that guides us always. Guitarist Sam Starchild votes for Monki (1301 10 Ave SW), a tiny little downtown spot. She goes big on the Eggs Benny there, and attests to the superlative quality of the burger as well.

Outdoors Is Free
One of Calgary's strengths is its proximity to nature. Less than an hour west, you'll reach the mountains; head south and you'll hit Nanton (the source of all that bottled water) and Waterton National Park; and out east are the trippy hoodoos of Drumheller, a truly strange looking area.

A Happy Hour Indeed
We recently discovered that Italian restaurant Cibo (1012 17 Ave. SW) has an amazing happy hour special. From three to five p.m. they offer full pizzas for $5 each. Now these are fine, full pizzas with delicious toppings. We sit, drinking the also staggeringly cheap wine that is part of the special, and marvel at how fantastic this is.

Books With Pictures, Discs With Music
Pages (1135 Kensington Rd. NW) and Shelf Life (1302 4 St. SW) have the market cornered on well-curated and handsomely displayed book offerings. Another Dimension (424 10 St. NW) offers a serious comics outlet. Frontman Chris Dadge works the counter at Hot Wax Records (114 10 St. NW), and 17th Avenue SW is filled with record stores including Sloth (735 17 Ave. SW), Melodiya (2523 17 Ave. SW), and recent arrival Blackbyrd Myoozik (1126 17 Ave. SW).

Bluffing the Bluffers
McHugh Bluff is a road that runs along a hill at the northern end of downtown, and it's a long, winding road along that borders Crescent Heights and offers a panoramic view of the city and the mountains beyond. It's a popular spot for viewing fireworks, but on normal nights it's a relatively secluded stretch. 

Watch the Birdie
Keep an eye out for magpies — birds that kind of look like deluxe crows, and apparently aren't found in every city!

Lab Coast released Remember the Moon on Wyatt Records earlier this year.