This is one of those cities where it is not clear if I will ever return. Comfort Inns are the nicest of the budget class accommodation chains in North America. In this instance, I had a choice of all three. They formed this golden triangle of globalization, one butting up against another. I went for the best. Comfort Inns provide breakfasts which consist of eggs, sausage, and yogurt, where the other two just give you slimy processed muffins.
Leaving the bosom of the highway takes concerted effort, it takes a plan, it takes a reason. Traveling in America is like being sucked through a straw.
Points A and B are clear and defined but the area in between is just one quick slurp. There is another reason why I so easily choose to stay in a highway hotel on the outer edge of Calgary: I often find the outskirts of cities fascinating.
These are the lands of truck stops, warehouses, factories, strip malls, and low cost housing that is all wrapped up in elevated highways and decorated with chain link fences. The transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct, dress, etc.
The experience of the liminal zone can be hit and miss. They can be interesting, brimming over with stories, or β¦ not. In North America, the amusements of the liminal zone are often a little more subdued. I stood between the latter two for a few minutes and finished my cup of coffee. I watched the sun bed down in a blanket of orangeish-gray haze as a jet landed in the airport a few blocks away.
