FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: A Week in the Canadian Rockies

Last month I returned to the Banff Media Festival in beautiful Banff, Alberta, Canada, in order to moderate several panels. The highlight, as I wrote here, was my chat with "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson. But outside of the TV festival, I also brought the family up this year, in order to share the beauty of the region with them. And it didn't disappoint. The weather may have been overcast, but the mountains, the lakes and the nature still thrilled our city bones. It was a week the Franklin Avenue kids won't forget. Some highlights:


A bird's eye view of the magnificent Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.


Elk on the side of the street in Banff.


Vermillion Lakes, outside of Banff.


Banff's farmers' market.


Buffalo Dawgs and Buffalo Smokies.


The Buffalo Smokie.


Two rivers run through Banff; here's one of them.


The Blogger Kid on horseback.


Deer on the side of the bike path in Banff.


The Banff Gondola ferries passengers up the side of Sulphur Mountain.


View from the top.


Moraine Lake.


More of Moraine Lake.


The Franklin Avenue boys take in Lake Louise.


More of Lake Louise.


Lake Louise, with the Fairmont hotel overlooking it.


I figured it would be cool, but unlikely, that we'd encounter a bear (from a safe distance, of course) on our trip. But sure enough, as we were driving on the freeway back to Calgary, we spotted this little guy on the side of the road (behind the fence). A quick u-turn and we got close enough to snap a few pics.


So I guess this sign is pretty accurate.


A trip to Canada isn't complete without the required stop at Tim Horton's. We waited until the very last day of our stay up north to finally enjoy a donut the way Canada intended. And here's a shot of the Tim Horton's located at Calgary's airport.

Last year, I wrote at length about The Town of Banff; the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel; the Banff Gondola Ride; and some Canadian Food Finds.

BANFF: Craig Ferguson on Deconstructing the Talk Show, the Late Night Wars and Whether He Wants a New Time Slot

"Do I have ambitions for another time slot? You can ask me," Craig Ferguson tells me. "I dont care."

"Craig, do you have ambitions for another time slot?"

"I don't care."

The highlight of this year's Banff Media Festival had to have been my on-stage interview with Ferguson, the late-night host who has become a pro at deconstructing the entire genre. "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" is known for its spontaneous interviews, robot sidekick, stream of consciousness monologues and more. We talked about all of that, and more, in front of a crowd of perhaps 200 conference attendees (including the mayor of Banff).

Here's an excerpt from how the local media covered it:

BANFF, Alta. - The popular host of "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" brought his unique brand of often ribald humour to the Banff World Media Festival where he was receiving the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award.

"My people built this country. I don't know if you know that. Oh, I'm lying? It's not true?" Craig Ferguson said Tuesday to laughter and applause.

"This is what I said when I drove into Banff. It's lovely here. This is what Scotland must have looked like when they first built it," said Ferguson, with a much more pronounced Scottish accent than he has on his show.

Ferguson, 51, has been hosting the show for nine years. He's been nominated for an Emmy and won a Peabody Award for his interview with Bishop Desmond Tutu, has written books and appeared in TV shows and movies.

There's the air of a bad boy about Ferguson, who often refers to himself as just another "late-night douche" in reference to the typically formulaic state of late-night talk shows.

His show is unscripted and it's tradition that he tears up the carefully typed notes and tosses them as each guest sits down.

"That's just a kind of protest. It's saying I'm not going to do what your publicist told you I was going to do. That's how it started as and what it's become is some stupid OCD thing, I suppose, but I just do it," said Ferguson, wearing a casual grey Catalina Island T-shirt, jeans and running shoes.

"They're not props. They're really done and they still do them and I rip them up."

Even the addition of his gay robot skeleton Geoff Peterson was meant to be a shot at the cheerleading responses of most late-night sidekicks.

"Geoff Peterson is emblematic of my failure as a late-night talk-show host because what I wanted to do, as a protest, have a robot that would give the sidekick pat answers. This is how robotic it is. It's ridiculous," he said.

More coverage from the Calgary Herald.

And here are several clips from the interview that have already made it on to YouTube:

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: Canadian Food Finds

One final post from my trip to Banff, Canada, for the Banff World Media Festival. As I've mentioned in the past, one of my favorite things to do in a foreign country is visiting the grocery store. Here's one Canadian grocery store find: "Muffets," as in "Little Miss"?


Another Canadian grocery store find: Not Macaroni & Cheese, but rather, "Kraft Dinner."


Among the restaurants in Banff, there's the Grizzly House -- "Buffalo & Caribou Served"


Back home, organizing my candy haul from Canada -- Nestle Smarties, Malteasers, Aero Dark, Kit-Kat Dark, Coffee Crisp, Caramilk.

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: The Town of Banff

Located inside the the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, the town of Banff is the second-highest community in Canada (at 4,800 feet) and the country's only municipality within a national park. As you know, I got to spend three days in Banff recently while attending the Banff World Media Festival... and I was hooked. In June, the weather is mild (70 degrees), yet the mountains are still snow-capped and there's still a winter vibe. (It had just snowed before I arrived.) Although only about 7,500 people live permanently in Banff, the town is a key tourist destination -- and boasts a wide selection of dining and shopping options.

Getting to Banff is a bit of a pain: Flying into Calgary, it's still a 2-hour drive or bus ride to the town. Some pics from Banff:


One of three deer I spotted while walking around Banff


Horses along a trail


The town of Banff


Horse-drawn carriage in Banff


Banff's Hudson's Bay Company store


Waterfall


River


Welcome to Calgary!


Wacky morning radio team in Calgary

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: The Banff Gondola Ride

My time in Banff was limited last week, leaving little time for extracurricular efforts. That meant no trip to Lake Louise and no major excursions. But I did find time to do a little hiking, and on the last night of my stay I decided to shuttle up to the top of Sulphur Mountain (nearly 8,000 feet) via the Banff Gondola.

After 4 p.m., the price drops to $30 -- and it was actually worth it. The view of six mountain ranges and the town of Banff below is truly breathtaking. Unlike the Palm Springs Tram, which holds a crowd, the Banff Gondola is smaller and built for just four people. Here are some shots from the Banff Gondola:


The view from the top, looking toward the Fairmont


Snow-capped mountains


More! Stop me if you're getting bored.


Another view of the Fairmont Hotel below.


Remains of the Banff weather station, built in the 1920s


Back down the Gondola

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

I was invited up north to moderate several panels at last week's Banff World Media Festival in Canada (you may remember my last-minute passport renewal follies), and couldn't pass up the chance. Although I didn't get to stay at the grand Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (I was put up in a small hotel on the other side of Banff), I still spent so much time at the conference (held at the Fairmont) that it almost felt like I was staying there. Almost.

Here's what Fairmont has to say about the hotel: "Few hotels in the world rival the majesty, hospitality and grandeur of The Fairmont Banff Springs resort. Located in the heart of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Styled after a Scottish Baronial Castle, The Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, a National Historical Site of Canada, has been turning moments into memories for our guests for over 125 years. The opening of the hotel in 1888 marked the birthplace of tourism in the Canadian Rockies."

Originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1888, the hotel was part of a big push for tourism across Canada. The Banff Springs hotel was later completely rebuilt, starting in 1911. The hotel is situated next to the Bow River and its Bow Falls, and is surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains. It's about a 20 minute walk into Banff. Here are a few more shots from the hotel.

Hidden in the trees


Snow-capped mountains behind the Fairmont


More views from the Fairmont


View from behind the Fairmont


Statue at the Fairmont