I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone.....
Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary and is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The most notable times that I have walked down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams was after a Calgary Flames victory and during a protest when the G8 was meeting in 2002 out in Kananaskis. Otherwise, it's been a quiet walk over Lunch or strolling in the early evening on the way to or from Dinner.
Stephen Avenue is known for its restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, and shopping, with several nicely restored historical buildings in the mix. Unlike 17 Avenue, Stephen Avenue is not regarded as a major night spot in the city, although there are night clubs located on the mall. In my opinion, parts of this Boulevard are also a little frayed at the edges and need a little urban renewal work.
The street was named after George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stephen Avenue contains a high concentration of registered historic buildings in the city and the street itself was declared a Canadian historic site in 1992. Most of these building are sandstone; a result of the construction of fire resistant buildings that followed a fire in 1886 that damaged much of the city.