Things I Like About Ottawa
Posted by Skrud at Monday, September 22nd 2008 at 5:14pm
Adjusting to life in Ottawa has been much more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Instead of whining and complaining, I’m going to focus on the positive things about Ottawa.
Ottawa is Pretty. There’s no doubt that Ottawa is a gorgeous town. There’s a lot of contrast between old and new buildings, and gorgeous sights like the Chateau Laurier and Parliament Hill. The Rideau Canal runs through the city, and walking across the bridges connected the two halves of downtown makes for some nice views. The Rideau Locks, which connect the canal to the Ottawa/Outaouais River are also pretty impressive. The best part is that if I happen to be out for a night on the town in the Byward Market I can look forward to a very pleasant walk home!
Pubs. Ottawa is a pub town. You won’t really understand what this means until you see it for yourself, but there are a lot of pubs in Ottawa. I’d say that Ottawa has pubs the way Montreal has strip clubs. It never ends! There’s no shortage of places to go for a pint, and lots of these pubs are really nice. Pub food in Ottawa is likewise leaps and bounds ahead of Montreal. As far as Ottawa goes, pubs seem to be the center of everyone’s lives. Families go to the pub for breakfast, business people are always in the pubs for lunch, and everyone hits the pubs for dinner. There are easily more pubs than actual restaurants, at least in the downtown area, so why bother going to a “real” restaurant?
My Apartment. Even though I live alone, my apartment is pretty awesome. I’m on the 13th floor (love the fact that it’s actually 13) and I have a full-sized balcony facing downtown, overlooking the city. Looking out my window I can even tell time by ball atop World Exchange Plaza. It’s more than spacious enough for a bachelor, though I need to learn to cook … and I suppose clean more regularly. :S My apartment is right smack in the middle of Centretown, which means that I’m about a 15-minute walk to the Clocktower (Ottawa’s only brewpub) in one direction, and the Byward Market in the other direction. And there’s a grocery store half a block from me.
Toy Stores. Okay, I really just mean store. But seriously, Mrs. Tiggy Winkles is so much cooler than any similar store I’ve seen in Montreal. The closest thing that would come to mind is the second floor of Urban Outfitters on Ste-Catherine, but minus the clothes. This place (and its sister store, Lost Marbles) is full of trinkets, geek toys, and various other little gems — like a hammer/bottle-opener. It’s a good place to pick up a silly gift for someone.
The LCBO. Everyone knows that the selection of liquors available at the LCBO easily trumps that of the SAQ. Not only that, but stuff is usually significantly cheaper and you get air miles.
One more thing that I did like about Ottawa are the bike paths. Well, yeah, that and the LCBO ;)
Glad you found some stuff you like about Ottawa! I’m actually really surprised that you think the LCBO both has better selection and is cheaper than anything in Quebec though. That’s not what Ontarians believe! But seriously, Mrs. Tiggywinkles it the awesomest store ever. There are multiple locations, too.
Have you checked out the Sconewich (close to Lyon and Albert) or the croissants at The French Baker on Murray St. in the market? I’ve also been told to get a membership at the Bytown Art Cinema (http://www.bytowne.ca/)
Just thought I’d pass on some of these recommendations that I received.
I love the LCBO! Wine is like 3$ cheaper a bottle — at least! And there’s a much better selection of canadian wines!
Interestingly, as awesome as the Lickbo is – it’s counterpart, The Beer Store, is not. You can however easily circumvent the beer store by purchasing cheaper(better?) international beers at the actual LCBO with those make your own 6 pack deals.
Maybe the SAQ Selection flagship stores might have a better International Wine (read: ridiculously expensive/fancy) selection though.
Also, you say that the pubs abound like Montreal strip joints – yet there is only ONE Brew pub? That’s just wrong.
Ottawa is beautiful!
I have yet to visit Mrs. Tiggy Winkles. I guess I’ll put it on my list!