Merry Christmas Ottawa!
We are off for a couple of days with our families, and we hope you’re enjoying this time with yours.
Photo via canadascapital.gc.ca
If you’d like to share some of your special winter traditions in the great city of Ottawa, please e-mail us at ltottawa@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving, Ottawa! We hope you’re all enjoying the long weekend with food, friends and family.
I think we can all agree that Ottawa is a great place to call home — and definitely a place for which to give thanks. We asked some of our Local Tourists this week what about Ottawa they were thankful for.
Here are some of their answers:
What was the best part of your Thanksgiving in Ottawa? Drop us a line if you want to share!
Photo Credit: NCC
Another reason to celebrate the city!
Critics can keep Montreal’s food and arts scene, Toronto’s bustle, Calgary’s youthful population and Vancouver’s weather: Ottawa is still the best place to live in the country, according to a just-released survey by MoneySense magazine.
Photo Credit: NCC
AND Ottawa claimed the title of most “livable” city for the second year in a row!
In releasing the results, MoneySense notes that a Canadian city need not be “perfect” to score well in the survey, but “consistency is key.”
Just in case you’re wondering about the details, this is how MoneySense evaluated the communities involved:
Canada’s Best Places to Live 2011 is based on data compiled from 180 Canadian cities and towns with populations over 10,000 people. Cities were rated based on home affordability, climate, prosperity, crime rates, access to health care and lifestyle, with subcategories in each area. Points were also given for the categories of transit, amenities and culture
And the reasons Ottawa trumps everyone else?
Though we here at LTOttawa don’t believe you need an excuse to explore the city, this is just one more reason you can be sure you’re efforts won’t be in vain!
Now, get out there and take advantage of Canada’s best city!
St. Patrick’s Day is once again upon us. And for a town with so many pubs, we all know Ottawa certainly can celebrate.
Did you know that Canada is home to 4.5 million people with some sort of Irish ties? (More than 12 per cent of the population!)
But even if Guinness, green beer or whiskey isn’t your thing, there’s lots of other stuff going on:
Happy St. Patty’s Day, Ottawa! Because on March 17, everyone’s Irish!
Photo credit: The National Gallery of Canada
Kelly-Anne Maddox relocated to Ottawa from BC in 2010 and is busy being a mom to her one-year old daughter.
When I moved to Ottawa last fall I left behind a ridiculously well paying job to become a stay at home mom.
The shift from our former financial status to a single income household was a dramatic one and for the first time since grad school we had to pay close attention to our spending habits; no more spontaneously eating out because we felt like it, gone were full price movies and, with heavy hearts, we even agreed to sacrifice full cable. Reluctant to take such a dent in our lifestyle lying down, I decided to embrace our circumstances not as an exercise in frugality, but as an experiment in creativiy. I subscribed to Groupon, took up free activities like Strollercise, skating on the Canal, and my husband and Baby started going to free museums on Thursdays.
On a blustery Sunday afternoon during Winterlude my husband and I were delighted to read in the festival guide that entrance to the National Gallery of Canada was free that day. After packing up baby, diaper bag, stroller and schlepping the lot off to the gallery we were told at the ticket counter that we had read wrong (our bad!) and that regular entrance rates were indeed in effect. Doing a quick mental calculation of our budget I balked at dipping into our reserves and instead suggested that we entertain Baby in the gallery giftshop.
National Gallery of Canada
We spent an hour browsing through the store. Baby was captivated by the bold First Nations prints emblazoned on bright tea towels, gazed with rapt attention at the Totem Tree puzzle, squished Elmer the Patchwork Elephant in her little paws, squealed in delight at the board books, and had a blast as we flipped through the poster display. On the drive home I realized that our excursion to the giftshop had made a trip to the Gallery a tangible experience for my one year old; works that she normally couldn’t see up close or touch were transformed into an interactive adventure.
I did, however, draw the line when she decided to move from tangible to edible, making sure that no giftshop items were harmed in the researching of this post.
Thanks for the great post Kelly-Anne! Do you have a frugal adventure in Ottawa that you’d like to share? Send us a note or leave a comment below!
Kelly-Anne Maddox relocated to Ottawa from British Columbia in 2010 and is busy being a mom to her one-year old daughter.
Kelly-Anne Maddox
I’m not the sort of person who adapts well to change.
Major upheavals in my life have brought with them fear, trepidation, and a not-so-healthy dose of introspection. So when my husband announced to me last year that he had been transferred from British Columbia to Ottawa, it was with much kicking and screaming that I tagged along. I lamented the loss of my dear friends, my job, my house, my beloved mountains, and the bounty of Okanagan produce.
I had been to Ottawa as a tourist many times in the past, visited Parliament, strolled along the Canal, and wandered through the museums, and was well aware that I was moving to a beautiful city. But nonetheless, I was plagued by doubt as to how I would live my everyday life here: Would I get to know people? Would there be interesting hikes? Would I like the neighbourhood I had yet to see? And were the people of Ottawa interested in 100-mile food?
We arrived in Ottawa on September 1st, after a meandering ten day road trip. For the first couple weeks I sat at home, brooding, with a six month old and a dog for company. As I started to put a finger on my initial loneliness, I realized that I was in mourning for lost connections and companionship. With two choices in front of me – get out of the house or go mad – I decided I had to start building my own community in Ottawa.
As luck would have it, I found out about the Boomerang Kids Strollercise program around that same time, and before I knew it Baby and I were whiling away three mornings a week walking the Canal with other moms and chatting over coffee in the Glebe. We added Mom and Baby Fit classes at the Glebe Community Centre to our routine, and signed up for Hush-a-Bye Babies, a locally owned song and rhyme class. My family and I discovered our Quartier Vanier Farmers’ Market and, at the last market of the season, I won their gift basket – a delicious welcome to the neighbourhood! We expanded our radius of exploration and spent Sundays at the Lansdowne Farmers’ market, and weekend afternoons hiking in Gatineau Park. We found sustainable beef and heritage pork, and a nearby organic store where the shop owner now exchanges pleasant banter with us.
My original questions were all eventually answered with a resounding yes. I’ve made friends though the various programs I became involved in, gratefully embraced the heartpounding ascents of the Wolf trail, planted roots in our delightfully colourful neighbourhood, and unearthed a locavore presence that’s very much alive in my new city.
Thanks for the post Kelly-Anne! We hope to see more of you soon!
Do you want to tell us how you ended up in Ottawa? Send us a note or leave a comment below!
Justin Van Leeuwen is an Ottawa-based event and portrait photographer who, in his spare time, takes pictures without people in them. Many of the images seen in his LTOttawa posts can be purchased as limited edition canvas prints through his website.
Ottawa photographer Justin Van Leeuwen
Ottawa is a lovely city.
If you live here, you might not be appreciating all of the wonderful sights there are, simply because you are used to them. We may not have the appeal of the “BIG” Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal (the former of which I lived in most of my life), or the exotic feel of a foreign land… but remember: more than seven million tourists come to our city every year.
They’re obviously seeing something – so what are we, as locals, missing?
This is our nation’s capital, and there are many unique opportunities, locations, and events every week, thanks to bodies like the National Capital Commission whose “job, simply put, is to plan, develop and use these properties as a source of pride and unity for Canadians.“
Do you know what this means? It means the city is clean, it has monuments, museums, art galleries (all with great architecture), and more than 60 festivals throughout the year, winter, spring, summer and fall. Those are, of course, the obvious examples. But as an outsider looking in, I can appreciate how “normal” or boring your every-day city looks.
But think about it; what is it that almost every tourist, but few locals, marvel at the minute they pass by: our parliament buildings. They are simply STUNNING!
Parliament Hill (JVLphoto.com)
And that stagnant body of water running right beside it. You’ve seen it a thousand times right? Let’s revisit this…the Rideau Canal is something not just unique to Ottawa but to the history of Canada, and honestly, it’s not like it’s Toronto’s Don River.
It’s a lot of fun to photograph under the right light:
The Rideau Canal (JVLphoto.com)
And is even more dynamic during Winterlude:
The Rideau Canal (JVLphoto.com)
From there we can travel down to the ByWard Market, which maintains a local, home-grown feel about the vendors within the area – and doubles as a great spot for people watching (if you’re into that sort of thing).
The ByWard Market (JVLphoto.com)
Jumping back onto tourist attractions, there is always the recently renovated Museum of Nature. My boys, ages three and one, absolutely marveled at it’s offerings.
Of course, while they were fixated on the dinosaur bones, I took in the lovely glass-lantern tower which, despite it’s apparent simplicity, seemed to present more photographic opportunities than I could work out of it in a single day.
The Museum of Nature (JVLphoto.com)
After moving here three years ago, I took it upon myself to thoroughly explore my new home, on foot, so that I could immerse myself in some of the things that would too quickly become commonplace to me. It took me a long time to actually see the O-Train, despite crossing over it’s bridges twice daily, and even longer to photograph it.
OC Transpo's O-Train (JVLphoto.com)
Further North of the O-Train tracks (no longer connected, but part of the same line) lays the Alexandria Bridge. While there are “no trespassing” signs, and I have heard tales of fines being issued for a careless few, this bridge is explored, traversed, and photographed often. You can quickly cross it and go all the way to Quebec and back – my favourite view of it and the Ottawa River, comes at sunset (protip: most of your good light for photographs will come at the extremes of the day, so make a habit of taking a walk just a few hours before sunset).
The Alexandria Bridge (JVLphoto.com)
I should mention, I didn’t “see” the images I’ve shown here the first time I stumbled upon a location. But I did note them for their potential to photograph, either alone or as a backdrop to one of my portraits, just under different circumstances. Even after living here for three years, there are places I pass by every day - places many people I know have passed by even more.
If you just take the time to look at things differently, from a different angle, you might see Ottawa in a way nobody else has before.
The Glebe (JVLphoto.com)
The Elmdale Tavern (JVLPhoto.com)
World of Maps (JVLphoto.com)
I encourage you to explore your neighbourhood, your block, your city.
Do it with your family and friends, or go alone – just get out and spend some time actually seeing, opening your eyes, and observing this wonderful city we live in.
It will surprise you.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photography in such a thoughtful post. We hope to see more of you soon!
Do you have a photo of Ottawa you’d like to share? Send us a note!
"Love Canal" was taken by photographer Robin Kelsey (www.robink.ca/blog)
Josée is an Ottawa engineer and mother of two who loves to find free and frugal activities and events happening in Ottawa. She puts her research to good use over at Frugal Fun Ottawa.
It’s Valentine’s Day! If you’ve left the planning to the last minute, you may be wondering if it’s too late to wow your sweetie. But I have some frugal, yet romantic, suggestions that will keep you out of the doghouse and out of the poorhouse.
My first suggestion is very old-fashioned, but that’s precisely why your sweetheart will love it. I suggest that you both take some time to write hand-written letters to each other. My husband and I have been doing this for years, since we decided that Valentine’s Day was just becoming too commercial. I love this tradition for many reasons: the process of writing the letters forces us to put into words how much we love and appreciate each other; it’s wonderful to have the letters to re-read and remember major events in our lives; and the whole family is included – when our children were born we started writing them Valentine’s Day letters too. If writing a letter isn’t your style, you can write little notes on heart-shaped paper and hide them around the house or your sweetheart to find. Hide some in hard-to-find places so that Valentine’s Day lasts longer than just one day!
If writing letters seems like too much work for a Monday, take your partner to the movies – but not just any movie! Only a romantic comedy will do on Valentine’s Day, and if it happens to be a French romantic comedy, well, nothing can top that. Amélie is exaclty what Cupid would recommend, and it just happens to be playing at the Bytowne Cinema tonight at 6:30. Tickets are $10 for non-members (members pay $7.00). My husband and I went to see it when it first came out, and he describes it as “a decent story that is well-written, that just happens to be a romantic comedy.” Pretty much the highest rating a romantic comedy will get from him. And don’t worry if French isn’t your forte, the Bytowne is showing it with English subtitles.
Today’s forecast is calling for mild temperatures and light snow, so don’t be afraid to ditch the traditional restaurant supper and box of chocolates and opt for some outdoor fun instead. How about taking your sweetheart for a romantic evening skate on the Rideau Canal? (Don’t forget to share a BeaverTail!)
If he or she is the adventurous type, visit UrbanQuest.com and purchase their Original Quest package: tor $19.99 (plus tax) they will provide you with clues that lead you around Parliament Hill and other downtown locations. It’s a fun way to explore the city to see downtown Ottawa in a whole new light.
Happy Valentine's Day from Local Tourist Ottawa!
If your date is more historically-minded, take in the city by following one of the three downtown walking tours in the NCC’s Discover the Heart of the Capital brochure. It includes interesting facts about various Ottawa landmarks and points out interesting sights along the route. Be sure to bring your camera – the view from the Portage and Alexandra Bridges is particularly beautiful at this time of year.
After your quest or walking tour, warm up and get a romantic view of the snow-covered city by going up the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill. (If my husband planned this one for me he would earn himself a whole lot of brownie points!) The Peace Tower is open today from 9:00 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.; visits are self-guided. Keep in mind that you will have to go through security so there may be a line-up.
You really don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a romantic Valentine’s Day. All it takes is little imagination, and being lucky enough to live in a wonderful city like Ottawa!
Thanks for the ideas Josée!
Single or coupled up, how are you spending your Valentine’s Day?
Winterlude runs until February 21, 2011
Thomas Lynn is a proud father of three young sons, and can be found exploring the region looking for that next ‘special adventure’. Using his blog and twitter feed to share his stories, as well as topics that are affecting his boys, Thomas is currently building his ‘daddy blogger’ reputation.
Thomas' son at Winterlude
Like many parents, my wife and I are always looking for something to entertain the kids during weekends. But with three boys under five years of age, the options can be fairly limiting, if not too expensive.
Luckily, the National Capital Region welcomed Winterlude last weekend: the annual celebration of Canadian winter! We were excited for the opening weekend and took the boys out to enjoy two of the main family activities the annual festival offers.
Our first stop was an evening visit to Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal. It had a fantastic atmosphere that started the second we walked into the park. We entered at the gate on the corner of Laurier and Elgin, and it was like entering a different world.
There were smells of campfire and BeaverTails lofting through the air, music playing, children yelling and looking at the ice sculptures (parents yelling at the children to not touch the ice sculptures) and wonderful displays of talent everywhere we turned.
When we first walked into the park, on the right hand side was a breathtaking carving with Koi fish on it. We continued along the paths, stopping for photos and to ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaah’ at the precision the sculptors were demonstrating while working with chainsaws to sculpt their designs.
Ice sculpture at Winterlude
The next stop was the canal. This was the first time the boys skated on it this year, and they weren’t entirely sure what to make of it until we arrived. But after seeing all the people, I couldn’t get their skates on fast enough. It was like my five-year-old was possessed. He was swinging his arms and skating like a mad man! Unfortunately our three year old is more of a tippy toe skater and his speed was lacking in his brothers’ eyes – so of course that meant I skated and carried him at the same time.
We all made it down to the first corner, just past the University of Ottawa, but decided to turn back to ensure sufficient time to consume our required dose of BeaverTails. After a great time, a hot chocolate spill and a freak out in response to the hot chocolate spill, it was time to go home.
Our next Winterlude stop was to Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Parc on the Gatineau side. If you have never taken your children, or even gone for a fun date, GO… NOW! This place is beautiful. With downtown Ottawa as the backdrop, the organizing team has put together a setting that is screaming Canadian fun. From giant snow sculptures, to horse drawn sleigh rides, to the giant snow mountain that is home to countless ice slides… there is plenty to keep you and your loved ones laughing and smiling for an entire afternoon or evening.
Thomas' son at Winterlude
The highlight for the boys (and me) had to be the ice slides. The kids were a little nervous but built up the courage (“I’ll get you both a treat later”) and we went off to the little slides first.
“Can we do that daddy?”
“Yes. We. Can.”
So off we went. Even though the line was all the way out the back, it moved very fast. The slides look huge from the bottom, but because of their design, there is nearly no way to get hurt. Five-year-old went screaming down the hill in burst of speed and then my three-year-old and I went tearing after him. It was great.
The overall theme of Winterlude? Fun. The beautiful scenery and fantastic job done by the organizing team has created an atmosphere that is truly amazing. Take the kids, take some friends, go alone…whatever you do, go. It’s a free event (minimal charge for some things… like BeaverTails) and an amazing family adventure.
Who knows, maybe we will go back there this weekend too!
Taking your family to Winterlude? Tell us about your favourite parts!
… The Rideau Canal is open for the 2011 skating season! Well, at least some of it.
Starting tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., a 2.4-kilometre stretch of the world’s biggest skating rink will be open between the Pretoria Bridge and the Bank Street Bridge.
As always, check out the ice conditions on the National Capital Commission’s website.
Happy skating! May the ice be smooth and the BeaverTails warm!
And feel free to share your photos with us!
