| Page Views: 13,285 Last Visit to Ottawa: May, 2003 | Exploring Ottawa for the first time by Carmanah - last update: Oct 6, 2007 |
| Downtown Ottawa as seen from Parliament Hill |
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| A joyous statue on Sparks Street, downtown Ottawa |
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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Location: 45° 25' North, 75° 41' West
Population: 812,129 (2006 Census)
Incorporated: 1855
Despite being the capital of Canada, Ottawa seems to get overlooked.
I guess I should elaborate by what I mean.
First, while it's located in the province of Ontario - the second largest province geographically and most populated province in Canada - for one reason or another, Ottawa is usually overlooked by tourists and Canadians alike.
This is generally speaking of course.
For tourists visiting Ontario, Ottawa doesn't have the coolness factor that Toronto has. Nor does it have the over-the-top natural wonders of Niagara Falls. And tourists visiting Ontario would rather see Toronto, because it's the largest and most famous Canadian city... and also because Niagara Falls is a much closer drive to Toronto, so they'd rather kill two birds with one stone. Oh, how I love to generalize! *grin*
For (many) Canadians, simply the name Ottawa represents the dull bureaucracy of the Canadian government. Whenever Ottawa is mentioned in Canada, it's almost always about politics, and it is rarely ever positive. It's usually in the form of complaints. I say this sarcastically because any Canadian will admit that we love to complain about the government. Generally people will connect the two together and will not think of Ottawa as a city, but as the personification of a conglomerate of annoying politicians.
Most people simply forget about Ottawa as a vacation destination. Or if they're going to Ottawa, it's usually because they're going there for a conference or they're going to visit relatives. At least in my experience, you will rarely hear someone brag about an upcoming vacation to Ottawa.
So I'll honestly admit... I was not exactly planning a trip to Ottawa.
I was planning a trip to Montreal.
But plane tickets were cheaper to Ottawa. And Ottawa just happened to be located an hour and half drive away from Montréal. Better yet, I had a friend who recently moved to Ottawa, and I instantly had access to free accommodation.
So when I flew from Vancouver to Ottawa on May 2, while I initially thought that I wouldn't spend any more than 2 days in Ottawa, in reality I spent over a week there! I was pleasantly surprised to find out what a lovely city it was, and how much there was for a tourist to see. And having a few friends there helped me see the city as a local would. |
| An evening May bike ride along the Rideau Canal |
| | Ottawa was not at all like what I expected it to be. Realistically, I don't really know *what* I was expecting. I guess I figured that because it was the capital of Canada, that it would be this large, bustling metropolis with gigantic skyscrapers and a busy downtown.
But it was actually a small modest city, with small brick buildings, tree-lined residential neighbourhoods, and cafés galore. I had no idea that Parliament Hill was sitting over the river, or that there were such beautiful cliffs surrounding it. I had no idea that downtown Ottawa was literally across the street from Parliament Hill, or that there was such a bustling marketplace, where vendors sold their artwork, flowers, and locally-grown vegetables on the streets, and people spoke French as often as they spoke English.
The Rideau canal, which I didn't know much about before, was such a prominent feature of the city, practically enclosing downtown like an island. It reminded me a lot of Vancouver's seawall, as it had a paved walkway surrounding it on both sides. I spent many evenings walking and biking the canal. The canal is much longer than I ever would have expected!
And another example... I had no idea there was such a large Lebanese community in Ottawa, although it was quite obvious by looking at the Shawarma shops on every block. I'm serious. Every block in Ottawa had a Lebanese restaurant! The Lebanese population there is huge!
But this was only the beginning.
I could tell I was in the capital of Canada because everything seemed so prim and proper, moreso than elsewhere I've experienced in this country. There were beautiful national monuments and gorgeous parks. Everything was immaculately kept... even the city benches were pristine, usually complete with clean, functioning water fountains. And the water was clean, and refreshingly ice cold!
I won't even get to how many world-class museums there were. There were so many! And the architecture! The new architecture sat right next door to the 200-year old buildings.
The province of Québec was also another part of Ottawa, as it was just across the river, and gave the city that bilingual edge.
For such a small city... there was a lot going for Ottawa.
At the end of my 2 weeks in the area, I got to know Ottawa as a local. I went grocery shopping at the local stores, and bought my coffee from the corner plaza. The staff at my hangouts recognized me, and I started to recognize the same people as I casually walked the streets, exploring new neighbourhoods and admiring the sites.
I had the time to fully appreciate the city. It won me over. I will definitely return if I get a chance. |
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| Pros: | "Small city but tons of museums; very clean; across the river is the province of Québec; close drive to Montréal; it's truly bilingual; Elgin Street & Byward Market are fantastic; Shawarma galore; everyone follows hockey; quite lively at night" | | Cons: | "Spring came way too late when I was there; most clubs & pubs on Elgin were cheesy meat-markets; some places seemed a bit run down but they still had character" | | In A Nutshell: | "Ottawa, the capital city of Canada" |
Carmanah's Ottawa Travel Tips
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 Comments for Carmanah about Ottawa | | | | |
coralk Sun Oct 18, 2009 22:56 UTC
You might want to mention that these cats are not feral and all are spayed / neutered - they are known as the Capital Cats. The people who look after them can always use donations - Do you have an address? | Jim_Eliason Sat Jan 5, 2008 06:59 UTC
Great page! | Faiza-Ifrah Fri May 25, 2007 03:47 UTC
fantastic page, very informative. saved many tips from your pages for my near future trip :-) | Redang Fri Nov 3, 2006 05:08 UTC
Your pages on Canada bring me nice memories; keep well! |
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