The city and the country
It's often said the best part of Ottawa is Montreal. I think what people who say this really mean is that Montreal is just out of spitting distance, and therefore one can easily go there and locate the best things in life (apparently) absent in the Capital.
I'll be the first to admit Montreal has an awful lot going for it, but if I wanted to live there, I'd live there. I wouldn't live in Ottawa and pine for it like some long lost love.
I'll also be the first to admit that Ottawa is far from perfect. Our mayor is facing criminal charges, there is no good medium-sized concert venue, and the local alternative media is depressing at best. There's also the challenge of social ills, namely poverty, homelessness, and the drug trade.
Journalist Andrew Cohen attempted to highlight some of these shortcomings in a book last spring, but his criticisms, albeit harsh in some spots, were drowned out by the indignation felt by many Ottawans at the suggestion that our fair city isn't anything but a gem in the nation's eyes. One need not look further than this editorial from the Ottawa Citizen to hear the points many took issue with.
Still, I think Cohen put forth some strong arguments when addressing the inadequacies of public transit and the homeliness of some parts of Ottawa. The city's public transit system would be laughable if it wasn't so frustrating. Take, for example, the case of a dear colleague of mine, a fellow Carleton student. She lives near Bronson, a major North-South thoroughfare on which the university is located, yet in order to take the bus to school, she would either have to walk about 15 south on Bronson to catch a bus or stay closer to home, but take two separate buses (neither of which will likely be running on anything that resembles their posted schedules). What's up with that?
OC Transpo should also reconsider and re-assign its articulated (accordion) buses, so they run at peak times when their large capacity could be better utilized. I can't tell you how forlorn people look when yet another over-capacity bus passes them at their stop, thus ensuring they will be late for wherever it is they are going.
Cohen also noted that two of the city's main thoroughfares - Bank Street and Rideau Street - reveal the city's scruffy underside in a way outsiders or newcomers might find unwelcoming. I'll declare a bias of sorts here: I live off Bank Street, and do so by choice. The promenade from Gladstone to Wellington has a mix of charm and chaff, but it's a mix that imbues the area with an authentic neighbourhood feel, particularly between Gladstone and Laurier. Further south, Bank Street's stock rises considerably because both the Glebe and Old Ottawa South engender an even more pronounced community vibe than their Centretown cousin.
Rideau Street, I'll admit, is a bit of a mess in spots. This morning's Citizen has a story marking the 25th anniversary of the Rideau Centre, but perhaps the mall is part of the area's problem. Specifically, the overheard walkway from the Bay to the rest of the mall darkens the area and crowds the horizon, making for an ugly view in either direction. There is also a general sketchiness to the area, but it dissipates further south.
Missing from the defense to Cohen's attack was a mention of Ottawa's greener side. Beyond the city's many parks, primped tulip gardens and the arboretum at Dow's Lake, Ottawa boasts a quick and easy route to nature that many cities would covet.
In particular, Ottawa's proximity to Gatineau Park is something to celebrate (and boast about). And it's so close, a mere 25-minute drive from downtown. I'm never surprised when I take someone there for the first time and they say something like, "I can't believe this is so close. I should come here all the time."
I was reminded of the beauty of the place last night while cross-country skiing with some friends. We skied into a public access cabin and had fondue by candlelight, a wood stove crackling away in the corner of the creaky, snow-covered cabin. Looking out over the twinkling lights of the city, one feels at once so close yet so faraway, and the quiet of the night and the forest provide a welcome respite from the light and noise of the city.
For me, the best part of Ottawa isn't Montreal. The best part of the city, rather, may in fact be the country.
I'll be the first to admit Montreal has an awful lot going for it, but if I wanted to live there, I'd live there. I wouldn't live in Ottawa and pine for it like some long lost love.
I'll also be the first to admit that Ottawa is far from perfect. Our mayor is facing criminal charges, there is no good medium-sized concert venue, and the local alternative media is depressing at best. There's also the challenge of social ills, namely poverty, homelessness, and the drug trade.
Journalist Andrew Cohen attempted to highlight some of these shortcomings in a book last spring, but his criticisms, albeit harsh in some spots, were drowned out by the indignation felt by many Ottawans at the suggestion that our fair city isn't anything but a gem in the nation's eyes. One need not look further than this editorial from the Ottawa Citizen to hear the points many took issue with.
Still, I think Cohen put forth some strong arguments when addressing the inadequacies of public transit and the homeliness of some parts of Ottawa. The city's public transit system would be laughable if it wasn't so frustrating. Take, for example, the case of a dear colleague of mine, a fellow Carleton student. She lives near Bronson, a major North-South thoroughfare on which the university is located, yet in order to take the bus to school, she would either have to walk about 15 south on Bronson to catch a bus or stay closer to home, but take two separate buses (neither of which will likely be running on anything that resembles their posted schedules). What's up with that?
OC Transpo should also reconsider and re-assign its articulated (accordion) buses, so they run at peak times when their large capacity could be better utilized. I can't tell you how forlorn people look when yet another over-capacity bus passes them at their stop, thus ensuring they will be late for wherever it is they are going.
Cohen also noted that two of the city's main thoroughfares - Bank Street and Rideau Street - reveal the city's scruffy underside in a way outsiders or newcomers might find unwelcoming. I'll declare a bias of sorts here: I live off Bank Street, and do so by choice. The promenade from Gladstone to Wellington has a mix of charm and chaff, but it's a mix that imbues the area with an authentic neighbourhood feel, particularly between Gladstone and Laurier. Further south, Bank Street's stock rises considerably because both the Glebe and Old Ottawa South engender an even more pronounced community vibe than their Centretown cousin.
Rideau Street, I'll admit, is a bit of a mess in spots. This morning's Citizen has a story marking the 25th anniversary of the Rideau Centre, but perhaps the mall is part of the area's problem. Specifically, the overheard walkway from the Bay to the rest of the mall darkens the area and crowds the horizon, making for an ugly view in either direction. There is also a general sketchiness to the area, but it dissipates further south.
Missing from the defense to Cohen's attack was a mention of Ottawa's greener side. Beyond the city's many parks, primped tulip gardens and the arboretum at Dow's Lake, Ottawa boasts a quick and easy route to nature that many cities would covet.
In particular, Ottawa's proximity to Gatineau Park is something to celebrate (and boast about). And it's so close, a mere 25-minute drive from downtown. I'm never surprised when I take someone there for the first time and they say something like, "I can't believe this is so close. I should come here all the time."
I was reminded of the beauty of the place last night while cross-country skiing with some friends. We skied into a public access cabin and had fondue by candlelight, a wood stove crackling away in the corner of the creaky, snow-covered cabin. Looking out over the twinkling lights of the city, one feels at once so close yet so faraway, and the quiet of the night and the forest provide a welcome respite from the light and noise of the city.
For me, the best part of Ottawa isn't Montreal. The best part of the city, rather, may in fact be the country.
posted by Capital Letters at 9:36 AM
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