On Saturday, September 22, 2012 Ottawa joined cities around
the world in presenting Nuit Blanche, an all night long celebration of art. Most
of Ottawa’s art galleries were open until the wee hours of the morning for this
inaugural event. The Byward Market was especially buzzing with activity with a
variety of installations on the streets and courtyards and crowds of people
meandering around taking it all in.
discover ottawa
looking for something to do in Ottawa? whether you are a tourist or a local - discover an Ottawa that is not in the guide books!
Ottawa Photography Festival
As part of Festival X: Ottawa Photography Festival, the Michael Gennis Gallery in Westboro is showcasing the works of 10 Ottawa photographers. The festival runs from September 20-30. Check out the web site for more information. www.mgennisgallery.com
celebrate music, dance, visual arts and community
Ottawa Folk Festival
Rounding out a summer of outstanding music festivals, beginning with Jazz Fest in May and Bluesfest in July, the new and improved festival takes place September 6-10 at Hogs Back Park. Headliners include Ben Harper, Lindsey Buckingham (from Fleetwood Mac), Great Big Sea, Dan Mangan and Bon Iver.
Rounding out a summer of outstanding music festivals, beginning with Jazz Fest in May and Bluesfest in July, the new and improved festival takes place September 6-10 at Hogs Back Park. Headliners include Ben Harper, Lindsey Buckingham (from Fleetwood Mac), Great Big Sea, Dan Mangan and Bon Iver.
Go where the money is
Bank of Canada Currency Museum
a museum dedicated to money |
This overlooked Ottawa museum, located across
from Parliament Hill in the Bank of Canada building, is devoted to the
development of the Canadian currency system, beginning in New France. Artifacts
include coins, bank notes, and money-related paraphernalia as well as unusual
and ancient international currencies such as shells, glass beads, tea, gold,
silver, and bronze. The current special exhibit is a history of
counterfeiting. A bonus
is that admission to this museum about money is free.
Winter hours 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 1:00 - 5:00 on Sunday. Closed Monday.
waterfront restaurants
If you enjoy spending a sunny summer day on a restaurant patio, then check out Guadalaharry’s Tex-Mex restaurant on Dow's Lake. Kick back with a cold beer or a margarita and
munch on nachos while gazing out on the water. The food is affordable, the servers are cheery, there's lots of laughter
and there’s free parking at the lot across the street.
For more information check out my article in the Ottawa Citizen Travel section
Go Jump in the Lake
boy, its hot out…so hot you want to jump in the lake. Luckily, lakes
and rivers abound in the Ottawa area, some pretty close to home. so if you can’t wangle an invite from a
friend with a cottage, check out some of these refreshing options.
There's always a breeze on Aylmer Beach - that's why the windsurfers love it! |
Leamy Lake Beach is the NCC's best kept secrets |
Petrie Island is a huge sandy beach on the Ottawa River |
More ice cream
took a drive out to Old Chelsea to check out La Cigale, an ice cream store right at the entrance to the Gatineau Park Visitors Centre. Well worth the drive. The ice cream is homemade daily in crazy flavours like strawberry & sour cream, gingersnap & chai, raspberry white chocolate, and banana skor & walnut. Sat in one of the many adirondack chairs on the side lawn enjoying my cone and then wandered into the Galerie Old Chelsea right next door to check out the art.
Ice Cream Dream
Nothing says summer like ice cream. Sure you can buy a prepared frozen snack in
the grocery or convenience store, but that doesn’t compare to a fresh scoop in
a cone from one of these specialty stores. Discovered a great little spot - Gelatini Gelato on Preston Street - run by a wonderful young couple. They are welcoming, accommodating and smiling....and their gelato is delicious!
WAKEFIELD - a drive in the country
My cousin was visiting for the weekend and I wanted to show
off Ottawa. It was a rainy, cold spring day so anything outdoors was out of the
question and she was not into museums.
What to do?
We took a leisurely drive to the country and ended up in Wakefield. Along the way, we stopped to show her the
Wakefield covered bridge. To our
pleasure and surprise there was a wedding ceremony taking place and we were
there just in time to watch the bride walk down the ‘aisle’ from the road to
meet the groom waiting undercover of the bridge. How special!
The rain did not stop us from wandering in and out of the funky little shops and then stopping for lunch at my favourite eclectic restaurant, Le Hibou. All in all, a great afternoon.
The rain did not stop us from wandering in and out of the funky little shops and then stopping for lunch at my favourite eclectic restaurant, Le Hibou. All in all, a great afternoon.
Inukshuks on the Ottawa River
Local Ottawa artist John Ceprano began building Inukshuks at Remic Rapids Park on the Ottawa River in 1986. These freestanding, naturally balanced rock sculptures have become so popular that they have become a tourist attraction and he now receives federal government funding to continue creating them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)