Ottawa The Charming

After living in Ottawa for four years — or, I should say, eight months a year for four years — I came to the conclusion I could never be a permanent resident there. It's a little too quiet, a little too small, a little too inhibited. But it certainly has its charms. 

Now that I don't live there anymore, I love visiting and enjoying all the perks: decidedly fresher air, the beauty of Parliament and the Rideau Canal, and the walkability of all the areas worth going to (namely Centretown, Elgin Street, and the Market...and sometimes the Glebe). Plus I have great pals there who I wish lived in Toronto, but who scorn it for being too big, too dirty, and too trendy. Yeah, yeah.

Last weekend, I got to boast my knowledge of the city by playing a tour guide to three friends who were visiting Ottawa for the first time. Here are the city's must-stops, in my not-so-humble opinion:

Bridgehead

This Ottawa-exclusive chain kicks Starbucks' ass when it comes to popularity in the city. When I lived around the corner from one,  I could never score a seat so I'd always have to go to the half-empty Starbucks or Second Cup down the road to study. I love their London Fogs (made with high quality loose-leaf tea) and chocolate brownies. Plus, the washrooms have dual flush toilets, which manage to be hippie-ish and luxurious at the same time. I want one!

Dalhousie Street shopping

Ottawa doesn't even have an H&M yet, which is just one example of how it isn't quite on the pulse of fashion. (Side question: Why did they film Project Runway Canada there this season?) But strolling down this somewhat hidden strip of boutiques on the periphery of the market—something I always do with my very fashionable friend Suzanne—is a great way to spend an afternoon and lay down some cash. Victoire is a well-edited shop of indie labels, delicate jewelry and vintage shoes. And I always find something at the small thrift shop Young Janes, such as a $14 grey clutch that manages to be '80s and super-chic at the same time.

Mags & Fags

This is possibly my favourite shop in the city. You might say it's just another magazine shop, but I say it's the magazine shop because there's something that feels so right about browsing the shelves on a weekend afternoon. It reaffirms my love of mags every time I go (sigh).

Avant Garde

There's a common complaint about the lack of cool bars in Ottawa, but I disagree. One of my fave pubs of all time is The Manx (which, sadly, I missed out on this visit) and my old 

roomies, Sara and Darcy, introduced me to this vodka bar called Avant Garde, which has plenty to offer, including pickles as chasers (!), bargain Absinthe and chummy French waiters. What's not to love? 

Vineyards

This basement restaurant in the heart of the Byward Market doesn't have great dinner food, but it has an extensive wine selection, including a list of wine flights that go perfectly with the cheese plate and baguette. The decor is cellar-like, which makes you feel all warm and cozy. (Try to overlook the Michael Buble music played on the web site)

Brunch at The Mayflower

It's small, old-fashioned (e.g. the curtains), and—refreshingly—not invaded by hipsters, as most good brunch places in Toronto are. I love how you can get oatmeal with chocolate chips, but I also recommend the tasty omelettes. And you can write on the bathroom walls!

p.s. I miss you Ottawa. xoxo

Canadian Cities Are Cool

Although I dream of living in New York City, I'm a dedicated Torontonian and I often find ways to espouse its greatness. I'm sure other Canadian urbanites do the same. 

Say what you will about enRoute magazine (a marketing tool for Air Canada, yes), but I think it does an excellent job of unearthing travel spots across the country and portraying Canadian cities in an exciting and cosmopolitan light, particularly with this Top 25 section. I read about new restaurants and bars in TO all the time, but somehow everything feels more glamourous when I read about it in enRoute. 

An effective marketing tool indeed. 

The Scary Truth About Newspapers

The story in yesterday's Globe and Mail about the shrinkage and looming disappearance of newspapers delved into the scope of the problem and why citizen journalism and blogs — while valuable in their own right — simply cannot replace reporting and, perhaps most importantly, investigative journalism. Here are some highlights:

"The blogosphere is full of people with opinions, but the facts have to come from somewhere. If the [San Francisco] Chronicle were to close its doors, all of this would be gone." (Nathan Ballard, press strategist for the SF mayor, quoted in the article)

Many online news sources, such as the popular Huffington Post, have a parasitic relationship with newspapers, either linking to their content or using it as a springboard for analysis, commentary and criticism. Almost all lack the heft to do in-depth or investigative reporting, whether locally, nationally or globally — a perfect situation for political corruption.

"Not to be overly nostalgic, but the paper form does something that online doesn't do." (Aurora Wallace, a newspaper historian at NYU, quoted in the article)

"I think you already have elected officials getting away with close to murder, and I think you would have even more of that. There is no oversight whatsoever. It would be awful — I can't imagine." (Lydia Chavez, journalism professor at Berkeley, working on MissionLocal.org, quoted in the article)

The situation leaves me, to put it mildly, worried. News has been free for so long now on the Internet that I'm not sure how papers will be able to charge for content without getting lots of backlash. And then there's the always prescient advertising conundrum. What's next? 

Culture Hopping: Textile Museum of Canada

Experiencing more of the Toronto arts and culture scene is always on my to-do list. I feel like I know many of the city's neighbourhoods, parks, festivals, shops, bars, and restaurants. But I'm lacking in the fine arts area, and winter, as usual, has turned me into a hermit. So when my friend Caryn, who is doing a masters' in museum studies at U of T, suggested we start hitting up some museums, I was pumped.

Our first stop: the Textile Museum, which might be one of the hardest museums in the city to find. It's tucked at the bottom of either an apartment building or a hotel, on a little street running off that seedy-ish part of Dundas just east of University. 

There are two feminist exhibits running at the moment—When Women Rule The World: Judy Chicago in Thread and She Will Always Be Younger Than Us by a collective of five artists inspired by Chicago's work. 

We were initially taken aback by the "birth" section of the Chicago exhibit, which includes a lot of pictures of well, the vagina in birth/earth mode. But there was so much to appreciate in Chicago's work beyond the vaginas, from the layered textiles and colours of her pieces to the fact that she included many women in her artistic process. My favourite piece was "Smocked Figure", a simple outlined shape of a woman contemplating the birth of her child. We also found Chicago's later collection, Resolutions for the Millenium: A Stitch in Time entertaining. I liked the play on traditional needlework/cross-stitch pieces with their corny messages—they were wacky, weird, and retro, and old-fashioned at the same time, a feminist textile version of pop-art. 

We both appreciated the well-edited layout of the exhibit (you have to critique this if you're with a museum studies student). Quotes from Chicago were painted on the wall (I love when walls are painted for exhibits—it makes them seem transient, which they are), and some of her original sketches were placed beside finished pieces of work. Being able to see the artistic process makes me, someone with no art history background, appreciate and absorb an artist's work much more effectively. 

The permanent collection, although small, was nice to take a quick meander through, although I might recommend the Patricia Harris Costume Gallery at the ROM to people looking for more decadent costumes—that is, if the ROM doesn't bother you like it does at least 60% of the people in Toronto. 

Besides the Chicago exhibit, my next favourite part of the Textile Museum was—don't make fun—the gift shop. It was filled with rows of coloured scarves, quirky gifts (knitted stones! finger puppets!), sewing kits, books, and bags.

Overall, not a bad start to the Toronto museum scene. Stay tuned. 

p.s. Speaking of feminism, Robyn posted this video on her blog and I really liked it, so I'm going to copy her and put it on, too. Check it. 

Photo: A piece of work from Birth Project by Judy Chicago. 

Wedding Pet Peeves

Okay, so I know a lot of people pooh-pooh Leah McLaren and her "me generation" writing, but her column this week is quite insightful, and helps me answer the seemingly common question of, 'why don't you want to get married?'

My fave bits:

"I think my generation has gone off marriage—or more precisely weddings—because the sentiment (which we believe in) has been obscured by the ludicrous pageantry (which we reject)."

"The bridal industry, with its fabricated notions of formality and ceremony ("traditionalesque" as Rebecca Mead put it in her book One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding) and Hollywood, with its consistent output of mawkish chick flicks such as Bride Wars, has conspired—as a primary school teach might say—to ruin a perfectly nice thing for everybody else."

All of this is true. I love events and I've had the chance to write about all the exciting behind-the-scenes that make them happen, so I can understand the thrill of planning a wedding (well, sort of). Of the handful of weddings I've attended, all have been tasteful and touching. But the thought of being a bride in the stereotypical sense that most people think about brides leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

So for now, I'll stick with being a part of the weddings of people I care about—I love doing this, so long as the term "bridezilla" never applies—and continue to tell my mom that common-law is the new marriage. 

Being Erica — watch it!

CBC, while strong on news and current affairs, isn't known for its TV dramas past or present. Although I've never watched Sophie, Heartland, or Wild Roses, the ads tell me all I need to know—that I won't take kindly to a perky real estate agent or brooding Albertans with scandalous oil-related secrets. 

But CBC has, surprisingly, done something right with a non-news program. Being Erica also has some annoying commercials, but it's a great show — solid acting (the lead, Erin Karpluk, is really, really good), an intriguing premise (time travel without the space-time continuum issues), and sweeping shots of summery Toronto. In fact, one of my favourite parts of watching it is trying to identify what neighbourhood and/or building Erica is in. So far, she's touched down on the walkway in Yorkville, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto Island, and the architecturally amazing house of artist Charles Pachter (located on the street behind mine). Her apartment is in a beautiful old building on Palmerston, which I used to walk by lots when I lived in Little Italy. I miss that 'hood!

My message, in short, is watch this show! It's on Wednesday nights, and you can also watch all the episodes online. If Sophie can be renewed for a second season, then Being Erica...well, it simply has to be. Let me know what you think!

The Buy: Boots, Equestrian-styles

I had an idea awhile back to start a blog about things I bought as a way to gauge my own consumer habits and talk about the reasons behind the purchase. I later found out Mindy Kaling (who plays the hilarious Kelly Kapoor on The Office) writes a blog that does almost just that, but with more biting wit than I could ever hope to have. 

My consumer blog never materialized, but I'm thinking of starting a regular feature in that vein on this blog. Here goes!

Once in awhile I set my sights on finding a perfect item—e.g. black pumps, short peacoat—and I make it my goal to find an affordable version of it. Tired of my frumpy winter boots, I recently decided I wanted some tall flat boots that were somewhat equestrian looking. This desire stemmed from how classy Betty Draper on Mad Men looks when she goes riding. 

I saw several fashionable girls on Queen Street wearing the boots I envisioned I wanted, but when I hit the stores (which, dangerously, I can now do on my lunch hour), all I could find were boots with heels, flaps, strange stitching, and pointy toes. For the most part in fashion, I appreciate things simple and classic, but these items can be the hardest to find in a trend-happy consumer world. 

There's that saying about finding what you're looking for when you're not looking. Sure enough, when I was on my way to buy a snack from the underground market in First Canadian Place, the sale signs in the window of Nine West drew me right in. I was skeptical when I saw rows of boots with ridiculous heels. But then, there they were. Tall, skinny, black flat leather boots with a rounded toe and no weird details—except for a little ruching on the back, which gives them a bit of a Victorian feel that I can appreciate. 

I look like I'm on the way to the stable when I wear them. I love that.