Some observations on Ottawa

Matt was going to Ottawa for some training, so I joined him for a long weekend to celebrate our 8th anniversary.

Here are my thoughts on the place:

lots of beautiful stone architecture

not very cheery or warm at this time of year

real bagels

impatient pedestrians lunging into traffic

parliament was much more impressive than I had imagined

they have a thing for baked beans

vibrant city core

a strangely large number of "Irish" pubs

big, fat-bottomed black squirrels everywhere


We ate at several restaurants, cafes & delis:

The Cornerstone Bar & Grill - not bad, good meatloaf, and most importantly, deep-fried snickers!

Nate's Deli, 316 Rideau St., 789-9191 - good value, terrific smoked meat on rye, lots of old people & lots of grease.


The Whalesbone Oyster House - pricey but fabulous. Sit at the bar and chat up the staff. Great atmosphere, big flavour, tiny portions. Don't go famished.

Continental Bagel in the Byward Market has real, soft, chewy bagels. The veggie sandwich with marinated eggplant was heavenly and very messy.

Chez Lucien is a fashionable pub with good burgers and tasty Quebec beers like Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly on tap.

One last note, directed toward hotels:

I give my hearty recommendation to the Residence Inn by Marriott. It's not the spiffiest hotel, but it is neat and clean and very generous with amenities, including a decent complimentary breakfast buffet. The price was great for what we got.

Novotel, by comparison, was incredibly stingy with an overpriced restaurant.