10
Mar
10

My take on Green Curry Chicken

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: cooking and food
Tags: , , ,

The best thing about cooking is being able to bring your own personal touch to recipes you like. And every so often I like to break out the creativity in the kitchen.When I was living in Toronto, I found that because of the diversity of the city, I was exposed to and inspired by new foods I hadn’t tried before.  Here in Ottawa, I want to keep that momentum going.

In this case, I decided to take a stab at one of my all time favorites: Green Curry Chicken. I have admitted before 2002 and my move from Montreal to Toronto, I had never tried authentic Thai food, much less Green Curry Chicken. But now that I have, years later I’m still loving it.

If you want real Green Curry Chicken, I highly recommend you check out either Thai One On in Toronto or Green Papaya in Ottawa. My version, like I said, is my spin on the classic dish.

I wanted the onion flavor without the harsh onion taste, so I decided to use leeks. They have a sweeter taste to them and they’re also visually pleasing in a meal.

Next I chopped lemongrass which adds, as you would guess, a lemon flavor.  Lemongrass is tough, but it breaks down and releases flavor when cooked.

Cilantro is a staple of many meals I make because of its unique taste. It adds flavor without overpowering it. For this dish I diced up a handful.

I’m sure some purists would say that using canned sauces is anything but authentic, however I decided that since my kitchen in Barrhaven is about as far-removed from Thailand as one can get, nobody will mind if I bring out the canned Green Curry sauce.

To add to the sauce, I used coconut milk. (Which for some reason was found in the coffee and tea aisle and not the baking aisle where I assumed it would be) The coconut milk makes for a more milky sauce that coats the chicken and allows all the ingredients to boil and cook while simmering.

Scallions (or green onions) cut on an angle for taste and style. I’m all about the style on this one…

And of course the chicken.  I decided to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts because thighs are meatier and have more flavor on account of being ‘dark meat’. From a large pack, I diced have the thighs and left the others whole.

Bring on the skillet. In a pan with a small amount of oil, I added the scallions and leeks.  You can use normal oil if you like or add a very small amount of sesame seed oil for a touch more flavor.  But be warned, sesame seed oil is very strong and brings on an entirely new taste

Once the onion/leek mixture starts to soften, I added the chicken and let it cook, turning frequently to ensure that the thighs are getting cooked.  You don’t want to brown the chicken, but you certainly don’t want it to be raw. Many bad things happen with raw chicken.

Once the chicken appears to be cooked on the outside, add the coconut milk and green curry sauce which you can mix in advance. Slowly pour the sauce into the pan, coating the chicken.

Allow this to cook covered and uncovered, stirring on a medium-high heat for as long as it takes to cook through the chicken — roughly 15 to 20 minutes.

Once it is cooked, serve on a plate with your choice of fancy rice. For those lacking fancy rice, good ol’ Uncle Ben’s will do or you can get really swanky and get yourself that two-minute microwave rice that cooks in a bag.

Again, I’m sure some people will turn their noses up at the idea of what I made being anything even remotely close to real Green Curry Chicken, but that’s the beauty of not being scared to take chances in the kitchen.  I made something that I enjoyed and hopefully anyone who tries it will too

08
Mar
10

Taking the Longo’s way home…

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: food and shopping
Tags: , , , , ,

One of the things I miss most about Toronto is my local supermarket, Longo’s.  From the first week I moved to the city in 2002, Longo’s on York Mills was there for me.  Many great meals came from there.  And when that stupid Toronto bag law came into effect — that ultimately had an effect on all supermarkets across the country — Longo’s was the first store I purchased reusable bags from — ones I still have and use today.

Longo’s at York Mills Road in Toronto

When I was in Toronto recently, I couldn’t pass up the chance to stop by the store and see it again.  Yes, most people miss friends or family when they move away.  I miss a store.  But I assure you, it’s not just any store.

As a foodie and an at-home chef, I can’t begin to stress the importance of a local supermarket that is more than just a grocery store.  You can get a liter of milk and potatoes just about anywhere these days. But a store like Longo’s makes you feel as if you’re at a market rather than a fast-paced in and out store.

For those who have never been, Longo’s started out back in 1956 with one store on Yonge Street and Castelfield. In 1962 they added a second store on Woodbine Avenue.  Since those days, Longo’s has grown to 21 stores in the Greater Toronto Area including The Market by Longo’s, a smaller scale market-type store located in downtown areas.

Longo’s York Mills had (and still does have) an amazing seafood department where many great meals started, as well an outstanding produce section and deli counter. And even at the end of my time in Toronto, Longo’s was there when it came to getting take-home meals, prepared fresh each day, so that I could eat something good rather than take-out from a fast food restaurant.

And while Barrhaven has no shortage of supermarkets as I’ve discovered, and I have managed to find a very good local store with Farm Boy, I will always pine for the days of Longo’s.

06
Mar
10

Nacho Podcast is Coming!

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: blogging, networking and podcast
Tags: , , , , , ,

It’s no secret to those who follow my “Official Twitter feed” that something new is coming. (Notice the use of quotes, capitalization and the word Official makes me feel important?)

But to let the cat out of the bag — and as you may have guessed from the title — the Nacho Podcast is on its way!

Yes, I felt it was finally time to get off my butt and do the whole podcast thing as I had promised I would do years ago when I started the blog. (I didn’t publicly promise it, in case you’re searching archives or waiting for a hyperlink. It was more of a thought in passing along the lines of “…Need to pick up my dry-cleaning… I’m all out of dish soap… A Beautiful Mind was highly overrated… a podcast would be fun to do…” )

I was recently inspired to get back to the podcast idea by Scarborough Dude, who by the way does a thoroughly entertaining podcast about life in Toronto that you owe it to yourself to check out, and by Etiquette Bitch who is one of Chicago’s top bloggers/Twitter/podcasters and actually gave me a shout-out on one of her recent podcasts. She too does a great podcast that is both funny and entertaining.

The podcast itself will be about life in Ottawa, as seen through my eyes (similar to the blog) but also feature comments on society, news stories, life in general and whatever else comes to mind.  Bunny will co-host — some “social media experts” will be quick to point out that a podcast isn’t podcast unless there are two people involved, but that’s not always the case — but the floor will also be open to guests from time to time.

And to make the magic happen, I’ll make use of my Audio Technica AT2020 microphone, a Mackie DFX-6 mixing board and Audacity, a great (and free) program used for mixing and audio editing which really is enough equipment to not only record with, but also run a small-time radio station.

But over the last few weeks, I’ve been in the market for a portable, hand-held recorder that would make life even easier and would not only speed things up, but also allow me to take the show on the road, so to speak. A few models I’ve been looking at include the Zoom H4n and the Olympus LS-10 which was recommended to me by Scarborough Dude.

All the technical stuff aside, the podcast is on its way. Might do a few test runs, just to see what it sounds like, but I would say within a few weeks we should have an actual show.

And finding a better name other than Nacho Podcast might also be in order. There could be something in it for you if you can come up with something.

04
Mar
10

This is REAL Korean Barbecue

By Chris 6 Comments
Categories: food and restaurants
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Since moving to Ottawa in August of last year, I’ve been lucky enough to find ‘replacements’ for all the thing I loved in Toronto.  I found a great all-you-can-eat sushi place, discount and repertory movie theaters, shopping and supermarkets.  But the one thing I have yet to find is authentic Korean Barbecue — or at least the kind of Korean BBQ I know and love.

Twitter followers and fellow foodies have been kind enough to suggest many places around Ottawa that they feel come close to the Korean BBQ I had in Toronto, but never having tried it themselves, their suggestions fall into the “close but no cigar” category.

I suddenly realized that maybe it was because people in Ottawa didn’t know what I was talking about.  They didn’t know exactly what I was really looking for — and believe me when I say I can be picky about my food preferences.  I’d made mention of it when I visited Toronto in February and made sure to pay a visit to all my favorites.

For years Korean Grill House, a chain of local Korean Barbecue restaurants in Toronto has been my eatery of choice when the craving strikes. And aside from the in-table grills, the real trick is it’s ALL YOU CAN EAT. That’s the secret.

To properly understand what I mean when I say “authentic” Korean BBQ, follow me down the proverbial rabbit hole and take a look…

My preferred method of Korean BBQ has an in-table grill, most always fueled by gas.

Then come the side dishes that consist of potatoes, sprouts, tofu and spicy cabbage. There are also rice bowls and soup offered.

All you can drink soft drinks are a nice touch too…

Now we get to the main event, so to speak.  Trays of uncooked meat and fish. Vegetarians will be pleased to know there is a grill-your-veggies option, but I’m sure you already figured out that I have never tried that.

The raw meat is placed either tray by tray or by various pieces together on the grill.  Make sure to cook the meat properly. For me, I always start with the beef.  There are very few points in your life when you can actually say “I’ll start with the beef…” but this is one of them.

Once the beef is cooked, feel free to add to the rice bowl so that you can convince yourself you’re having a healthy, well balanced meal.

Then you do the same thing for the ribs…

And the pork…

And the chicken…

And so on and so on.  Wait staff will come over periodically and ask if you if you want more of anything. As you can probably guess, my answer to that is “yes”.

That leaves the only remaining item, the less than awe-inspiring, rather boring “white fish”.

It’s been my understanding after years of eating Korean BBQ that the white fish is basically the ShamWow of the Korean BBQ world.  It’s used to clean up the grill and put out any small fires that may have started on account of left behind meat.

Of course, as always, at the end of the meal comes the bill. But as you can see, for two people with full all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink soda, a meal at Korean Grill House costs under $35, taxes included.

Now, none of this is any use to people in Ottawa as it’s been my understanding that a place such as this does not yet exist in Capital City — or I haven’t found it yet.  If anyone knows of one, I’d love to hear about it. But remember, it has to meet the very simple requirements:

  1. It features an in-table grill. Not a stove or a hot-pot or the chef in the back cooking it for you
  2. It’s all-you-can-eat

Hopefully I’ll find something like that.

02
Mar
10

OC Transpo is bad, but is the TTC worse?

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Money, ottawa, random thoughts, toronto and transit
Tags: , , , , , , ,

The first day of March marked the day that OC Transpo decided to stick it to transit-using Ottawans (again) by raising fares. So that brings the official count to… fare hike, fare hike, strike, fare hike, fare hike. Yeah. That seems fair.

I just have to accept we live in a world of bendy-buses pretending to be rapid transit and 20 minute waits. Oh, and a train that goes from nowhere, to nowhere. And of course spending money on some service garage and dodging investigations and inquires and audits.  All in a day’s work for OC Transpo.

But all of that is to say at least OC Transpo doesn’t waste money like the Toronto Transit Commission.

Under the so-called leadership of now-disgraced Toronto mayoral hopeful Adam Giambrone, the TTC has continued to fail when it comes to providing the service that Torontonians pay for. Not to mention they too just faced a massive fare hike — one that brings their monthly pass to a staggering $121.

One could argue that the city has Streetcars and Subways and a much larger fleet that covers  a landmass three times the size of Ottawa.  But that doesn’t mean they don’t piss away money and then moan to the three levels of government about it.

Take for example this…

I noticed it last week during my visit to Toronto.  As you can see, it’s a billboard with the iconic TTC shield logo on it, a web address and an information phone number.  And that’s it.

A billboard like that costs roughly $300 a day — and of course you can’t just buy one, or one day. This one is located at the busy intersection of Bayview and Eglinton Avenues. No less than seven TTC bus routes — their spur routes — pass by there every day, on their way to either a Subway station or a RT station.  Thousands of people — who are no doubt already on a bus — see this billboard.

What I want to know is “WHY?” Who in the city of Toronto doesn’t know what the TTC is? Why would you need to take out expensive ad space, on an ad that says NOTHING, just to remind people the TTC exists?

If the creative minds and advertising department wanted to increase ridership through a mass marketing campaign– in the face of the huge fare hike — they could have found a creative way to do it.  Maybe a slogan or stats showing that the TTC is truly “the better way.”

And if TTC riders wonder why their passes keep going up, maybe they should take a look at the man in charge (Giambrone), his pathetic leadership and the decision to spend money on frivolous and useless things such as billboards that tell you nothing you don’t already know.

I’ll be the first to admit I used to champion the cause of the TTC back in 1997 when I visited Toronto.  Coming from Montreal where the transit is only slightly better than Ottawa (they have a subway, but there are still long waits for buses) the TTC was amazing. Plush seats, large subways, streetcars that served as an extension of the subway. The TTC was great — at least to me.

But from living there over the course of seven years, I started to see kinks in the armor of the once great Toronto Transit Commission. Add to that Adam Giambrone coming in as Chairman in 2006, and that was the swan song, in my opinion.

And seeing them waste money on self-serving ads makes no sense.

One good thing is I can assume that come the 2010 Toronto elections, if the good people of Davenport (Ward 18) have any taste, they will not re-elect Adam Giambrone to City Council.  Or he’ll finally make a smart decision and decide not to seek a third term. His reign of terror over the TTC will finally be finished.  Too bad the damage is done.

As far as us here in Ottawa, again, not much can be done. Whether we get a new mayor this year or not, the OC Transpo will continue to do things their way, pushing people around and providing the “service” they provide, until someone comes along and finally stands up to them.

One can only imagine how expensive the fares will be by then.

28
Feb
10

Forever the Tour Guide

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: friends and ottawa
Tags: , , , ,

This weekend gave me the chance to play “tour guide” to a visiting friend who came into town from Toronto.  Other than family, I haven’t been lucky enough to welcome many guests into my home — especially those from out of town.  Naturally this situation gave me to show off my knowledge of the city.

But as it turns out, my guest is already quite familiar with our Nation’s Capital and has already done all the touristy things during other visits, leaving me with the task of cooking dinner and being a good host.

It was nice for a change to not leave the city on a weekend as I’ve done in the past, and to feel at home, being able to say “this is where I live”.

25
Feb
10

Culinary Adventures in Toronto

By Chris 6 Comments
Categories: food, restaurants and toronto
Tags: , , , , , ,

During my most recent trip to Toronto, I was able to visit some familiar places — most of those being favorite restaurants I used to frequent.  For me, food has always been one of the greatest pleasures of any city I visit or live in.  No matter where I’ve been, I can tell you at least one place to get a good meal.

One of the things that makes Toronto interesting is that it’s so diverse and multicultural. Millions of people from hundreds of countries, all bringing their take on their culture’s cuisine.  And there’s me, ready to try it.

Sure, I may not venture into completely unknown territory when it comes to dining in Toronto as the ethnic and international foods I like can be found in almost any major city, but my seven years in that city did allow me to try things I hadn’t had before — and things I must have every time I go back.

Continue reading ‘Culinary Adventures in Toronto’

24
Feb
10

Back from Toronto

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: Life, memories, ottawa and toronto
Tags: , , ,

Four days later and I’m back in Ottawa. My trip to Toronto — combining work and pleasure — was great.  It’s funny how I now miss the city I once called home, yet seven months ago I couldn’t wait to leave.

This most recent trip gave me a chance to reflect on my choices in life.  Why I did what I did and would I do it again if I got the chance.  Seeing the city through the eyes of a tourist (again) sheds a different light on it — yet toss in the seven years worth of memories and you have an interesting mix.

I’ll be honest; I could see myself living there again one day. Only now do I see all the good that happened while I was there the first time.  The fun times, the great memories and the amazing experiences.  I had to leave so that I could see that.

But now the time has come to find those same feelings in Ottawa.  Capital City is my new home and I will make the most of it.  Because while I’ll admit I do have some regret about not making the most of my time in Toronto, I would hate to ever leave Ottawa and have even more regret that stems from not doing enough while I was here.

So here’s to good times in Ottawa and learning from past experiences.  Here’s to all new good memories and good times and making the most of where I live.

21
Feb
10

Off to Toronto

By Chris 3 Comments
Categories: toronto and travel
Tags: , ,

So the big news? I’m heading to Toronto! Some people figured it out, but for the most part I hid behind the cloak of mystery and kept things somewhat secretive until I knew for sure what I’d be doing. I never like to talk things up unless I’m 110% sure because sometimes — like my very well planned trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles last year that never ended up happening — plans fall through because of things that are beyond my control.

Just a couple days in Toronto, taking in the sights and sounds (and in some cases, smells) seeing a show and finding a way to beat the winter blahs. For me, despite all that goes into it, travel has always been relaxing.

When opportunities come up sometimes you have to seize the moment and go with it.  A couple days off, visiting the city is just what I need and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. And while I’m back in Hogtown, it also gives me a chance to look for a good deal on my latest obsession — Maui Jim sunglasses that were highly recommended to me. (But that’s obviously not the only reason for going.)

But does my Toronto trip mean something else? Should people be reading between the lines or guessing what my next move will be? To that I can say “no”. Things are good right now and it’s best to let them stay that way.

So for the next few days I’ll be back in Toronto, visiting familiar haunts.  Always, feel free to follow along in the world of Twitter for all the late-breaking between blog post action and excitement. (That was shameless self promotion mixed with sarcasm… just so we’re all clear.)

19
Feb
10

Interesting, to say the least…

By Chris 5 Comments
Categories: Life
Tags: , , ,

“I love it when a plan comes together!” - John ‘Hannibal’ Smith, The A-Team

The last day or so has been interesting, to say the least. Aside from some unexpected car trouble that prevented me from going to a Tweet-up in Orleans, and of course the much-hyped death hoax of Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot, everything else has been gaining speed.

It’s amazing how fast one can throw things together and put a plan into action when the situation calls for it. Although I’ve been rather mute and vague  (both on my official Twitter feed and on this site) about things concerning some aspects of my life it seems that once again life keeps creating speed bumps for me to hurdle over.

So I’m thinking I need to do something. Nothing drastic, but something fun.  And we shall see what that is if everything works out right.  I’ve lined up a few ideas and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my “plan” will come together.

19
Feb
10

Cub Carson and Kitty gone from Virgin Radio 106

By Chris 39 Comments
Categories: Ottawa News, media, people and radio
Tags: , , , , , ,

Over the past year or so I’ve said some less than flattering things about Virgin Radio 106 here in Ottawa. I’ve mentioned how their ratings are sagging since the Astral Media’s choice to replace the long-standing The Bear format with a pre-packaged concept like Virgin. (Although trained radio people will be quick to point out that The Bear was in fact a concept that existed for years with Standard Broadcasting at various stations across Canada.)

The Bear was a staple in Ottawa and I personally felt that Virgin Radio was a stupid name and format. I never however said that I hated the station itself or the people who work there.  Having worked in radio for many years, I have a tremendous amount of respect for (most) radio personalities and the hard work they do.

The radio business is exceptionally brutal.  You could be here one day and gone the next.  And that’s what happened with long time radio personalities Cub Carson and Kitty who hosted the Virgin Radio/Bear morning show.

I met Cub a couple weeks ago when he was filling in as co-host on Rogers daytime Ottawa.  I had a chance to actually sit and talk with him and I can’t say enough nice things about the guy.  He is a professional, as well as down-to-earth.  He has a great sense of humor and was really fun to talk to. Unfortunately I never met Kitty, but from what I’ve heard she was a hoot as well.

While there’s no doubt in my mind that both Cub and Kitty will find work somewhere else, hopefully for them in Ottawa, it doesn’t take away from the sting of the radio business. One can only assume that their firing was a result of Astral and/or Virgin Radio management’s decision to shake things up in order to get better ratings.

I don’t know Cub and Kitty the way that most Ottawans do because, as we all know, I’m still “new in town”. But from what I’ve heard about them and from having met Cub, they seem like really great people — which is something that is hard to find in the radio business.

So yeah, I still hate the Virgin Radio name and concept, but I would never want anyone to lose their jobs.  Sadly though, that’s already happened.

(Memo to Virgin and Astral: I doubt it was the morning show that was the problem.  Maybe the format just stinks.)

19
Feb
10

Girls Night: The Musical is a Must See!

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Events, music and ottawa
Tags: , , ,

Bunny and I just got back from opening night of Girls Night: The Musical and what a great night it was. For weeks now I’ve been talking and Tweeting about how Bunny and I have been looking forward to seeing the show — our first real cultural outing in Ottawa since moving here last summer — and tonight it lived up to the hype.

From the second we walked in, Centrepointe Theatre was alive with the “girl power” theme running through it.  There were make-up demonstrations by Smashbox, cupcakes by Little Cakes, awesome jewelry by Blend Creations and clothing by Kenlan’s Closet.  There were also neat little swag bags courtesy of Sephora.  Needless to say that Bunny was thrilled and totally in her element.

As soon as the show got underway, the audience was hooked. Wilma Cespedes-Rivera who breaks the fourth wall with such unbelievable energy as Sharon, interacts with the crowd as the narrator and sets up the events through flashbacks and brings us back to present-day.

The story focuses on the five cast members as they get together to celebrate the engagement of one of their daughters with a night of drinks, laughter and karaoke, which is of course where the music comes in. Throughout the play, the ladies — all around the same age, but each one going through different struggles in their lives — explore their feelings and share secrets with each other, soon realizing what the bond is that brings them together.

The five amazingly talented ladies didn’t just own their roles, they disappeared into them. It’s nearly impossible to say if anyone actually stole the show and stood out more than their cast mates.  Each one of them did such a great job. My compliments to the people who put this cast together.  The chemistry and energy was perfect.

Yours truly with the cast members of Girls Night: The Musical
L to R:  Laura Saenz, Wilma Cespedes-Rivera, Christina Cataldo, Debra Toscano, Kira Galindo

If the off the wall characters, razor-sharp delivery and clever writing wasn’t enough to win over the audience, the musical numbers — songs ranging from disco classics like It’s Raining Men and I Will Survive right up to Man I Feel Like a Woman and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun — are what kept everyone tapping their toes and singing along.

While the story itself is carefree, there were some surprisingly touching moments when the ladies reveal parts of their pasts either to each other or through Sharon’s narration. However the mood never gets too serious as there’s always another musical number waiting to bring us back to the party.

Debra Toscano (as Carol) and her rendition of Don’t Cry Out Loud was a stand out moment in the show as she owned the scene and made the song hers. Christina Cataldo and Kira Galindo who played the somewhat reserved and quirky Anita and Katie, respectively, rose above and beyond the occasion with their solos, earning cheers from the audience while Laura Saenz in the role of the sassy and sexy Liza, showed no signs of slowing down as she was every bit into her dance moves as she was her amazing take on the songs.

By the end of the night, Bunny, and even myself along with the entire audience, were on our feet for the final songs.

Yes, the show is geared towards women, but don’t go expecting a chick-flick on stage.  Anyone who comes to see it will enjoy it. Sadly Girls Night: The Musical is only in town until Sunday, February 21 and only a few shows remain.  Opening night was completely sold out and from what I hear, other nights are filling up fast so get your tickets now.

It’s not every day that such a great, feel good musical comes to town, so you owe it to yourself to go and see it.

And both Bunny and I are pleased that Girls Night was our first play/musical that we saw in Ottawa.

15
Feb
10

Is CTV ruining the Olympics?

By Chris 15 Comments
Categories: media
Tags: , , , , ,

I normally write a lot about my life and what living in Ottawa is like, but as someone who has studied television, is currently involved in the industry and has an overall general passion for the media, I felt the need to say something.

Not wanting to burn any bridges or offend a company that one day I could see myself working for, I will be as gentle as possible.  But I also want to address the fact that as a Canadian, this concerns me and others who watch the Olympic Games on television.

Since opening night of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, CTV has been getting a lot of flack for their coverage of the games.  The ceremonies themselves, aside from a technical glitch or two, were great. (I didn’t watch them live, but caught them on replay and on tape.) But people were saying that CTV could have done a better job.

There was some concern that during the ceremonies, CTV often cut to commercial while the American feed on NBC stayed with the event without breaks.  But what drew a lot of angry heat was during the pre-show, CTV decided to include a questionable segment with MuchMusic hosts in a hot tub.

What I want to know is, why did CTV think this was a good and respectable idea?  Did they do it for the younger demographics to make the Olympics seem “cool” and “hip” to the kids of today who walk around with their noses buried in their cell phones and use the word “like” every five seconds?

I may not have my finger on the pulse of what makes a great Olympic telecast, but cutting to a segment where the MuchMusic hosts are in a hot tub doing body-shots with girls, followed by an impromptu strip down has nothing to do with Olympics.

And is that an accurate representation of our country and culture? Is this what we want other countries to see? We as Canadians often slam America and TV shows such as Jersey Shore and The Hills for their portrayal of loud, boisterous behavior — yet here we are doing exactly the same thing during the biggest global event of our time.

The Olympics have been a time-honored tradition and something almost nation on our planet can come together for. (Lord knows we’re still working on World Peace and climate control)  It’s also the only time when we as humans all play nice with each other.  And this is Canada’s third chance to showcase itself to the world.

CTV, Canada’s leading national television network, has an amazing opportunity to document what could very well be the greatest sporting event for this generation.  But instead they have MuchMusic and MTV hosts acting as if they’re at spring break.

And I also understand about cross-brand promotion. CTV has a whack of shows they produce and showcasing them on the main network during the most watched telecast in Canadian history is an excellent chance to get the word out. But there has to be a line drawn somewhere.

What it boils down to is that as the official network covering the Games, CTV has a responsibility to show class and let the athletes and their hard work speak for themselves.

I honestly don’t think that CTV is ruining the Games. Granted, mistakes were made but that’s why pencils have erasers. There is still a lot of time to turn this ship around and really do a great job covering the event. Canada just won its first Gold Medal on home soil and things are looking up for our athletes. Let’s hope that whatever shenanigans soured the opening ceremonies are nothing but a bad memory now.

15
Feb
10

Back to Capital City

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Events, food, montreal, ottawa, restaurants and social life
Tags: , ,

I had a great weekend in Montreal.  It’s always nice to come back to the ol’ hometown and see what’s new.  My brother took me out for a few birthday cocktails (twice) and there was of course the all-you-can-eat meat fest at Le Milsa Brazilian Churrascaria.  I can honestly say I never thought I would get tired of eating meat, but a few nights ago, I came dangerously close to it.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t go back.  I just need a really good reason.

Actually, who am I kidding? I don’t need a good reason to enjoy all-you-can-eat meat.

Then we did dinner on Saturday at Oggi Ristorante — one of my favorite places to eat at when I’m in Montreal.  Family and friends came out and it was a good time.

But now, as Family Day rolls ’round and most people in Ottawa get an extra day off, I’ll be heading back to town and getting ready to jump back into things.

On a less than lighthearted side note (but not a bad one) I did some thinking this weekend and talked through some options.  Nothing is set in stone and no decisions have been made so right now, my life in Ottawa moves forward as planned.  Which is a good thing, of course.

11
Feb
10

My first birthday in Ottawa… sort of

By Chris 11 Comments
Categories: Events, Life, family, food and ottawa
Tags: , , , , ,

Today is my birthday and it’s the first one I celebrate in Ottawa.  Thing is, I’ll only be in town for a few hours today and then I’m off to Montreal for the weekend.  I figured since I’m close enough to spend a birthday with my family, I might as well do it.

Bunny has gone to great lengths to prepare a few surprises for me, including taking me to a buffet breakfast at the Westin in downtown Ottawa and a dinner in Montreal tonight.

She’s also been working closely with my mother to plan a small party on Saturday for me at one of my favorite Italian restaurants.

And really, it’s not as if there’s a big milestone to celebrate.  Just another year on the calendar for me.  I normally don’t do anything on my birthday, except this year things seem to be different.

10
Feb
10

The Big Move: What Really Happened

By Chris 5 Comments
Categories: moving
Tags: , , , , ,

By know, those who know me, know that my move from Toronto to Ottawa was anything but what I had hoped it would be. Despite deciding to go with a reputable moving company, the team of movers who showed up were late, slow and generally unprepared.

In addition to all of that, several personal items were damaged or lost and expensive items were broken.  I had been saying I was going to write about this and now I can.

Because everyone knows that a glass table is perfect for holding heavy things

Shortly after the move, Bunny and I took the proper steps to get compensation for both the items as well as the bad service we received.  I could have forgiven a great deal of things had the movers done the job properly and had we gotten the service we were promised.

We actually had to go to the parent moving company, Atlas Van Lines, who had been responsible for sending an estimator who did his job incorrectly and who decided that three movers were enough when in reality four guys should have been the minimum.

Boxes of valuables, pinned and squeezed against the wall of the truck

There were a lot of problems and each one of them were highlighted and mentioned in the many emails and letters that were sent in the months after the move.

A few of the problems were as follows:

  • The movers were over an hour late showing up on the day of the move in Toronto
  • They took 12 hours to pack up our hours (mainly because there weren’t enough movers)
  • When it started to rain, our stuff was left outside without blankets
  • The movers showed up a day after they were supposed to in Ottawa
  • The truck had been repacked to accommodate another move, resulting in our stuff being shifted and broken.
  • Our glass patio table was used to support chairs and a dresser. As a result it broke. (We filed a claim for that)

I know everyone who moves encounters some type of problem, but we felt that we had not received the service we were promised or had paid for.  We were compensated for our loss of property due to negligence on the part of the movers, but not for the sub-par service we received. After all, if a company says they will provide a certain level of service, you expect that. And we didn’t get it.  So Bunny pursued the matter until finally, seven months later, the issue has been resolved.

I waited until everything was over before saying anything about it.  I wanted to see what Atlas Van Lines would do before I wrote anything about it.  I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they would live up to their reputation. Thankfully, they did.  Today, Atlas Van Lines did the right thing and we received a cheque and can finally put the whole thing behind us.

I thought about all the details I could go into. Details I had said I would reveal when the time is right, but I’m going to take the higher road on this.  I’m going to take the money and the lesson learned and say that while I’m pleased with how everything was handled — seven months after the fact — I wasn’t pleased with the service and when I move again, I will go with another company.

Either way, the move is finally over and I feel a weight has been lifted.

09
Feb
10

And what about Montreal?

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Life, media, montreal, ottawa and work
Tags: , , , , , , ,

A friend of mine raised a good question concerning all of this “where would I go if suddenly the opportunity came up?” drama. She asked, “How about Montreal? Would you ever go back there?”

Montreal is my hometown and it always will be.  I spent 26 years of my life there and even though when I was living there, I often wanted to move away, I still respected it and now miss it.  Thankfully Ottawa is so close that if I’m ever craving a walk down memory lane, I can just hop in the car and be there in under two hours.

But would I pack up and actually move back?  That’s a really tough question.

As much as I love Montreal, I don’t know if career-wise it would be a smart move.  There are many factors at play here, both good at bad.

On the Pro side of things, Montreal costs less.  From groceries to taxes to the all important cost of housing (including rent and home ownership).  Insurance costs less, utilities cost less, and they even have a better cable package. (Videotron’s Illico service let’s you actually pick the channels you want instead of charging you $70 (taxes included) for 300 channels, most of them being repeats or lumped with other channels you don’t want.  But I digress…)

Certainly a cable company isn’t reason enough to move back to Montreal — unless you happen to work for that company, and that brings us to a hurdle: work.  The English media in Montreal is small — smaller than Ottawa — so your choices are really limited.  Of the top English radio stations in the city, three (Virgin Radio 96, CHOM-FM and CJAD-AM) are owned by the same company (Astral Media) and the only English language daily newspaper, The Gazette, seems to keep making cuts to their staff.

For the ever-changing TV market, Montreal has three English choices; CTV (CFCF-12), Global-TV and CBC.

Not a lot of options for someone like me.  I do speak French, but probably not well enough anymore to land a job on the French side of media in Montreal.  Besides, I feel more comfortable in my own language.

My experience in Toronto and now in Ottawa certainly helps — it’s been my finding that Montreal media occasionally likes to bring in folks who like the city and have worked in other markets — but they also like to “recruit from within”, so to speak.

Going back to the part where I said I don’t know if career-wise moving to Montreal would be a smart move,  surely that will ruffle a few feathers as many Montrealers have had long and illustrious careers in the media there. A majority of them never moved away leaving a nearly eight year gap.  It’s hard to just decide to move back and jump into the game when there are players who have been doing their thing for many years.

And, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. There’s the issue of politics which is always a hot-button for Montreal and Quebec.  I don’t notice it so much now, living close to Gatineau, but I do remember what it was like when I was in the middle of it in Montreal.

Sooner or later, the Parti Québécois will come back into power (sadly, it’s unavoidable) and while it won’t drive the English-speaking people from the province, it makes for a tougher economic environment as well as a somewhat unpleasing atmosphere knowing that the people running the province are looking to break up the country that prints the money they enjoy spending.  But I don’t feel like getting into that right now.

Still, these are all things I think about. The idea of living in Montreal again is great. It’s an amazing city, filled with many memories, but honestly right now at this point in my life, there’s a greater chance of my heading back to Toronto than Montreal.

So, hopefully that answers that question. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be visiting my hometown for my birthday this week.

And just for old time’s sake…. Go Habs Go!

07
Feb
10

Got my Girls Night tickets!

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,

Check it out! As you can see, I got my tickets to one of Ottawa’s most anticipated shows, Girls Night: The Musical.  The show starts next week with a big opening night on February 18 and runs until February 21 at Centrepointe Theatre. So that gives you plenty of time to get tickets of your own and check it out.

I want to give a big thanks Bronwyn at Cinnamon Toast New Media and the wonderful people at Girls Night The Musical for this opportunity. Since it is my year in Ottawa and my list of cultural and entertaining things that I’ve done so far is limited to late-night poutine in Vanier, I felt the need to branch out. This show certainly fits the bill.

So… I have my tickets. Do you have yours yet?

04
Feb
10

Is Toronto really an option?

By Chris 8 Comments
Categories: Life, memories, random thoughts and toronto
Tags: , , , , ,

Some friends and even family members were shocked to see that Toronto was one of my so-called options when it came to dealing with last week’s problems.  I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of it quite a bit.  But would I really go through the headache of moving all over again… only to end up in the city I just left?

Sure, it’s easy to say “No you won’t.  You’ll stay right here in Ottawa” which is a nice thought and in a perfect world, that would be the case.  But in the real world — you know, the one where you get paid to do your job — the highway is always an option.

And of course, friends left in Toronto were pleased at the idea of my heading back to Megacity.  But that’s just not the way I’m rolling now.  I have to look at the bigger picture.

When you choose a career in the media, you go where the jobs are.  Many radio announcers who you hear on the airwaves have moved around a lot.  They lose their jobs, or get better offers and they pack their bags and their families and sometimes, move as far away as clear across the country.  Same thing for TV broadcasters and even the folks who work behind the scenes.

And don’t forget professional athletes.  Many of them only rent condos or apartments in the city they play in because they know they could be traded at any point.  Others take the chance that they’ll be around for a bit and end up buying a house.  But when that call comes, you have to be ready.

Ottawa was (and still is) a fresh start for me.  A greener side of the fence.  Something I wanted to try, and it’s something I’m proud I did.  But is it forever? I can’t honestly with 100% certainty say that it is.

That brings up the Toronto issue again.  And with that, comes the nagging questions such as “You complained so much about wanting to leave Toronto, and here you are saying you would go back?”  What gives?”

As I mentioned in a post the other day, I didn’t HATE Toronto and I honestly do miss it.  I miss it because I miss the good times.  I miss the fun places I used to go, the familiar neighborhoods, the nice restaurants, my friends and good memories I have.  I even miss the cold and foreboding feeling of a big, cosmopolitan city.

Sitting here, looking back at almost eight years since moving from Montreal, the past seven in Toronto weren’t bad at all.  Like any place, there are good and bad.  But when I really think,  it was a damn fun ride.

Toronto was seven years of my life and for the most part, when you shave away the occasional bad thing, it was an all around good experience.  I did some things I would have never have gotten to do otherwise, and worked at some places I probably never would have worked at.

I can — with total honesty — offer you this line as said by Johnny Carson during his last Tonight Show back in May of 1992:

“If I could, magically somehow… make it run backwards, I’d like to do the whole thing all over again” — Johnny Carson

But that also means I’m not ready to pack my bags and head back to Toronto after only one year in Ottawa. (At least not unless there was a really good offer.  And I mean REALLY good.)

Besides, while the idea of moving back to Toronto to solve some problems may seem like a somewhat good idea, it in no way means that there won’t be a handful of new problems or that somehow all the crap I didn’t like about the city won’t be there when I go back.

The move was emotionally, physically and mentally draining.  More so than you know because I haven’t actually gone into detail about it because of legal reasons.  (Yes, legal reasons.  But soon I promise you I will.)

And these are the things I think about…

02
Feb
10

Carrie Underwood is NOT Ottawa’s biggest star

By Chris 3 Comments
Categories: ottawa and people
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The other day, Ottawa Citizen writer Joanne Chianello actually referred to Carrie Underwood as Ottawa “biggest star”. The comment was nestled into an article about how polite Ottawans are and while we are all smitten to pieces with the notion that Ms. Underwood is engaged to Mike Fisher, we still keep a cool head about it.

And let’s not forget how BOTH the Citizen and the Ottawa Sun ran FRONT PAGE stories about the Bell Sens Soirée fundraiser and splashed pictures of Fisher and Underwood across the cover as if it was the Second Coming of Christ.

So because she’s dating an Ottawa Senators player and she’s famous suddenly the whole city of Ottawa comes together and embraces her? Like some Who down in Whoville on Christmas morning, singing her praises “Yay! One of our hockey players is actually dating someone famous! Ottawa is finally on the map!” If something like that turns your crank, then you really need to take stock of your life.

Really… she’s not such a big deal.

Let’s clear a few things up here.  She is HARDLY Ottawa’s biggest star. While she may be talented and well known — I honestly couldn’t tell you though because I avoid all things do with predetermined and heavily scripted reality shows — Carrie Underwood won a karaoke contest (American Idol) and as a result was launched into the limelight.  There really should be a rule that states, even if you are talented, being on a reality show of any kind does not make you that famous.

Aside from being the CAPITAL OF CANADA as well as the fourth largest city in the country Ottawa has plenty to be proud of.  But if you’re looking for “big stars” who call or have called Ottawa home, then take a gander at this short list of folks who have accomplished far more than winning a singing competition and getting engaged to a hockey player…

Alanis Morissette Multi-award winning singer/songwriter who is largely responsible for launching the angry girl movement of the mid 90’s grunge and alternative eras.  After two bubble gum pop records, Ottawa native Morissette returned in 1995 with Jagged Little Pill and the lead single You Oughta Know, that not only spawned the leather pants/satin blouse look, but became the break-up anthem for millions and helped make Pill one of the fastest selling albums of all time. She has since gone on to become one of the biggest female artists of all time and even branch out into movies and TV. (She did get her start on You Can’t Do That On Television right here in Ottawa too.)  Best of all, she’s always been loyal to her hometown.

Dan Aykroyd Actor, writer, winemaker, one half of the Blues Brothers. Whether he’s Dr. Ray Stanz fighting ghosts and marshmallow men or Jake Blues, hauling ass through a Chicago area shopping mall, Dan Aykroyd has had an amazing career in the movies and TV that is still unmatched. Starting as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and then jumping into classic comedies alongside the likes of Bill Murray and the late John Candy, Aykroyd is one of the most sucessful and well known SNL cast members of all time.  And here’s a little known fact, he was also part of the We Are The World recording.

Paul Anka Singer, songwriter, composer and music icon.  Mr. Anka shows no signs of slowing down after an outstanding career writing and performing some of the more memorable songs of all time. And when it came time for Johnny Carson to be played to the stage each night on The Tonight Show, Mr. Anka was the one who composed the theme song — and received a royalty check every time Johnny’s Theme was played.  Most recently it was revealed that This Is It, the last single from Michael Jackson was co-written by Mr. Anka back in 1983.

Tom Green Some might think of Green as Ottawa’s dirty little secret, but you have to give the man credit.  When he’s not pulling pranks or dating Drew Barrymore, Tom Green makes movies and TV show appearances all because he had a small, local talk-show on Rogers TV (Cable 22) back in 1994.  He has since moved on and made it “big” in the United States with shows on MTV and of course a rather memorable role in the hit comedy Road Trip and a not-so-memorable role in Freddy Got Fingered. Still, he’s a household name and a big-name star and keeps finding new ways of (sort of) reinventing himself.

Sarah Chalke You may remember her from Scrubs or Roseanne or have seen her most recently on How I Met Your Mother.  But when you talk about actress Sarah Chalke, you have to mention the fact that she’s from Ottawa.  Yes, she did move away to British Columbia, but as far as Ottawa exports go, Capital City did pretty well by her. And while she has never achieved super stardom, she has always remained employed and worked very hard to keep her status as a bankable and likable actress on both the small and big screens.

Mike Bullard Maybe not the biggest or best comedian in Canada — it seems many people have a rather strong opinion of Bullard — but I happen to like him and he was nice to me when I was on his show back in 1999.  Oh, and he’s from Ottawa too.  Say what you will, but how many of you had a talk-show on CTV and Global?  He’s done rather well for himself seeing he started out in the world of police services and as a Bell employee.  Through his sarcastic comedy, he managed to get a TV show and become well known in Canada.  Whether you like him or not — and I’m guessing that many will say “not” — he has hung in there.

Margaret Atwood Probably one of the greatest writers our country has ever produced and as luck would have it, she’s from Ottawa.  Ms. Atwood has had articles published in countless magazines and publications — including (another little known fact) Playboy magazine.  Ms. Atwood is the recipient of the Order of Canada, a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and numerous awards and honorary degrees.  She is known and respected all over the world.  And while she has yet to appear on some crappy reality show, she is by far one of the most famous Canadians of all time.

Lorene Greene Often referred to as the Grandfather of Canadian Broadcasting, many will remember Mr. Greene for his New Wilderness program or from his roles on Bonanza and the original Battlestar Galatica.  He was born in Ottawa and went on to become the principal newsreader for CBC where he earned the nickname the Voice of Canada.  He also was a narator and actor for both TV and film.  Sadly, he passed away in 1987, but his mark has been left on Canadian media and broascasting, as well as film and television for generations to come.

There are also the countless politicians, actors, singers and of course, hockey players who have been born and raised here.  Plenty of other people who should all be ushered to the front of the Ottawa’s Biggest Star line before Carrie Underwood is.

And then there’s me.  But alas, I wasn’t born here. I only live here now.  However I do expect a whirlwind of attention if I ever end up dating Kelly Clarkson. (But that would mean having to familiarize myself with her career which I understand got its start on American Idol as well — and we know that is never going to happen.)

01
Feb
10

There’s always a Plan B

By Chris 5 Comments
Categories: Life, ottawa, random thoughts and toronto
Tags: , , , ,

Alright. Things have calmed down over the last day or so.  There were some communication issues and suddenly, before I knew it, people were feeling backed into corners and out of nowhere drastic measures and options were being considered.

But now everything seems to be okay.  And while there have been some changes behind the scenes (so to speak), I’m not planning on doing anything drastic any time in the foreseeable future.

And by now, many of those who know me, have figured out what one of those drastic measures was…

A crossroad sign, slightly modified to make a rather obvious point

Before everyone has a freak-out and thinks I’m throwing in the towel, I just want to be clear that I am exploring all of my options and keeping all of my doors open, just in case.

As mentioned, thankfully everything seems to be calm now and things are returning to normal.  Everyone still has their jobs and there was no danger of anyone being out of work.  (Just felt like clearing that up.)

But I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t considering the possibility of moving back to Toronto.

You’re probably asking yourself the same thing I was: why would I consider moving back there after having waited so long to leave it?

Truth is I never hated Toronto and in the back of my mind, wondered if I would ever move back even though that was never the plan.  There was so much I couldn’t stand about the city (the high taxes, the mayor, the fact it’s overcrowded, that everything is so expensive) and I knew in the back of my mind, even though I miss Toronto now, if I were to move back, I would curse myself and the city before long.

Or… would I return to Toronto with a new and better understanding of the city?  Having come at it for a second time ’round, as a person who did live there for seven years, left and returned. And this time knowing full well what I’m getting myself into by deciding to have a 416 area code and call myself a Torontonian.

Yes, I thought about all this, preparing for what could be the worst.  Thankfully, it didn’t come down to that. But I do keep in mind that in the world of media as well as public relations (the chosen careers of myself and Bunny) Toronto is always an option.  Realistically there are more choices and more possibilities in Hogtown — but I don’t want that to be the only choice.

For the time being, I’m staying in Ottawa.  It took me long enough to get here, so with the exception of work-related trips and the occasional family crisis, I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon.

28
Jan
10

Your whole world can change in 24 hours

By Chris 3 Comments
Categories: Life and work
Tags: , , ,

When I started this blog, I decided it was going to be a chronicle of my life leading up to and after my move to Ottawa.  That includes dealing with the headaches of planning a move, finding a new house, moving and ultimately living in a new city and exploring what has become my new home.

Through opinions and exploration, I have taken a look around Ottawa and talked about what my new life has in store for me.  But of course, in keeping with my original plan for this blog, sometimes it’s not always about trying new sushi restaurants or exploring downtown malls.  Sometimes, it’s about “life” in Ottawa.

And for me, these past couple days, my life has taken an interesting turn.

Personally speaking, things are good.  I’m doing work I enjoy.  I’m meeting new people and getting my “sea legs” in a new city.  (It only took six months.)  But that doesn’t mean things aren’t changing.

As I mentioned, I’m facing some choices I didn’t want to make.  Choices that should have probably been thought about and discussed a long time ago, but because it’s something you don’t want to talk about, they weren’t brought up.

Before people start feeling sorry, both Bunny and I are still employed and everything is going well. And in some cases, that might even lead to more choices. (I promise once the smoke clears, all of this will probably make sense.) But recent events have me thinking about what the next stage of life and career will be.

After  Tuesday afternoon’s little crises that ended with beer and wings standing in as comfort food at The Royal Oak, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked into a few options myself.

Wings and Beer at The Royal Oak makes everything okay… for now

The Boy Scouts motto is “be prepared” and I fault myself for not having back-up plans in place.  Not that I plan to use them, but it’s good to know they are there and that in the event of a drastic measure, steps could be taken.

You wanted a blog about life in Ottawa?  Well this is real life.

26
Jan
10

It comes crashing down

By Chris 7 Comments
Categories: Life
Tags: ,

Since before moving to Ottawa, I had gotten used to my world changing at the drop of a hat.  From everything being fine one day, to changing almost completely the next.  Plans that were almost a sure-fire hit, became nothing more than a distant memory.  And you would think with that much going on, I would have become used to changes by now.  But that’s not the case at all.

On Tuesday, amidst a somewhat sleepy phone call, a bomb was dropped on my head.  One that makes the last one seem like a joke or random thought.

I won’t go into details just yet I’m waiting on more news and several possible outcomes to the situation, but I will say that if something went south the way it was hinted, once again my whole world will change.

Now, before we start jumping to conclusions — I HATE jumping to conclusions — the “worst case scenario” isn’t the only option.  There are several others that we would explore before doing the unthinkable.

Cryptic enough for you?

Believe or not, I’m a perfectionist when it comes to work.  Long hours worked with often no praise that is deserved.  I know what that feels like.  Having worked in the media for many years, you become accustom to the way people are.  But you expect a little more from someone you have given yourself to for so long.

And like I have been before, I’m looking at a cross-road in her life.  It comes with the career.  Sometimes the train we were sitting comfortably on switches tracks and you’re forced to either go with the new route or get off at the next station and wait for a new train to come along.

The funny thing is, whatever happens, it will be okay.  In fact, sometimes it will be even better.  But of course that means a lot that has been done will be undone, which echos the “two steps forward, three steps back” theory.

People who know me can probably figure out what I’m hinting at.  And before we go down that particular path, I want to assure you that as I said before, every other option explored first.  After all, we’re both at a point where we have many options in front of us.  Thought choosing the right one would be paramount.

So, as Lloyd Robertson would say… “That’s the kind of day it’s been…“

23
Jan
10

Exploring… Place de Ville

By Chris 9 Comments
Categories: ottawa
Tags: , , , , ,

I made somewhat  of a New Year’s resolution to explore more of Ottawa (other than just restaurants) and one of the places I’d been curious to see was Place de Ville. I decided to finally take a chance and investigate the downtown’s flagship center.

Place de Ville is a complex of office buildings in the downtown core, connected underground by a “shopping mall” and the city’s largest underground parking garage. It is bordered by , Kent, Queen and Sparks Streets and currently, Tower C of the complex, holds the title as tallest building in Ottawa.  (A title, that unless something happens, Place de Ville will hold for the foreseeable future.)

A misleading sign promises shops and services underground

Having grown up in Montreal and having spent seven years in Toronto, I had become accustomed to downtown malls. I expected a sprawling underground shopping empire, akin to Place Ville Marie in Montreal that connects to the Underground City or the PATH System in Toronto.  Surely something as regal sounding as Place de Ville would at least connect to the various downtown buildings and provide Ottawans with an enriched, if nothing else, convenient shopping experience.

Had I been a betting man, I would have been dead wrong.

The only thing, other than the 29-story Tower C that would even be consider “impressive” is the massive, seemingly endless parking garage that sprawls under the city streets, connecting the towers.

The entrance to the largest underground parking facility in the city

When I finally found parking, in what I assumed was the deepest level of the garage, I made my way back up to the main level and to what I hoped would be a network of underground shops and services.

Deep below the city and Place de Ville

It became painfully clear that whatever shops and services do exist, are simply there for the thousands of government employees who work in the towers above.  And obviously, they aren’t a picky bunch.

Thanks to Mike Rivest’s detailed web site about movie theaters in Canada, I learned that Place de Ville was once home to one of the twin cinemas in downtown Ottawa.  The Famous Players-owned theater opened in 1971 and closed in 1996, likely due to the move towards larger cinemas that was starting at the time and competition from nearby Somerset, World Exchange 7 and  Capitol Square 3. According to Mr. Rivest’s site, the rooms were located on separate levels — something that was the trend in the 70s

Upon descending into the “Food Court” located under Tower C, I assumed this space was once home to the cinemas as there appeared to be several sectioned off walls that could easily have lead to a small theater.

The Food Court was laughable at best.  A sandwich shop, coffee shop and Subway restaurant — and plenty of seating — make up the eating area.  From there, a link to the rest of the plaza and the two hotels: Marriott and Crowne Plaza.

The mall itself is non-existent. Forgettable shops line the pastel colored hallways that look as if they haven’t been updated since the mid 80’s — which would make sense seeing as according to on-line information, was when the complex underwent an overhaul.

Believe it or not, this is the height of retail you will find underground

It wasn’t long before I reached the end and was forced up onto an escalator that serviced Tower A and Tower B.  Thankfully I noticed a Starbucks once I was on street-level.

Across the street was Holt Renfrew.  Surely there had to be a tunnel connecting the store to Place de Ville.  All I had to do was go back underground and find it.  But after searching for what seemed like forever, I realized that I was cut off from the rest of the city.

After my latte and reorganizing myself, I went back into Place de Ville, via the Marriott and soon found a door marked “Lower Level: Shopping Mall”.  I figured I finally found what I had been looking for.  But again, I was wrong.  Either the sign was written with the anticipation that one day something would happen down there, or was left over from when there actually was something down there.

Either way, the only thing I found when I opened the door was a set of stairs that led down, and then out to the area seen in the photo with the Timothy’s and Marriott sign.

Place de Ville was disappointing to say the least.  It’s no wonder I never heard anyone saying “Oh, when you’re in downtown Ottawa, you have to see Place de Ville!” The complex had the potential to be something amazing, but I guess there just wasn’t interest or demand or money to make it happen.  And with Sparks Street right next door, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to spend all their time underground — except on really cold days of course.

It’s obvious that the Rideau Center and the ByWard Market are the hubs of excitement when it comes to downtown retail.  Place de Ville exsists soley as a place for Government of Canada employees to work — and park their cars.

21
Jan
10

Goodfellas at the ByTowne

By Chris 7 Comments
Categories: Life, movies, ottawa and social life
Tags: , , , ,

I’d been waiting for a good “excuse” to visit the ByTowne Cinema.  I’d seen it for years and kept telling myself that I would go see a movie there.  Everyone I spoke to who had been, said it was a beautiful old cinema, more or less perfectly preserved.

Today, the ByTowne is Ottawa’s premier art-house theater. Many films screened at the ByTowne are rare pictures or films in limited release.  They screen second-run films as well, but are more selective about the movies shown there compared to Rainbow Cinemas that also shows second-run films.

Being a fan of old movie theaters and classic cinemas (I hate the new mega-plexes) I wanted my first ByTowne movie to be memorable.  Thankfully Bunny noticed that Goodfellas was playing there this week.

Goodfellas is easily one of my top five favorite films of all time.  No matter how many times I’ve seen it, I still love it. Personally speaking, I think it’s better than The Godfather.  It should have won Best Picture and Martin Scorsese should have won his Best Director Oscar for it as well. I’d never seen it on “the big screen” so right away I jumped at the chance.

Now Playing…

The ByTowne is open to members and non-members and is staffed by a great group of people who are truly passionate about films — much like the patrons and members who make the ByTowne part of their routine.

I was pleased to see that they still roll back the curtain before the show — something that is lost today because of mega-plex on-screen advertising before the show starts — and the ByTowne has a balcony! That’s something else not found in today’s modern cinemas.

A view from the balcony, before the movie starts

Maybe it was the thrill of being there, but I think Goodfellas was even better this time around.  I’m really glad I got the opportunity to go and I look forward to seeing other films I there.

Only problem was after the movie let out, I was craving a veal sandwich really bad (I can’t explain it… I think it has to do with the movie and all the food in it) — and as we know, finding a veal sandwich at midnight in Ottawa is not an easy task.

15
Jan
10

Bridgehead every day

By Chris 10 Comments
Categories: food and ottawa
Tags: , , ,

It wasn’t really a resolution or even a conscious decision.  It just “kinda happened”.  I ended up having a latte from Bridgehead every day last week.

It started with a Monday morning meeting on Elgin Street.  Then on Tuesday, I found myself on Elgin again so I stopped in and actually stayed for a while, enjoying yet another latte.

My collection of Bridgehead latte cups

Wednesday and Thursday I was in the Westboro neighborhood for work and as luck would have it, there are two Bridgehead stores on Richmond. At this point, you can figure out what happened. And when Friday rolled ’round, I found myself on Elgin street again in the morning, so everything came back to the beginning for me.

I’ll admit, I’m normally a Starbucks person.  I went almost every day when I was in Montreal and I have two Starbucks stores within 5 minutes of my house in Barrhaven.  But this past week, I made a switch — or at least tried something different — and I was pleased.

For those who don’t know, Bridgehead is an Ottawa-based coffee shop with many locations around Capital City. They support and feature fairly traded, shade grown and organic coffees.  They are environmentally minded, friendly, locally driven people…

…and their lattes are addictive.

13
Jan
10

Bicycle Backlash

By Chris 8 Comments
Categories: Life and ottawa
Tags: , ,

I just wanted to clear a few things up about my last post, which seems to have drawn attention from cycle enthusiasts around Ottawa.  No only in the comments, but also in rather colorfully worded emails I received that I refuse to republish.

In no way was I making fun of cyclists or saying they shouldn’t be on the road.  In fact, I actually admire them for their determination to do what they do — even in the less than bike-friendly months of winter.  I could never manage to control my bike (I use a mountain bike) in the snow, so I am truly impressed when I see people navigating in the snow. I guess since they cycle more than I do, they know how to make it work.  I however, don’t.

Hannah pointed out that according to Ottawa bylaws “[Cyclists should] never compromise [their] safety for the convenience of a motorist. People who ride bicycles are not obligated to use bike lanes or pathways, and are entitled to cycle on all roads in Ottawa except the Transitway, Highways 416, 417 and Regional Road 174 (to Orléans)”

This is what is concerning to me as not every automobile driver is cautious when it comes to people on bikes.  Most drivers don’t ride bikes, so they don’t know what it’s like.  I do remember how hard it is to ride with traffic and I don’t think I would have the courage to do it now, knowing that not everyone respects cyclists.

But not all cyclists are mindful either and sadly one bad apple often spoils the bunch — and it shouldn’t be like that. I should have been clear in my “memo” to “all cyclists” and actually said “memo to the jerk who cuts over three lanes of traffic…”

The majority of cyclists are careful and know how to handle a bike better than most people can handle a car. I would just hate to see something happen to a cyclists because of something that should have been easy to prevent.

But again, just to be clear, I wasn’t trying to offend cyclists, make fun or insult them or say they shouldn’t be on the road. The post was simply a knee-jerk reaction to some of things I had seen and how amazed and surprised I was.

It boils down to how I can’t begin to wrap my mind around how they 1) have the strength and determination to head out when the weather is bad, when I would take a look at the weather and say “screw it… I’m going back to bed.” and 2) have the skill to handle a bike in bad weather.

Oh… and yes, the title of the post in question came from the song “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen.  Congratulations to those who got it right.  I owe you a high-five.

13
Jan
10

Get on your bikes and ride!

By Chris 14 Comments
Categories: ottawa
Tags: , , , , ,

Make no mistake about it: Ottawa is a bicycle friendly city.  So much so that even a foot of snow won’t stop some die-hard cycle-heads from hitting the streets with their bikes, ready for whatever mother-nature can throw at them.

Truth is, I really wish they would get out of my way when I’m driving. Especially in the winter.

Don’t get me wrong, I like cycling.  I have a bike of my own in my garage, and one day when the snow melts and I’m not so lazy, I plan on using it. I just believe that there’s a time and a place for it.  And the dead of winter is not one of them.

You see, trying to maneuver a bike on a snow-covered street when there are cars racing by you seems like a stupid idea to me.  I understand some people don’t have cars and a bike is still the best way to get around if you’re one of those folks.  But I can’t see how getting killed is going to make your life any better.

Ottawa boasts over 170 kilometers of bike-only paths, as well many major roads feature a reserved bike lane.  But when there’s barely a road to begin with because of mediocre snow removal, a cyclist is only adding to problems.

Just the other day, I was driving down Slater Street, finding it hard to navigate between Transitways, cabs, absent minded drivers and people who feel the need to walk out into traffic.  And what should come bombing along, weaving in and out of traffic with a flashing LED light on the front? A cyclist. Now, not all cyclists are reckless, but this guy, like some others I have seen recently, don’t seem to understand how dangerous it is.

Toronto had the same addiction to bikes.  And like here, people would ride them to work.  Now, unless you work somewhere where there is a shower, I don’t think anyone should be biking to the office.

A brave cyclist makes her way along the narrow and winding Prince of Wales Drive

Maybe it’s something I don’t understand.  Maybe because for the better part of the year, I use my bike a way of telling how much room I have left in my garage before I hit my tool bench when I’m parking my car. Maybe this year, when the snow is gone (which I’m starting to think will be some time in July) I will get on my bike and explore this city and then I’ll find out what I’ve been missing.

In the meantime, memo to all cyclists: I know you’re all really healthy, in-shape, athletic people who accomplish more by 8:45am than I do all day. But please, unless you want to be a hood ornament on my car, either leave the bike at home when the driving is bad or get off the main roads.

NOTE: In an attempt to be witty, creative and somewhat amusing, I thought long and hard about a bike-related song to use as the title of this post. I finally found one.  Bonus points, triple word score, high-five and maybe a free beverage if I ever meet you… if you can tell me the name of the song where the title comes from and the artist who sang it.

12
Jan
10

Larry O’Brien, Clear my street, part 2

By Chris 3 Comments
Categories: Life and ottawa
Tags: , ,

The Winter Olympics can no longer be held in Ottawa as the mountains of snow that were on either side of my driveway — which were starting to look perfect for downhill skiing — have since been removed.  I came home this afternoon and the snow-blowers had been by with the convoy and the “lumps of love” left behind by the city were gone.

Now, I don’t know if my previous post had anything to do with it (I honestly doubt it did) but I’m a man of my word. So, Mr. Mayor, the invite to dinner stands.  The snow was removed within a day so you and your wife are welcome in my home.

I don’t think he’ll actually come and I know over the next two and a half months of winter there will be new snow banks that will sprout up, but at least (for now) I can see my street again.

12
Jan
10

Larry O’Brien, clear my street!

By Chris 11 Comments
Categories: ottawa
Tags: , , , , , ,

Since the snow fell, the City of Ottawa has done a mostly impressive job making sure the main roads of the nation’s capital are clear.  Now that it’s been calm, weather-wise for a few weeks, the snow removal crews are taking to the small streets, removing the lumps of snow that home-owners have created when they clear their driveways, as well as the lumps of snow left behind by the city crews as they cleared the streets initially.

But it seems that Mayor Larry O’Brien has forgotten about the houses on my street. Every other street around me has been plowed and snow-blown and shaven down so that cars and pedestrians can pass.

(To be fair, I did some investigating and there are still a few other streets in Barrhaven that haven’t been cleared, but that’s still no excuse.)

The snowbanks are getting pretty high.  Almost five and a half feet.  As it is, my street looks like Planet Hoth from Empire Strikes Back. It’s making it difficult to back in and out, and of course to see any on-coming cars that might be rolling down the street.

I live in a very family oriented neighborhood.  Lots of young families with small children. And while I’m a careful driver, what about that one driver who doesn’t see a kid running out from behind a massive snowbank?  What happens then? And while I can see over the snow banks now, keep in mind in a car, you are sitting lower so the snow acts as a blind spot.

At first it was funny. New guy in town, just moved here from Toronto. “Oh, watch out for the snow”  I was told. “Ottawa has some bad winters…” they said.  I can deal with all that.  I grew up in Montreal as a kid.  But as a homeowner in Ottawa, I expect my street to be cleared so I can see when I drive and I don’t have to worry about children or cars being blocked.

So Mr. Mayor, I am offering you something in an attempt to show good faith towards you and the City. You seem like a reasonable man.  Someone who is “of the people” and genuinely a nice person. Clear my street of snow and I will prepare for you and your wife Colleen, a home-cooked Italian meal.  Pasta, meat-dish of your choice, even salad with homemade dressing if you like.  (Bunny is quite the hostess and entertainer so you know you’ll be treated well.) You can also expect interesting and witty dinner conversation. You’re even welcome to bring the press along with you if you like.

That’s right… a homemade meal in exchange for snow removal.  Seems fair, doesn’t it? And no, I’m not kidding either.  That’s how cheesed off I am with the snow on my street.  I’m willing to welcome a politician into my home and cook for him and his wife in order to get rid of the snow.  I don’t care if you call the trucks to come and haul it away, or if you come down here with a snow-thrower yourself and clear my street.

You have 24 hours to comply.

And how will you find my street? Simple.  It will be the one with all the snow on it.

11
Jan
10

My first Works Burger

By Chris 24 Comments
Categories: food and restaurants
Tags: , , , , ,

It seems for every Ottawan there are various rights of passage. Students at Carelton must climb “Isengard”, the Dunton Tower using the stairs.  Others feel you are not a true citizen until you’ve skated on the Rideau Canal and had a Beaver Tail. But there’s one right of passage that everyone can agree on: you’re not a true Ottawan until you’ve had a hamburger from The Works.

The Works are a locally owned and operated burger restaurants that have become a staple as well as a legend in our nation’s capital.  They have a vast selection of “world’s best burgers”, poutine that everyone raves about and something called a Tower of Onion Rings, that I can only assume is a tower made of onion rings.

And as luck would have it, thanks to the magic of Twitter, I learned that The Works opened a new location not too far from Barrhaven.

Now, despite the new name of the blog and my frequent mention of food, I don’t normally write as a foodie, yet I do consider myself one.  As the old saying goes;  I know what I like. And in this case, I like hamburgers.  (Cheeseburgers to be perfectly honest.)

So I figured five months was long enough. I told Bunny that Sunday was the day we officially take our step to becoming official citizens of Ottawa.  The time had come for me to try a hamburger from The Works.

I decided to try out the new Works location on Bank Street, just south of Hunt Club.  The restaurant was easy to spot by its bright orange exterior and stylized sign.

Inside, the place is decorated in a very factory-like decor, with pipes, exposed brick walls and wooden tables engraved with the Works logo on them.

And the menu! Oh wow… When they say there are over 67 toppings and a possibility of 469 combination of burgers to chose from, they aren’t kidding. I figured it would be a “here’s a burger, what do you want on it?” deal, but it wasn’t.  These guys take everything very seriously… in a laid back kinda way.

Our server, Llew — who was one of the friendliest and most out-going people I’ve ever met — explained to Bunny and myself the way things work around The Works.  Burgers are their love affair and they take each on seriously.  Each burger is made by hand and custom order and they take around 20 minutes to prepare.

The beverages are also fun as they are served in glass measuring cups.  After the first refill, Llew though it best to up-size me to a 32oz cup.  I thought he was kidding around until he came back with a 1 liter measuring cups filled with Coke.

As I mentioned, one of the “staples” of the menu is the Tower O’ Rings, so I figured it was best to start with that.  Sure enough, it is in fact a tower of rings…and it was awesome. The rings were perfectly battered and cooked and the presentation with two dipping sauces made it even better.

Bunny decided to have a “Spartacat” burger, featuring fresh avocado and I chose a “Roughriders Comeback” burger which is a smoky BBQ burger.   We also decided to forgo the usual sides and upgrade to a poutine.  I was wondering how I would be able to try everything, but thankfully I found a way.

The Spartacat

Roughriders Comeback

I’ve eaten a lot of burgers in my life, some good and some bad.  But after having bitten into a Works burger, I can say it will be a very hard to find one as good and as flavorful as the ones I tried that day.

The burgers were juicy and perfectly prepared.  The “filler” (lettuce, onions, etc) that other restaurants use to fluff out their burgers, actually added to the taste rather than distract from it.

The bill came to $51.36 including two drinks, the upgrades and two burgers, which some might think is a tad pricey for hamburgers.  But then again, you are getting “gourmet” burgers.  And the burgers are meals.  Not just a menu offering the way you get at other places.

If you want a bun stuffed with lettuce and two filler patties and you want to pay $1.39 for it, there’s a place down the road for that.  It has golden arches.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.

What seems to set The Works apart from any other restaurant that sells hamburgers is that they really do take what they do seriously — to a point.  They also have a fun and funky side that doesn’t come across as overly done the way some chain restaurants do when they pour on the “flare”.

They really do care about the customers who are the folks who allowed them to become the place they are today.  Word of mouth and great food put The Works out in front when it comes to Ottawa institutions.  And they even let me keep the menu which I now stare at fondly in my office, waiting for the next visit.  (They have five other locations, so I have something to look forward to.)

Bottom line… it was worth the wait.  But had I known how good those burgers were, I would have come sooner. I was impressed, and believe me when I say that I don’t impress easily.

Now I finally feel like an official Ottawan because I tried The Works.  And I loved it.

08
Jan
10

Looking for a good Veal Sang-wich

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: food, memories, toronto and travel
Tags: , , , ,

When I was visiting Toronto last year, I was able to do something I haven’t done for months: have a veal sandwich at 2:30 in the morning.

Sure, with the right culinary skills and will power to wait until the wee-hours of the morning, I could probably do that in Ottawa too, right in the comfort of my home.  But there’s just something about driving out to Castelfield Road and stopping at Commisso Brothers for that one of a kind veal sandwich (or sang-wich, depending on your education level and pronunciation.)

Always open…

There’s really nothing that compares to heading out west to the 24-hour Italian deli and ordering a veal sandwich and maybe an arancini (riceball).  Sometimes the crowds show up as the bars and clubs let out and hungry people make their way into North York in search of something other than street-vendor hot dogs.  Other times, it’s quiet.  But no matter when you go, there’s always a vast selection of hot food to go.

The Veal Sandwich, easy on the tomato sauce

Since moving to Ottawa, I have deeply missed my late-night outings to Commisso Brothers.  I’ve found a few places including DiRienzo Foods and a others on on Preston Street I’ve meant to try, but what happens at 2:30 in the morning?

Last night was one of those nights. I would have greatly rewarded anyone who had the knowledge of a 24-hour Italian market that served veal sandwiches. And no, a diner or 24 hour restaurant isn’t the same and won’t cut it.

I excepted at least one late-night Italian deli in Ottawa.  What happens when Stephen Harper has a craving for a veal sandwich at some ungodly hour? Where does he go?

I shall continue my quest for late-night veal sandwiches, and in the meantime, remember fondly seven years worth of night-time outings.

07
Jan
10

Girls Night: The Musical comes to Ottawa

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Events, ottawa and social life
Tags: , , ,

Since we moved here, Bunny has been bugging me, saying we need to do more “cultural” things. (I’m guessing that late night drives that end at Eddy’s in Vanier don’t count as “cultural”.)

So in an effort to show her a different side of Ottawa, I found Girls Night: The Musical.  Just by reading reviews from other cities as well as  the synopsis of the play, I figured it would be something she — and many others out there — would like.  (I should point out that I haven’t actually gotten tickets yet, but at least I found out about it.)

Bunny is a big fan of live theatre. She’s seen all the classics and enjoys going to new productions.  I do too, to a certain degree.  The first Broadway musical I saw was Les Miserables when it came to Montreal back in 1991.  The next one I saw was Jersey Boys during its run in Toronto last year.  As you can see, I think I need to get out more.

According to what I found on line, Girls Night: The Musical is an Off-Broadway comedy/musical show about five friends who go out for a night of karaoke. Naturally this leads to moments where they talk about their past, their dreams and what their lives hold in store for them. The real treat appears to be the musical numbers, that includes hit songs like I Will Survive and It’s Raining Men.

If you’re interested, Girls Night: The Musical runs from Feb. 18 to 21 at the Centrepointe Theatre.  Tickets range from $49.75 to $69.75. The Ottawa show also has a Twitter account, so you can follow them if you like.

07
Jan
10

A big Thank You

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: blogging
Tags: , , ,

Over the last two days — since the relaunch and re-branding of this blog — Nachos At Midnight has welcomed over 1,500 readers!  And not just people who come here for the pretty pictures.  Actual readers!

While it doesn’t smash the previous record that happened shortly after I wrote about the The Bear becoming Virgin Radio or the month of December 2008 (that pulled in a combined 12,533 readers) it’s very impressive and I’m really thankful.

I guess with that many readers coming in, I should actually write something of substance now.

07
Jan
10

Slurpee No More: 7-Eleven gone from Ottawa

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: Ottawa News, food and shopping
Tags: , , ,

Even though it’s old news, I had to see for myself. All six Ottawa-area 7-Eleven stores have been bought over by Quickie. It seems it was just easier for distribution of products since Quickie has been in Ottawa for years and has more stores.  But where does this leave fans of Slurpee — the famous frozen drink that made 7-Eleven a household name?

I figured I would investigate. I saw one of the stores before the holidays with the new Quickie branding outside, but wasn’t until I noticed all the stores has been changed over that I go worried.

One of the more juvenile reasons I thought Ontario was better than Quebec was because of the abundance of 7-Eleven stores.  Now, that’s sadly not the case anymore.

One of the “new” Quickie Stores

So I decided to finally visit a “new” Quickie store and see what the changes inside were like.  I was pleased to see that they still offer a wide assortment of hot meals to go such as hot dogs and taquitos, but would there be Slurpees?

Same machines, new name

I guess Quickie Freeze will have to do.  The machines look the same and they seem to offer the expected brand name frozen slush drinks.  Big Gulp has been replaced by traditional fountain drinks — which they were all along, but with better branding.

The manly pink straw was a nice touch

The Qucikie Freeze as it’s known turns out to be virtually the same as a Slurpee, so I guess when the summer months roll ’round, we’ll be okay. (After all, not everyone is crazy enough to have a frozen slush drink when it’s 10 below freezing, simply for the sake of his blog.)  The pleasant surprise was the bigger, thicker straw that allows more “slush” to be consumed.

I’ll have to visit another of the converted stores one of these days to see if all the products I know and love — or at least similar ones — are still there. After all, one of my favorites would be nachos — which can be consumed at midnight… or any time of day.

It also seems that only Ottawa lost their stores. Toronto area residents rejoice: you can see get name-brand Slurpees because you still have your stores.

06
Jan
10

Pepsi sponsored Eh O’ Canada Go cheer fails

By Chris 7 Comments
Categories: marketing and random thoughts
Tags: , , , , , ,

Last night’s World Junior Championship game was a disappointment for Canadians, despite an amazing match-up that was far more interesting than recent NHL games.  It set the tone for the upcoming Olympics and rallied Canadians.  It also served as a test-kitchen for the new Pepsi sponsored Canada Cheer.

The new cheer is a result of a recent campaign, launched by the soft drink giant, in hopes of creating a cheer for Canada similar to that of other countries.  Problem is, nobody asked for it.

Pepsi decided to get behind Hockey Canada which is great, but I don’t seem to remember anyone saying “You know what our boys and girls need? A new cheer.”

Maybe I was asleep for a bit, but hasn’t “Go Canada Go” worked for years?

Pepsi launched web sites, Facebook groups, Twitter feeds, all in hopes of cramming the new cheer down everyone’s throats.  Something they were hoping would catch on by the time Team Canada took to the ice.  In Pepsi’s defense, it seemed like a good idea, but the majority of Canadians weren’t buying it

As many saw last night during the game and throughout the World Junior series, despite strong efforts by Pepsi, the fans in Saskatchewan were quite content to cheer from the heart, not from the minds of a cooperation.

Fans online were quick to criticize the cheer calling it “an embarrassment” and a “failure”.

And even though Pepsi reminded everyone with commercial after commercial that the new cheer was written by a Canadian and chosen by Canadians, when it came to national pride and the raw emotion that is fueled by competition, you can’t make people say something they don’t believe in.

05
Jan
10

Patti Moran saves the day!

By Chris 5 Comments
Categories: blogging, networking and ottawa
Tags: , ,

The problem with a site redesign is that sometimes things look better on paper than they do  in the finished product.  (The same of course could be said for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Looked much better on paper than it did on-screen.) Sometimes the way you thought graphics were going to look, aren’t always how they appear when they are converted into HTML and slapped on a web site.

Scott Paterson, a blogger and fellow Twitter user who goes by the name of @twister65 pointed out to me earlier today that some of the sidebar graphics looked a little fuzzy.  While I had noticed that too, I was hoping that maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.

Turns out while my eyes might deceive me when it comes to other things, Scott  and I were right. (And probably others too, but no one said anything.)  Thankfully Patti Moran of Patti Moran Graphic Design was there to swoop in and save the day!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, on the right sidebar and the header at the top, you will see the NEW and improved titles, courtesy of Patti and her design firm. Patti has done some pretty-kick ass graphics, which you can see in her on line portfolio. (By the way, Patti is also a Twitter user and you can follow her as well.)

I can’t begin to tell you how impressed and thankful I am.  It’s times like these that you see just how nice some people can be. And I love the new font. It’s actually better than the old font which was simply a red version of the font I used on the white background.

Yes, Patti Moran is a saint… and she has good taste in blogs too.

On an interesting side note, both Scott and Patti recommended the same hill for me to try during what will be my first sledding in Ottawa outing so I’m guessing I’ll have to try that out.

05
Jan
10

Welcome to Nachos at Midnight

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: Life, Social media, blogging, networking and ottawa
Tags: , , , ,

It was a long time coming. This blog needed a new name and now it has one.  The new name, along with the new look, reflects the promised changes.

I’ve been writing this blog for over a year and a half now.  And since it no longer follows my adventures while I plan the move, I thought it was time to switch things up.  I mentioned several times before that I felt a change was in the air.  Finally I figured I should act on it.

Nachos At Midnight was the ideal re-branding as it sums me up perfectly. After all, those who know me, know that I not only would, but already have, had nachos at or around midnight.  It captures my carefree, creative and impulsive attitude and is a rather unique name too, if you don’t mind my saying.

The purpose of this blog has always been to provide an account of my life as I explore the changes associated with moving to Ottawa and I’m sure I’ll be able to keep doing that.

So what will you get with Nachos at Midnight?

  • a glimpse into my new life in Ottawa
  • my opinion and running commentary on news and events related to Ottawa
  • social commentary from a self-appointed pop-culturist
  • a behind-the-scenes, all-access pass into my mind (that might actually be scary)

I like the new name and the new look.  It goes nicely with what this blog has evolved into.  (And I’m usually very hard on myself when it comes to writing.)  Hopefully everyone else will like it too.

There’s also new contact information, which as you may have guessed, can be found on the Contact Page. And for those who crave the ol’ .com thing, nachosatmidnight.com is the new domain name.  Feel free to update your bookmarks and blogrolls.

04
Jan
10

More Changes Tomorrow

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: blogging
Tags: , ,

For those of you who are interested, the second part of the “big change” happen tomorrow.(That’s Tuesday, January 5)  Naturally, all you have to do is come visit the site to see what it will be.

And now that I think about, maybe I have oversold it a tad.  I hate to disapoint, but there will be no flying monkeys, no trained circus performers and probably nothing of above-average importance.  But it will be new — and that’s what counts.

See you tomorrow!

04
Jan
10

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher break-up?

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Life
Tags: , , , ,

By now everyone knows country music singer Carrie Underwood got engaged to Ottawa Senators player Mike Fisher.  In fact Bunny informs me that this is “old news”.  I have to be honest… I really don’t keep up-to-date on these things. But after doing some research, it seems the “happy couple” were dating just over a year before he popped the question.

Their background? He’s 29 years old and an accomplished hockey player and she’s 26 and won a karaoke contest/reality show based on her ability to sing other people’s songs and has since gone on to sell records of her own.

Because I’ve studied journalism and I’m a cynic when it comes to these things — and because I know better than to believe there is true love in the world of “celebrities” — I ask you this:  how long do you think the marriage will last?

Obviously nobody wants people to break up, but wouldn’t it be nice for once to be the person who said they saw it coming? Here’s your chance to vote in the Nachos at Midnight Carrie Underwood/Mike Fisher Divorce Pool.

03
Jan
10

what would a new year be without changes?

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: blogging
Tags: , ,

You may notice some changes coming to this site over the next few days.  Don’t be alarmed.  As always, if something doesn’t work, chances are you broke it.

Being that this is a new year and a new decade, and that after five months, I’ve accepted Ottawa as my new home, the blog is changing focus.  I mentioned before how it has gone from being a journal of journey from Toronto to Ottawa, to becoming a chronicle of my exploration of my new home.

But since this blog serves as a personal account of things that happen in my life, as well as occasional a comment on things that are happening in Ottawa, a change was needed.  The first being — once again — a new look, as you may have already noticed from the banner.

And yes, more changes are coming.  But you’ll just have to wait and see.

02
Jan
10

Back to Ottawa

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Life and travel
Tags: , ,

It’s hard to believe how fast two weeks just flew by.  Kind of like how fast the first decade of the 21st Century flew by.  Seems as if just last month it was 1999.  And it seems as if just yesterday I arrived in Montreal for Christmas.

The past two weeks have been great.  I promise to do propper updates as there are a few things that are really note-worthy.

In the meantime, as I pack my bags and get ready to face the expected 20 feet of snow that has piled up in my driveway over the last 14 days, I’ll just take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that 2010 and the next ten years are better than the last.

24
Dec
09

Christmas in Montreal

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Life, family and montreal
Tags: , , , , ,

It’s nice being back in Montreal for Christmas, although I’ll be honest; living so close now, it doesn’t seem as such a big deal that I made “the journey” home for the holidays.  Still, I’m glad I’m here.

I’ve been going through the usual motions of the season.  Last minute shopping, calling friends and making plans, and of course my annual Christmas Haircut.  It’s  been a tradition of mine to get my hair cut at my old barber shop in Beaconsfield for the past seven years, either on or around Christmas Eve.

Right now, I can safely say that I have taken care of all loose ends.  I’ve made sure that Santa will have gifts for my mother, I’m having dinner at my father’s house tonight as I always do on Christmas Eve and then  spending tomorrow evening with Bunny and her family.

It seems like so much work and then it’s all over in the blink of an eye, but that’s the way things go I guess.

I hope everyone has a great holiday, no matter what you are celebrating and that 2010 turns out to be a wonderful year for you.

19
Dec
09

Home for the Holidays

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: Life, family, memories and travel
Tags: , , ,

Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays,
Cause no matter how far away you roam,
If you want to be happy in a million ways,
For the holidays,
You can’t beat home, sweet home.
-Perry Como

Every year since 2002 when I moved to Toronto, I’ve been making an effort to spend at least two weeks in Montreal with my family for Christmas.  It hasn’t always been easy — some of you might remember the trouble I had ducking out of The Company last year and the elaborate scheme I came up with in order to get extra time off.  (It worked brilliantly, by the way.)

It’s always nice to head home for Christmas.  Something fun about packing the car, making the drive and spending time in my hometown.  Not to mention getting to do again all the things I’ve done in years gone by, such as visiting friends, stopping into favorite stores or just going for a drive around town.

Of course, there is the expected holiday stress that has me checking my calendar wondering how soon I can head back to Ottawa, but that’s all par for the course. (I just wonder how soon it will be before it sets in.)

And one year, it would be nice if everyone from my family came here to Ottawa for Christmas.  The house is surely big enough to accommodate everyone, so it’s something to keep in mind.

So for now, that does it for me.  My first year in Ottawa (albeit only four and a half months so far) is done and I’m leaving town for a while.  I’ll be back next year for more adventures and we’ll see how things go.

I’ll try to blog whenever possible, but just in case I slip into a Turkey coma or get caught up in the festivity, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

18
Dec
09

Cans for Comments Update

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: Life, blogging and ottawa
Tags: , ,

The time has come to tally up all the comments I received during my first attempt at Cans for Comments.  I’m really surprised and impressed with the response and the number of people who stumbled upon this blog as a result of it.

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who did their share by leaving a comment which equals one can or non perishable food item.

The grand total — including my response comments — was 37 comments.  And just today, Bunny decided to do something amazingly generous and supportive.  She agreed to MATCH cans for comments and double the amount.  So 37 comments meant 37 cans, and thanks to her generosity, it became 74 cans. (We bumped it up to 75 to make it a nice round number.

There you see it, folks.  All the cans and non perishiable food items in a shopping cart, waiting to be bought and then packaged up and taken to a local food basket.

And here are the cans and food items in the back of my car, on their way to be donated. The organization I selected had a bin at the Independant Grocer on Strandherd Drive and was quite full by the time I dropped everything off.

Everyone really came through during this last week and a half, posting comments and helping suport a good cause, and again a huge thanks to Bunny who decided to match the cans.  It really helped more than you could imagine.

15
Dec
09

Deck my halls

By Chris 7 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

Next time you watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and there’s a scene where Chevy Chase gets electrocuted by Christmas lights or falls off a ladder putting up decorations, be sure to laugh.  Because you know what? That stuff is only funny when it happens in the movies.  Trust me, I know.

Inspired by the need to somehow match my Halloween decorations, I had grand plans for my house when Christmas rolled ’round this year.  But traveling, the fear of decorating too early, bad weather and logistics got in the way.

So this is what I was stuck with.

Not nearly as good as I wanted them to be, especially compared to some folks on nearby streets who must sit around waiting for the winter months so they can decorate and really show off. (For a great photo gallery of some houses around Ottawa that have really nice decorations, check out Indiscriminate Thoughts where A has taken some nice photos.)

And falling off the ladder, breaking a giant wreath (not intentionally) and having to re-wire things three times — not to mention leave countless holes in the side of my house — only added to the disappointment when I stood back and took a look at my handy work.

But at least my decorations are up.

14
Dec
09

Olympic Spirit

By Chris 7 Comments
Categories: Events, Life, ottawa and restaurants
Tags: , , , , , ,

What a weekend.  Not only did I take advantage of stores with extended hours and ones like Walmart that are now open 24 hours to get the last of my Christmas shopping done, Bunny also had her second office holiday party.  I dropped by The Standard on Friday night to meet some of her co-workers and partake in a few drinks.  After Bunny and I decided some late-night “crispy” poutine was in order so we headed over to Eddy’s in Vanier.

(Full credit goes to Jobthingy for recommending that if I ever go there, I should be sure to order the “crispy” poutine.  And you should do the same.)

As everyone knows, the Olympic Flame passed through Ottawa this weekend.  It made several stops including City Hall, Parliament Hill and various neighborhoods around town.  Bunny wanted to join the 15,000 people on Saturday night who decided to wait in the cold on the Hill to catch a mere glimpse of the Flame as it passed by and maybe taken in a Tom Cochrane song or two.

I had a better idea.

See, I don’t like crowds or people — and it seems the two always go hand in hand — so I found out where the Flame would be on Sunday morning.  Turns out the flame was making its way towards Kanata via Baseline Road, and at 7:30 I could intercept it.

I was lucky enough to see the Calgary flame go through Montreal back in 1988 so I figured why not see this one?  After all, who knows when the next one will be.

Bunny and I got up early on Sunday and made our way down to Baseline. Thanks to some really on-the-ball organizing by the Torch Relay people, the bus dropping off runners stopped right where we were waiting, so we not only got to see one of the runners before his torch was lit, but…

We also got to hold it.

Yup.  That’s me, all bundled up (I assure you I don’t normally look like John Candy in a winter coat ) with one of the runners, holding THE OFFICIAL OLYMPIC TORCH.  (And that’s Bunny looking all anonymous standing on the left)

I was one of the few people who actually had the stones to ask if I could touch it, and not only did he say “yes” but he let me hold the torch for everyone to see.

While I didn’t get all blubbery the way some people do when they recount how thrilling and emotional it was to hold the torch, I was filled  a sense of pride knowing that I was holding a piece of history that very few folks in the general public will ever get to touch.

No sooner than the photo was taken, the Flame came along and the next torch was lit and then on its way.  (It’s actually the Flame that gets passed on, not the torch, contrary to what some people think.) You can get more information about the Torch, including its unique design on its web site.

And what better way to cap off the morning that with a trip downtown to the Elgin Street Diner for a “breakfast of champions” that included eggs, toast, susages and poutine.

Can you feel the Canadian pride?

13
Dec
09

Virgin Radio Ottawa: More Bad News

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: Ottawa News, media and radio
Tags: , , , , ,

The BBM released the Fall 2009 radio ratings on December 10 and again, it doesn’t look promising for Virgin Radio 106 (formerly known as The Bear.)  Their ratings are down once again, not only compared to the last ratings block, but especially compared with last year at this time. (Click the graph for a full size version of the report. Virgin Radio’s call letters are CKQB-FM))

It’s been a year of steady decline for the once popular rock station and these latest numbers could only result in head scratching and a need for change.

Contrary to what some people might think, I’m not hoping that Virgin Radio 106 goes out of business.  The radio industry is very competitive and someone losing their job is never a good thing. I’m simply pointing out that the format and name change from The Bear to Virgin Radio was a mistake and parent company Astral Media should probably rethink their decision.

In all fairness, some other stations are down as well.  Partly due to the time of year, also due to change in listeners.  Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming year and if any real changes are coming to the Ottawa radio market.

To see the most recent report, click the PDF document then select Ottawa-Gatineau Anglo from the left hand column.

11
Dec
09

My first Ottawa snowfall

By Chris 5 Comments
Categories: Life, houses and ottawa
Tags: , , , ,

I wanted to wait a day or so, just to make sure the snow had really stopped falling before I said anything.  And now that I think we’re in the clear, it’s safe to say that I survived my first Ottawa snowfall.

It’s been 12 years since I had to shovel a driveway.  I’ve either lived in apartments, townhouses or flats where (thankfully) someone else did the work for me.  (There’s something to be said for condo fees.)  But now that I’m living it up in Barrhaven, I suddenly found myself in need of a shovel to remove the snow.

Realizing that if I waited, the snow would only continue to accumulate and be heavier when the time came to shovel it, I decided to head out during the snowfall and remove as much as possible. I also discovered that Ottawa snow seems to weigh more than I remember Montreal snow weighing.  So my “get ‘er done” attitude was servilely crippled and I found myself doing my driveway in stages.

Naturally, I needed to do this several times throughout the day and evening, but in the end it was worth it as my driveway was usable again.

It was then that I noticed I live on the side of the street that gets all the snow blown on it.  The folks across the street? Fortune seems to smile on them.  They didn’t even have to look for a shovel as I was nice enough to somehow end up with all of their snow on my driveway.

I was feeling pretty good about a job well done… until this morning when the City of Ottawa plow came by and decided that my driveway should be the one with all the snow shoved back in front of  it. Followed, naturally, by the sidewalk plow that created a second mountain.

After seeing that, I’m now going to call landscaper/snow removal person and have them remove my snow for me.  I don’t care how much it costs, it will be worth it.

What’s that you say? Spoiled Toronto snob can’t deal with a little snow? You’re damm right.  When Life, The Demons of Bad Luck, Powers That Be, Mother Nature and the city conspire to continuously screw with my life, then I’ll gladly pay so I have less work to do.

10
Dec
09

Hands off!

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: travel
Tags: , , , , ,

I don’t know Dr. Oz, but I can tell you quite honestly that I don’t like him.  Why, you ask? Because he is slowly ruining my life.

For those who aren’t familiar with him, Dr. Oz is an Oprah Creation — much like Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, that gay guy who does interior design and countless other people who had careers before, but were launched into super stardom once they were mentioned by The Op and thus joined her network.  (And people think that Vince McMahon is a creative genius for coming up with new WWE characters.)

Anyway, during my recent trip to Toronto, Dr. Oz surfaced again.  (Not literally, because that would have been creepy.) I walked out of the bathroom and noticed something sitting on the bed…

For those wondering, that is the remote for the TV.  No, it hasn’t been seized as evidence by CSI, nor am I packing it up to take it home.  The remote control is in a zipper bag because… Dr. Oz said you should do that.

Many moons ago, some idiot on one of those news magazines exposed a secret that sometimes, rooms aren’t as clean as they should be.  We know this, but we try not to think about it. There was also concern that the housekeepers use the same cloth to clean the toilet as they do to clean the remote.

Well, Dr, Oz had to take things one step further.

According to Bunny — who was the one who placed the remote in the bag — Oz says you should do whatever possible to make sure you don’t come into contact with whatever DNA was left behind, most likely on the remote.  Placing it in a bag was one of his suggestions.

Now while his studio audience probably “ooohed” and “ahhhed” and applauded his idea as if he had just cured Cancer, I thought it was stupid.  Getting those hotel remotes to work on a good day is hard enough.  Wrapping them in a plastic bag only makes things worse.

Sure, I won’t use the remote to clean my teeth, nor will I drink out of the toilet, lick the light switch, scoot naked across the floor or use the comforter as a bath towel, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

I don’t buy into mass hype.  I certainly don’t buy into anything one of Oprah’s lackeys says.

09
Dec
09

Cans for Comments

By Chris 15 Comments
Categories: blogging and family
Tags:

I’m back from Toronto and Montreal and what a wonderful surprise.  My first official winter in Ottawa began with the dumping of snow in my driveway and it just went downhill from there.  But I can say that I enjoyed my days in Toronto and my brother’s 30th birthday celebration was nice, albeit quiet. (Really, I was expecting him to make a big deal out of it, but he didn’t feel like doing much by the time I got to town.  He did however say he was glad I came.)

One thing I wanted to mention as I start to get my life in Ottawa back to normal, is Cans for Comments.  I noticed a trend among bloggers, most recently over on Just A Dad in Ottawa. And since it was such a good idea, I thought I would do the same.

Therefor, I will donate one can of food for every comment I get from this day forward, until December 18 (when I leave for my Christmas “vacation” in Montreal).  In the comments, feel free to suggest some organizations where the cans can be dropped off.  I have a few ideas so far, but I’m always open to new ones.

Hope to hear from you!

UPDATE: Off to a great start already.  I should point out that the Cans for Comments applies to all posts from this day on.  So feel free to comment on future updates and know that while you are speaking your mind, you’re also helping a great idea.

06
Dec
09

Random thoughts…

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: family, memories, toronto and travel
Tags: , ,

Just sitting here, watching the dark, cold and foreboding city of Toronto, thinking about many things.  Thoughts of the past and the future.  Many ideas and unanswered questions.  Many questions that I thought I had answers to, but now, am rethinking.

It’s amazing how a little trip to a place you called home for seven years can really make you think about everything you have done in your life.  Maybe it’s just the time of year, or maybe there are some issues I haven’t addressed yet.  Either way, this trip to Toronto has given me a chance to think about many things.

It is nice being back, doing some of the things I used to do.  Funny how it’s only been four months since I moved away, yet some how it feels much longer.

As of tomorrow, I’ll be in Montreal, celebrating my brother’s 30th birthday.  I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it, but luck seems to have intervened and I will be toasting my lil bro as he crosses the line into the “dirty 30″.

Then, before long, I’ll be back in Ottawa.  The city that is now my home.

04
Dec
09

CTV’s Max Keeping is retiring

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Ottawa News and media
Tags: , , ,

Don’t let my being 300+ kilometers away fool you — I keep my ear to the ground when it comes to things happening in Ottawa.  (Okay, truth be told a friend told me this, and I also looked it up on line.)

Seems that Max Keeping, veteran news anchor for CTV Ottawa — known to many for years prior to CTV’s need for universal branding, as CJOH-TV — has announced his retirement.

After 37 years with the station, Keeping will do his last newscast on March 26, 2010.  When he signs off, he will have completed 51 years as a journalist which is probably a record of sorts.

I remember Max Keeping from when I was a kid and Montrealers were able to pick up CJOH with an antenna or as a part of the CF Cable package.  He has been a constant fixture at the station and in many people’s lives and I’m sure things won’t be the same without him.

But also, as someone who works with media, I can understand the want to retire after such a long and fulfilling career.  There are many in the same field who will never make it to 51 years in the industry on account of the way things are changing, so Keeping’s career truly is one that legends are made of.

03
Dec
09

Steve Anthony is back on TV!

By Chris 4 Comments
Categories: media and toronto
Tags: , , ,

Remember Steve Anthony? Kids of today might not, but my generation has fond memories of the former MuchMusic VJ (in the days when Much played music videos, before they sucked as much as MTV) being “killed” by Weird Al, throwing Christmas trees off the roof of the MuchMusic World Headquarters and lighting his pants on fire.

In recent years, Steve Anthony could be heard on Toronto’s Mix 99.9, and later became a part of CP24’s dreadful morning show Breakfast. (For those who don’t know, CP24 is Toronto’s 24-hour news channel.)

Much to my surprise, this morning I turned on the TV in my hotel room and noticed that Steve Anthony has now assumed the co-host chair. Suddenly the show is watchable and entertaining.  I was completely unaware of this change, but I guess that’s what happens when one moves away from a city.

When CP24 Breakfast debuted earlier this year, it was awful.  I mean downright terrible.  Matte Bable was the original co-host and he just sucked the life out of the show. Even though Steve Anthony was part of the show in a smaller role, I still couldn’t watch because of Matte Bable.

And then there’s Melissa Grelo who prior to becoming a co-host, did a report on the plane crash in Buffalo, and actually said “the plane literally fell on this house.”  Literally, Melissa?  Did you really need to say literally? I wasn’t aware that we normally use the expression “a plane fell on my house” in every day conversation to the point you had to emphasize it by adding ‘literally’.  But that’s bush-league journalism for ya!

But thankfully someone at the station noticed all the negative feedback they must have been getting, and demoted Bable to remote host, allowing Steve Anthony to become the co-host and save the show — a position he totally deserves.

Of course all of this has absolutely nothing to do with Ottawa, unless you happen to subscribe to Bell TV satellite and occasionally watch CP24.   (But it does make for a nice ‘Where Are They Now’ moment.)

02
Dec
09

Montreal Canadiens are Canada’s team?

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: , , ,

I noticed an interesting post over on Dennis-Kane.com where he made mention of a recent survey taken by the Ipso-Reid research company, where one third of people surveyed felt that the Montreal Canadiens — winners of 24 Stanley Cups and ‘local team’ to my hometown, Montreal — are in fact Canada’s hockey team.

Gotta say that was nice to read.

But then the report goes on to say that 25 percent of people surveyed felt that the Toronto Maple Leafs are Canada’s team.

I guess there’s no accounting for taste.  I tried being a Leafs fan for seven years and it didn’t work.  Not that I ever dropped my alliance to Montreal, but I tried to support the local team of where I was living, just in case they did win something.

That never happened.

And now as I make my way back towards “Leafs Nation” for a several days, the feeling of “what was I thinking?” comes over me.

01
Dec
09

Micro-blogging made easy!

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Social media, networking, toronto and travel
Tags: , , , , , ,

Over the next week, since I’ll be in Toronto and Montreal, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to blog.  I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise anything.  Although I already have a few post ideas in mind, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be able to make the time, which is a sad comment on how busy things can get sometimes.

But don’t feel bad. Just in case your day gets really slow and you can’t find any new kitten videos on YouTube to watch, you can always follow me on Twitter. It’s a lot easier for me to just whip out the ol’ iPhone and Tweet a thought than it is to find a hot-spot, set up a computer, log on, compose a post and put it on-line.  (Can you tell that we are not only spoiled in the 21st Century, but also incredibly lazy?)

As I said, I’ll do my best to write something, but for all the current, late breaking news — of which I’m sure you can expect such gems as “this sushi is really good” and “I hate this over-crowded city.  Now I remember why I moved!” — jump on board the Twitter train and follow me!

01
Dec
09

Taste of Winterlude is coming

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: Events, food, ottawa and restaurants
Tags: ,

Now this is great news for someone such as myself who loves going out to eat. Something new is happening at this year’s Winterlude.  Organizers are introducing Taste of Winterlude — a chance to sample some of Ottwa and Gatineau’s best restaurants at affordable prices with prix-fixe menus.  This concept has worked very well in other cities such as Toronto that as Winterlicious and Summerlicious.

It really is an awesome idea as it gives people a chance to try restaurants that they might otherwise never have thought about trying, and keeps the price down so that they can sample more than one place.

If that wasn’t enough, Taste of Winterlude is also offering up some really amazing Fine Dining Experiences that go far beyond the normal restaurant menu sampling.  You can check out their web site for full details and registration information.

I haven’t decided which restaurants I want to try yet, but you can bet there will be a few of them.  And the Fine Dining Experiences sure sound tempting as well.

If you’re interested, American Express card-holders get to go “to the front of the line” and purchase tickets before the general public gets a shot.

01
Dec
09

Keep Lynx Stadium and bring back baseball

By Chris Leave a Comment
Categories: Ottawa News
Tags: , , ,

Good news for fans of semi-pro baseball.  The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that City of Ottawa staffers are recommending keeping the former Lynx Stadium — known in a former life as JetForm Park — and using it for baseball.  This of course makes it a lot easier to lure prospective baseball clubs to Capital City, which would be a good thing seeing as the Ottawa Lynx and the Rapidz both went belly-up and The Ottawa Voyageurs never happened.

The challenge of course is finding a minor league that has something to gain by expanding into Canada, if they are American, or finding a Canadian league that wants a team in the Capital.

And while we’re at it, maybe someone could spin straw into gold.

There was some mention late this summer about baseball coming back to Ottawa, but so far nothing has come of it.  But I think it’s a great idea.  I used to play and coach and even though people say it’s boring (compared to the fast-pace of hockey) I think it’s a great game and nothing beats an evening at the ballpark.  After all, the city is large enough now to support one, and as long as the team does well, the seats will be filled.  Right?

30
Nov
09

Get the suitcase…

By Chris 1 Comment
Categories: travel
Tags: , , , ,

This week is going to be “one of those weeks”. Not one of those bad weeks, but rather one of those busy weeks.  While most of you will trudge through a five day work-week, I will only have to deal with a two-day week.  That’s right. My week ends on Tuesday night.

Or should I say, my week in Ottawa ends on Tuesday.  From Wednesday onward, I’ll be on the road.

Right about the time someone working downtown gets a craving for Beaver Tails on Wednesday, I’ll have already had my hair cut (my personal stylist only works on Wednesday and Thursday) and be on my way to Toronto.  (Yes, I have a personal stylist.  Don’t you?)

Then, after spending several days in Megacity (do people even still call it that, or has the novelty worn off and be dwarfed by the high cost of living, taxes and overcrowded city?) I’ll make the worst drive known to mankind: Toronto to Montreal along the Highway 401.

Okay, while I’m sure dodging bombs and rockets in an army jeep, driving through a warn-torn country might actually be the worst drive known to man, the one along the 401 is certainly the most boring.  Especially when you spent the last seven years doing it and swore that you would never need to do it again, seeing as you figured all drives to Montreal would most likely start from Ottawa.

Basically put, I’ll be gone for almost a whole week.  Just another example of how I seem to travel more now that I live in Ottawa, than I did before.

Although I will say I’m looking forward to heading back to Toronto, even if only for a few days.  As much as the city does get on my nerves, I always liked being there around the holidays and I do miss some things about it.

30
Nov
09

OC Transpo site redesign

By Chris 2 Comments
Categories: ottawa and transit
Tags: , ,

OC Transpo decided to finally redesign their web site in an effort to assist customers with using transit in our Nation’s Capital. Gone is the old, eye-sore red background, replaced with a much more user friendly interface.  The redesign includes a Q&A with the answer to such burning questions as “How come I can’t figure out how to use the Travel Planner?” and “How to get to Scotiabank Place?“.

The New Hotness that is the OC Transpo web site

Old and busted (and a strain on the eyes)

The new site also features interesting Transpo-related news, bus delays and construction project updates.  It even has a place where you — yes you – can assist OC Transpo in making service improvements by taking part in a focus group.  This might actually be interesting as Transpo is willing to compensate you for your time by offering you a free monthly pass.

It’s also worth mentionng that recently OC Transpo launched a mobile site for mobile phones. While it lacks the splash and style of some mobile sites, it does make taking the bus and Transitway a little easier.

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