I have lived in Ottawa my whole life. It’s a conservative government town with a population of a million that feels much smaller, and has earned nicknames like “The city that fun forgot” and named one of the most boring cities in the world.
I have always found those descriptors irritating. There’s festivals going on every day, there’s a massive kink community, a good indie music scene, a singular but active queer community with the country’s best feminist bookshop and queer vegan shops popping up. Yes, there’s not as much as bigger cities like Montreal, Vancouver, or Toronto – but our population is a fraction of theirs.
Partially in response to this constant criticism of the city, I started taking photos years ago of places that I found beautiful. Maybe some people will see what I see when I’m here.
Comments
3 responses to “Love Letter to Ottawa”
It is a lovely city. Gatineau-Ottawa make a food combination of big city but not feeling like a too huge city. To me, that’s a good thing. You can find all that you want, in any domain, but it’s not cramped, it has vast spaces with trees, green pastures and of course the river.
PS: love the tip picture, nice hat on that fellow! 😉
I second the remark about having all the amenities but not being too big – haha nice hat indeed. 😉
You have shown me again what a beautiful city we live in. Thank you!