The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Eric1955]

I dunno, it seems so decidedly Un-Canadian.

Also, it would completely bisect Sparks St. That would be a shame.
Did you ever eat at D'Arcy McGee's? As fine a pub as any I've encountered in NYC.

It would have just moved Metcalfe west slightly and aded some green space around it. I think they could actually get rid of Metcalfe altogether. All historic buildings would have been moved. There were similar proposals when Mackenzie King was Prime Minister but they decided instead to make Elgin into a grand boulevard with the War Memorial at the end. Sparks St. is actually in kind of a sad state right now. It's not the vibrant shopping atmosphere it was in the 70's. The idea that a Metcalfe national mall would be too grand and un-Canadian was a popular complaint about the proposal. You know the old Canadian sentiment "good enough is good enough." That sentiment always upsets me though. Ottawa really could be by far the greatest capital in the world if it weren't for that sentiment.

I never did eat at D'Arcy McGee's but I did frequent the Highlander Pub on Rideau a lot. They have great bangers and mash. Dang, I need to book a flight.

 

[Gabe1]

Are you suggesting that this is not the most scintillating conversation anywhere on the web?

Ha! No just the total lack of time on my part the last few weeks. Now if I ever get to go back and catch a few of the mega pages I've missed you might be correct? Are you giving me a hint?

 

[JenniferS]

It would have just moved Metcalfe west slightly and aded some green space around it. I think they could actually get rid of Metcalfe altogether. All historic buildings would have been moved. There were similar proposals when Mackenzie King was Prime Minister but they decided instead to make Elgin into a grand boulevard with the War Memorial at the end. Sparks St. is actually in kind of a sad state right now. It's not the vibrant shopping atmosphere it was in the 70's. The idea that a Metcalfe national mall would be too grand and un-Canadian was a popular complaint about the proposal. You know the old Canadian sentiment "good enough is good enough." That sentiment always upsets me though. Ottawa really could be by far the greatest capital in the world if it weren't for that sentiment.

I never did eat at D'Arcy McGee's but I did frequent the Highlander Pub on Rideau a lot. They have great bangers and mash. Dang, I need to book a flight.
View attachment 86120

Now I gotta figure out the Irish pub we went to a few times. Kids loved it. Food was awesome.
Hubby will be able to pinpoint it on a map, but he's gone to bed now.

It's not necessarily that good enough is good enough, it's just not in the Canadian psyche to be chest-thumpers.
The more I look at the proposed National Mall, the less I like it. And moving those historic stone buildings would be a ginormous undertaking, possibly destroying them in the process. That would be tragic.

 

[JenniferS]

Ha! No just the total lack of time on my part the last few weeks. Now if I ever get to go back and catch a few of the mega pages I've missed you might be correct? Are you giving me a hint?

Nope. Same old, same old.
Unending pearls of wisdom flying from our fingertips.

 

[Gabe1]

"but wait.. theres more!"
View attachment 86121

Oh Dear! I hate being out of the loop. Do tell.

 

[Eric1955]

Now I gotta figure out the Irish pub we went to a few times. Kids loved it. Food was awesome.
Hubby will be able to pinpoint it on a map, but he's gone to bed now.

It's not necessarily that good enough is good enough, it's just not in the Canadian psyche to be chest-thumpers.
The more I look at the proposed National Mall, the less I like it. And moving those historic stone buildings would be a ginormous undertaking, possibly destroying them in the process. That would be tragic.

I don't know. I can understand that. The church I went to in Ottawa would actually have to have been moved (of course it would then have had a prominent position right on the mall). But I do think something should be done on the other side of Wellington across from Parliament Hill. It's kind of a jumbled mess right now. This is the latest plan. Not crazy about it myself.

 

[Gabe1]

I hope you do not imagine me sporting a moustache and wearing a sombrero.

Ahhh....sombrero's. I never really understood putting something so heavy atop ones head in all that heat. Still we came home with one, thanks Sis, it was red velvet and silver adorn. It hung in her bedroom for a decade.

 

[Gabe1]

no decent japanese food that is close to me sadly.. neither chinese.. a lot of good joints disappeared and only cheap chinese buffets are everywhere.

And those places are really sucidoodles. Great only for those who appreciate volume over quality. Bluck.

 

[Eric1955]

These old plans for Ottawa are really interesting. The part I find most interesting is the proposed expansion of the old Centre Block (fire made that unnecessary). I've never been able to find any drawings showing what the extensions would have looked like.

 

[Gabe1]

behold... I did.

I love Cajun food and find Canadian Food a bit too English for my tastes.

I love Cajun food too, it has a warm and hearty taste and skips that HOT thing. English food is just as blah as is the Irish food.

 

[Gabe1]

You cant book somewhere else?
come visit my town.. we have cookies!

Wow! Have not heard that saying in a long while!

 

[JenniferS]

I don't know. I can understand that. The church I went to in Ottawa would actually have to have been moved (of course it would then have had a prominent position right on the mall). But I do think something should be done on the other side of Wellington across from Parliament Hill. It's kind of a jumbled mess right now. This is the latest plan. Not crazy about it myself.
View attachment 86122

Oh yuck!

 

[Eric1955]

I thought this was a good article.
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/04/canadas-capital-needs-a-facelift

 

[JenniferS]

These old plans for Ottawa are really interesting. The part I find most interesting is the proposed expansion of the old Centre Block (fire made that unnecessary). I've never been able to find any drawings showing what the extensions would have looked like.
View attachment 86123 View attachment 86124 View attachment 86125

I love the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Hubby stayed there one weekend for a b'ball tournament.

We considered staying there on our last trip (Summer 2011), but a whole week in those smallish rooms with two teenagers who were starting to not get along ... we said forget it, and stayed in a gorgeous 1000 sq. ft. suite at Minto Suites. For less money. No history or atmosphere or drop dead view though.

ETA - Of course, the Chateau also has the Titanic connection, what with Charles Melville Hays (the Grand Trunk Railroad President & dude who commissioned the hotel) going down with the ship and all.

Now there's the ghost I would want to sit down and chat with.
Hubby said there was no sign of him.

(And no, I don't believe in ghosts. At all.)
(But if I did, he'd be a good one to chat with.)
(But I don't, so time to end this nonsense conversation with myself.)

 

[Gabe1]

I've seen wild turkeys here. Sometimes, they're in fairly large flocks together. They like open spaces, so you'll see them in parks, open fields and sometimes in the larger parking lots. You can't approach them though, as they can be aggressive.

We have them here too. Mean little buzzards too. Make the icky Canadian Geese look tame. The only thing we have here meaner are the Swans. Pea Brains

 

[Eric1955]

I love the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Hubby stayed there one weekend for a b'ball tournament.

We considered staying there on our last trip (Summer 2011), but a whole week in those smallish rooms with two teenagers who were starting to not get along ... we said forget it, and stayed in a gorgeous 1000 sq. ft. suite at Minto Suites. For less money. No history or atmosphere or drop dead view though.

Love the Chateau Laurier! We stayed there back in 2011 while on vacation in Ottawa. It was after that trip I knew I wanted to study abroad in Ottawa.

 

[Gabe1]

Hi! I'm here! I took a break for a while from the NASCAR race on t.v. Probably @MOXOMUMD is watching, too, so that's why she's not on now.

Bummer about your allergies. Allergies are a big mystery to me, in that I always wonder why some people get them and others don't. The other odd thing about allergies is that some people never have them, but out of the blue in their older years, they get them.

On another subject, this past week, with the exception of the zero weather days, there has been some intermittent warmer temperatures (up to 35 today). So there has been "some" melting of the huge snowbanks everywhere. My back yard has gone from 5 feet of snow, almost down to 4 feet now. I think we'll have at least 1 foot of snow back there into early April at this rate!

Yep, our mounds have come down too. Still there, still blocking everyone's sight lines but shorter.

 

[JenniferS]

I thought this was a good article.
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/04/canadas-capital-needs-a-facelift

I read it. Guy sounds un-Canadian.

 

[JenniferS]

Love the Chateau Laurier! We stayed there back in 2011 while on vacation in Ottawa. It was after that trip I knew I wanted to study abroad in Ottawa.

I seriously considered going to Carleton, was even offered a pretty decent scholarship in an elite program, but being a year younger than the rest of my graduating class, I couldn't bear the thought of being so far from home.

So, I took the McMaster scholarship (big mistake), traveled back and forth every day (bigger mistake) and dropped out just before first semester exams.

On the plus side, because I was commuting daily, I was able to keep my weekend job, hooked up with Hubby @ that pizza joint, and nearly 30 years later ... the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Eric1955]

I read it. Guy sounds un-Canadian.

I want to hear Rex Murphy set the record straight on this. I don't think I've ever disagreed with any of his commentaries on the National.