We attended the Chamber Music Festival this year. I managed to make it to 6 shows and it was great.
Grounds of Rideau Hall – Free Concert (True North Brass and Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet)
St. Lawrence String Quartet and Tokai String Quartet
Late Night at the Legion – Carmen’s Fantasies
Nexus
Crazy! (I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble)
Next (virtuoso trumpeters Paul Merkelo, Niklas Eklund and Rex Richardson)
I have been thinking a lot about biking in Ottawa, mostly because I have been reading Copenhagenize.com. The guy witting the articles constantly complains about helmet lobby and how they’re killing the bike culture.
I wear a helmet when biking in Ottawa and will continue to wear it until I read a trusted medical (preferably from Canada or somewhere where biking situation is similar) study that indicates that the benefits of wearing one are just not worth it. However, if I went to Copenhagen or Netherlands or a similar place I would not consider wearing a helmet for a second. Also, I would probably bike much more, own one rather than two cars, get a slower, girlyer, bike and if I went to the Opera (which is pretty much the only time I wear high heels), I would probably bike there in heels and dress too. I would not do this in Ottawa because Opera (and everything else except my work, grocery store, library, friends houses and parks) is about 25 km away from my house and in full lycra and my fastish bike I can make it there at full speed of my little legs in a bit under and hour and a half. And then I need a shower.
There are beautiful bicycle paths in Ottawa, but they are intended and structured to be recreational only. For one thing, they are winding and out of the way, usually adding between 1 to 3 km to any commute that goes anywhere near them to begin with. There is a posted speed limit of 20km/h (with plates reminding you about it at all intersections) which is slower even than my modest speed. Finally, during rush hour they are somewhat deserted, which may or may not be a good thing. I, for one, would prefer to see a little bit more people on them to feel completely safe.
The roads are doable but difficult. The cars are not used to bikes (unless you’re crazy about cycling you can only comfortably bike six months out of the year). The buses use the same space as bikes and go at the same average speed so whenever they stop at a bus stop (every intersection) you have to bike to the middle of the road, get honked at by the car drivers who obviously don’t know how to deal with bikes (or possibly how to ride them if they ever wanted to), speed to overtake the bus only to be overtaken by the same bus half a minute later so you can repeat the process at the next bus stop. Add to this the pollution, bad city planning (even if the bike lanes are present, sometimes you have to weave into 80km/h rush hour traffic just to stay on the bike path) commute biking is for enthusiasts only with most of the population having the “better you than me” attitude about it.
So, I will continue to read Copenhagenize and dream about biking everyday and everywhere and stick to my helmet, lycra and shower kit in the real life. Sigh.
I’ve driven to Museum of Civilization and back this Sunday. It is a 48km ride all together. Here are some of my thoughts:
– When going for a bike ride always bring pick-nick lunch. You never know how far you’ll go or how long you’ll stay. When I set out for the ride, I planned to not go further than Andrew Hayden park about 20 minutes out of Kanata. An hour later, I was in Gatineau.
– Always have a list of different places where you can go during the high sun hours. Museum of Civilization was perfect because it had a lot of space for Trevor to run around in and for us to have lunch. Some exhibits, such as the First People’s Hall, are free so if you’ve already been to the Children’s Museum twice that month, you can save the $10 fee and still have a nice noon hour.
– Child proof museums are the best thing ever for parents with active toddlers. National Arts Gallery was a bit of a challenge because of lack of interest and exposed artwork, but Museum of Civilization (particularly Children’s Museum section), Natural History Museum and Museum of Technology are all a hit. I have to consider getting the family membership as the fees run in $10 range.
– the section between Corkstown and Beaverbrook is the most boring bike path ever. Plus there’s a strange wind angle which makes biking really hard. Not pleasant at all after you’ve already been biking for three hours. Next time I might even consider biking the Corkstown road hill, just to avoid it.
– I was somewhat divided between bike trailers and toddler seats you put on the back of the bike. I’d still like to try the bike seat. Trevor either falls asleep or complains in the trailer which he probably wouldn’t do in the seat. This is good or bad depending on the plans for the day. On the way back he lied down sideways on the little bench in the trailer. How he managed to do that while tied with a 5-point harness is beyond me but he seemed insistent on that position. Trailer was quite convenient in that I could bring a backpack and my proper purse with me (perhaps even a change of clothes). I had a pick-nick blanket and some toys there too, just in case. When we went to the museum, I took it with us as a stroller. I don’t know if I would be comfortable enough leaving it locked with the bike. It was a hit at the museum, some Japanese tourists and later a little boy thought it was an exhibit and started pushing it around.
– I really want to get some cycling shorts. I did not feel like I needed them before while I was biking to Carleton, but I would have been much more comfortable while pulling the trailer. I didn’t feel that pulling the trailer was too much work, but I did ride much slower than usual and I felt quite exhausted the next day.
First of all, as far as I am concerned, the Fringe is the best thing that happens in Ottawa all year. There are other fun things to do for sure, but I love Fringe the most. This year I was quite pleased with the shows that I’ve seen and there are many
On the Sly
Wooster Sauce
JOE: The Perfect Man!
A Leave of Absinthe
Greed
Open for Business: The Peacock Cabaret
The Triumph of Judith Shakespeare
Inferno Sonata
Old Growth
Wonderbar!
Raven for a Lark
Teaching the Fringe
The Spy
Crude Love
Die Roten Punkte – SUPER MUSICIAN
Crude Love, Raven for a Lark and Old Growth were my favourites. teaching the Fringe was the funniest.
We went to the Carp Farmer’s market which is the closest farmer’s market to my house yesterday.
It is a nice place to go to on a Saturday morning, but it is nothing like the farmer’s markets of my youth. There is another market right downtown that actually has more food but is very yuppish otherwise (not that there is anything wrong with it, except the prices). There is also Parkdale market somewhere between downtown and my house that I might check out next weekend.
Strawberries are in season here so many farms offer a “pick your own” option. I have been considering taking Trev to this but I have some doubts. Do you think a 17 month old might enjoy a jaunt to the strawberry fields and not hurt himself or someone else’s property without having to be picked up every two seconds? My back still hurts from the visit to the gallery to see an amazing exhibition called The 1930s: The Making of “The New Man.
Copenhagenize the Planet is my new favorite blog. Between you and me, I don’t actually believe half the things I read on that site, but if even the believable bits are true, I say Copenhagenize on!