Ottawa is a wonderful city. No it is not Paris. Paris is a city in its own right. France needs Paris because that is where the action is. It creates the culture. To most Parisians the location of France’s seat of government is irrelevant to their daily lives. And in some ways, you could say the same about many capital cities of the world–other than Washington. Without the federal government, Washington would be a backwater on the American east coast.
Ottawa is different again. As much as the choice of Bytown on the Ottawa River was considered Queen Victoria’s mistake, she was actually following some good advice. Those promoting the site of Ottawa knew that Canada’s capital should be the country’s face to its citizens, not the world. The world sees Canada through Halifax and Calgary, Vancouver and Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto—for this is the diversity of Canada.
And our nation’s capital is not just the federal properties in Ottawa but also the departments across the river in Gatineau. We are not all introduced to our government under the piles of dirty snow of an overly long and harsh winter. Nor is there anything wrong with touting the length of the public skating rink on the Rideau Canal every winter. Ottawa is also the masses of tulips in the Spring, the Summer crowds in the Byward Market or a hockey game out in Kanata between rivals like the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While the concentration of museums in the area might be a mistake, Canadians have not demanded the mausoleums that dominate the scene in Washington. Ottawa looks to the future and that is the Canadian way. The Houses of Parliament are mausoleum enough to satisfy the need for historical identity.
What Ottawa does well is provide excellent hotels and good eating establishments. From hotdog vendors to fine restaurants, you can always find something good to eat.
While the town does not just cater to the business of government, tourists are well advised to stay away from the Queensway when civil servants are heading to work or home at the end of their day.
And if you can get in to see the Parliament Buildings when you are there, you can feel the history of Canada.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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