backgrounder: Ottawa

Richard Akerman — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:21:00 GMT

Ottawa is Canada's capital, and is celebrating 150 years since the 1857 declaration of that status by Queen Victoria.

The conference will be taking place in the centre of downtown Ottawa, steps from Parliament and many shops, restaurants, and other amenities.

Weather

You have the fortune to have temperatures almost ten degrees (Celsius) higher than average for this time of year.

Current (as of Monday) forecast from weather.ca for October 3 is a high of +23° and a low of +13°, with a chance of light rain. Be aware that the high is a fairly sharp peak around noon; it will be cool in the morning and will cool down quickly at night. You can also check the Canadian Weather Office for forecasts and weather advisories.

Fall Colours

As luck would have it, this is a prime time to see the beautiful fall colours of the trees in the Ottawa area. One of the best ways to do this is by visiting Gatineau Park, which is a car trip away to the north and west of downtown Ottawa, across the provincial border in Quebec.

Currency

The currency is the Canadian dollar. It is currently trading roughly at par with the US dollar, and at 0.7 to the Euro, according to Google

1 canadian dollar in us dollars

1 canadian dollar in euros

The commonly used currency includes:

a dollar coin, golden in colour and slightly larger than a quarter, the dollar coin is often called a "loonie" as it has a Loon depicted on the face
a two dollar coin, bi-metallic with an outer silver ring, slightly larger than the dollar coin, often called a "toonie"
bills in $5, $10 and $20 denominations
larger denominations are of course available

Rather than carry large amounts of cash, however, many Canadians use transaction cards, and almost all stores are equipped with card readers.

debit cards, also called "bank cards", make an immediate withdrawal from a bank account
credit cards advance funds from a credit account

Both cards use magstripes that are "swiped" in a reader - chip & PIN technology, used in Europe, is not supported.

For a debit card, one enters the passcode (usually called the PIN). Some stores, commonly large pharmacies and grocery stores, also offer "cash back", which is the equivalent of a bank withdrawal - the maximum is usually $50 to $100. When completing a debit card purchase, you would just ask for e.g. "$20 cash back" and the amount will be added to your purchase, commonly you will have to initial or sign for the cash.

For a credit card, you have to sign the credit slip, and the clerk will compare your signature with the back of your card.

There is a slight tendency to use debit cards for smaller purchases and credit cards for larger ones, however most stores won't be surprised to see you use a card for a purchase of any amount from tiny to large; many Canadians, including myself, carry little or no cash and use cards for almost all transactions.

Cash can also be obtained from bank machines, also called "ATMs". These are installed quite widely, however be aware they may charge withdrawal fees. All of Canada's major banks provide ATMs throughout Ottawa. Do be aware that within stores you may also find so called "white label" third-party bank machines. While these are safe to use, they charge even higher withdrawal fees than bank ATMs.

There are TD Bank machines on the ground floor of the Rideau Centre shopping mall, if you enter from Rideau Street, underneath the skyway to the Bay, the machines will be on your left, just past the Shoppers Drug Mart.

Both debit and credit card networks are interlinked with major international networks.

The use of cheques to pay in stores is virtually non-existent; I don't think I have ever seen someone pay by cheque in a store in my entire life. Stored-value card use is also minimal.

There is Calforex Currency Exchange / Bureau de change on the 3rd floor of the Rideau Centre shopping mall, across the street from the conference centre.

Getting to the Conference Centre / Area & Location / Getting Around

The forum will be at the Government Conference Centre, at the corner of Rideau Street and Colonel By Drive. I think the entrance is on the Colonel By side.

This should not be confused with the Ottawa Congress Centre, which is a complex across the street that is connected to the Rideau Centre.

From the Ottawa Airport (L’Aéroport d’Ottawa) you can take a taxi or if you prefer public transit, buy bus tickets inside the airport and take the #97 from the airport to the Rideau Centre (Mackenzie King stop). Exiting the airport the bus stop is to your right, across a laneway.

For more information about the bus system, visit the OC Transpo (À propos d'OC Transpo) site.

Here is a Google map indicating the location of the conference (house with flag, upper right), relative to the Parliament buildings (large house icon), and the conference hotels (red bed icons).

View Larger Map

Note that unfortunately Google is showing incorrect street names ("Regional Road") for some streets in downtown Ottawa.

You can easily walk to the conference centre from any of the conference hotels. If you prefer to take a bus there are two sets, the transitway buses run east on Slater Street and west on Albert, stopping at MacKenzie King at the south entrance of Rideau Centre. Other buses like the 1, 2, 5 stop at the north entrance of Rideau Centre, on Rideau Street.

If you head north up Sussex you will pass the US Embassy on your left, followed by the National Gallery of Canada. This is a short walk, maybe 600 metres. To your right as you head north up Sussex is the Byward Market ("the market") area, a lively shopping and eating district.

(Disclaimer: it is likely somewhere in this writeup I will get east and west reversed, as well as left and right, I often make this mistake.)

To the south of the conference centre is the National Arts Centre, which may have performing arts events and concerts of interest to you.

Language

All Canadian government websites are available in both English and French, as well Ottawa city websites offer English and French as options. Many stores in Ottawa will have clerks that can serve you either in English or en français.

Restaurants

Ottawa has a wide variety of dining experiences with choices of cuisine from all over the world. There are a variety of them in the market.

There are also lots of restaurants in the downtown area, as well as a concentration of Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in the Chinatown area, west down Somerset Street, about 2.5 km from the conference centre.

Ottawa Start - Food & Restaurant Guide will give you some, well, starting points

Here are some suggestions, mostly located in Centretown, to the south-west of the conference centre:

Bekta - fine dining
Whalesbone - fine dining
Benitz Bistro - fine dining - Ottawa Citizen review
Ceylonta - Sri Lankan
Jadeland - Chinese
Seoul House - Korean
Som Tum - Thai - Ottawa Citizen review
Savana Café - Caribbean fusion
East India Company - Indian
The Courtyard Restaurant

Ottawa Citizen capsule review of the Courtyard:

The Courtyard Restaurant
21 George St., Byward Market
613-241-1516

Reviewed: Aug. 19, 2007

The room may have a dated look, but the food sure doesn't. In fact, some of The Courtyard's food has a futuristic feel, as chef Marc Lepine dabbles in things like liquid nitrogen olive oil ice cream and cooking "sous-vide." Lepine's summer menu suggests a three-course progression, with each course about the size of a generous appetizer, and the food is imaginative, has assertive flavour and is presented in lovely arrangements. Bison sashimi with eryngii mushrooms; pork belly scented with ginger and liquorice; plus luscious Kobe beef, perfectly roasted organic lamb, and ginger fritters with star anise ice cream.

For More Information

Wikitravel - Ottawa
New York Times Travel - Ottawa
Schmap - Ottawa
Frommer's - Ottawa

Participative Web : tourism