The Not So Young and The Kind Of Restless

I have been in Ottawa to visit family since late August. Even though I was here in March, I haven't seen most of them since last Christmas due to the pandemic. We gathered for a Sunday lunch on the 30th. It was a chance for me to meet my latest niece who was born in February. At the other end, a family member was turning 92. Luckily, she has all of her mental faculties. Outside of some cataracts surgery, a gall-bladder removal, and the excision of a non-cancerous tumor 15 years ago, she was still in good physical shape. "Health is wealth" was her advice.

It was scheduled in a large backyard to minimize physical contact. But we ended up indoors because an infestation of wasps threatened several people because of their age or allergies. It was a culturally diverse meal though mostly Vietnamese food including spring rolls and papaya salad.

Because of some recent thoughts about moving, I tried to get a feel Ottawa as a place to live. Eating home-made food was a definite positive. The city has improved since I left decades ago. Its main negative was still its fragmented nature: pockets of small, interesting neighbourhoods separated by areas of "blight" (car-centric or empty of people and businesses). I recalled that Ottawa was more bike-friendly and so, over the last 2 weeks, I used a bicycle to get around. The separated bike trails along the Canal, Rideau river, and Experimental Farm were excellent. The painted ones along the streets less enjoyable since you had to dodge sewer grates and cracked pavement. But at least Ottawa has more bike lanes than Toronto.

Real estate, both for rent and purchase, was more affordable than The Big Smoke. Yet even here, it wasn't that cheap for new residents. A long-time Ottawan might enjoy low rates but a newbie would still be emptying out their pockets. The downtown core was walkable but with a lack of parks and mature trees, it felt more concrete jungle than my own urban location in Toronto. No wonder the cheaper suburbs was an attractive draw. It was a good alternative ... in summer. Ottawa, in winter, now that's the question.