Photo TR: Ottawa, The Capital Of 'America North'

[dandaman]

In the past few days, I've been on a band trip to Ottawa for the Musicfest national competition. Also in the past few days, I've sat down and talked with Mike Duffy, seen the greatest orchestral concert in history, been established as the second-best junior concert ensemble in the nation and fell in the Ottawa River.

 

I'm only telling you those now because I have no pictures of those events. But here's what I do have: Parliament, flowers, Parliament, museums, flowers, protests on Parliament, and one (1) inverse sideboob artwork.

 

So, without further ado, I present a most interesting look at the capital of Canaba. Enjoy.

...And finally, a distant shot from the next day, just because the Myspace version is crap. (Isn't it always?)

 

More shortly.

...Thus reminding me that Bible Allegory II: Prince Caspian would open in a couple of days.

Myspace preview photo of the highest office in the land. It's not a giant white boob, but it IS quasi-phallic.

The Chateau Laurier, i.e. the cream-of-the-crop hotel in the city. This used to be where a lot of visiting dignitaries would shack up for the night.

Presenting the less interesting side of the Rideau Canal, the world's largest skating rink. (If you think that holds true in May, then I've got a pair of skates and some scuba gear to sell you.)

Shout-out to my northern peeps.

...Well, I know it's not the Mint, but now I don't remember WHAT it is.

The first of many flower pictures to come. May is Tulip Festival time around the capital and I think there's over 100,000 scattered around downtown alone.

So, during all the free time we had between scheduled goings-on, we got to go shopping. Yaaaay.

Then again...

The first pants that MJ moonwalked in. (You were expecting a Michael Jackson pants joke? Screw that, I have standards.)

"...Oh my, that little country boy sure can play!" (First played, of course, in 1955 at a high school dance.)

And of course, right when I snap the guitar photo, Freddy shows up on the telly in all his pixellated glory.

...But they have Brian May's guitar, which immediately trumps everything else.

I mean, sure they have Lennon's jacket...

Sorry, folks... no Hard Rock Park advertising to be found.

Old train station, now a conference centre. Huzzah.

The weather was actually like 5 degrees warmer and 50% sunnier than the forecast showed for the entire trip. The only rain we got was on the 9-hour ride home yesterday. Awesome.

The Holiday Inn was nice. I'm surprised the staff put up with 30 screaming band members... hell, I'm surprised I tolerated them for that long myself.

About two cars behind the left frame were pro-China guys in a Ford waving flags, much like the rest of Canada politely waves to the rest of Canada.

...Immediately followed by the second thing, the Tibetan Freedom Torch of Freedomness running right by the driver's side.

One of the first things I see downtown is the War Memorial, right across from the National Arts Centre where we'd be playing the next morning...

#2

This report is presented by A&W, weird girl whom I don't know in the foreground nonwithstanding.

Gratuitous river shot #1

...And by 'right' I mean 'evil sneering villain'. (This wouldn't be bad for a Myspace photo; the lighting is just PERFECT.)

If I'm gonna start this trip, I want it started right.

[dandaman]

Waking up at 4:30 a.m. for the second day in a row was enhanced by the fact that we had a national competition performance at 7:00. By the time we were done I looked at my watch and realized school wouldn't even start for another hour. Oy. No photos of the actual performance, as holding a camera whilst playing a trumpet solo would be both unprofessional and freaking difficult.

 

Anyway, we ended up getting silver, which is a lot better than what we were expecting to receive (see: nothing). We tied with the "arts school" from our county, who was also performing that day. A great slap to the face, I say, considering our music program is only a 3-year-old infant. Go us.

 

Moving on...

And finally, I leave you with another ambiguous phallus with ornate carvings. (And a very early but effective form of birth control near the top.)

 

Final round up next.

In Canaba, it is custom to leave your horse and carriage parked with the proper signage to avoid a most impolite bumper-to-muzzle collision.

And lo, for two of an ACEr's love interests were combined as one. $5 says the silhouette guy is wearing a CP souvenir shirt stained with gravy behind the sign.

So Quebec's turning "quatre-cent" this year, and so far the only thing to say as such are like 10 banners scattered through the city. Seems like it deserves bigger press than that.

"I mean, I see that blurry one across the river, but aren't these the right coordinates?"

"I don't understand, Charlie. With these million-dollar binoculars, the flag should be jumping right out at me."

..Aah, yes. A Disneyland reference.

Yet I can't help but think something's missing...

These pictures were taken from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, and I must admit the setting for a major city like this is just beautiful.

If you read the table of contents in the first post, you'd know what quota this picture meets.

The newly-established Waterworld Party went to work on Parliament Hill right away.

Rare that I can say this in context: SAVE THE CLOCK TOWER!

...And then the black balloon people protest either for or against Palestine. WTF? Where did they come from?!

...But then the Tibetan protesters arrive on the scene...

Well, the Center Block looks nice enough from here...

It seems that some part of Parliament is always under repairs, but it's never the government itself.

This is like the "4 trains in one shot" version of the Tulip Fest.

They're supposed to be "The Mounties", but I see no horses or appearances in old Circlevision movies.

Floral onslaught!

...And this would be Stage A of the Arts Centre. Musicfest participants got a private concert by the Arts Centre Orchestra; overall I think they had just too many strings and not enough powerful sounds, but maybe I'm biased because it was NOTHING compared to the orchestra the next day.

These are actually on the roof of the Rideau Centre, a giant mall with what almost amounts to a city park spanning the length of the top floor.

I figured since I was casting a shadow already, I'd pull a Godzilla. This wouldn't be the last time I'd crush Parliament Hill...

Did I mention all the tulips? Trust me, there's a lot more than just the red ones.

Windy out today.

Useless Fact: The Chateau Laurier was supposed to open in April 1912, but its original owner, along with a lot of its furniture, met an unfortunate demise in the North Atlantic on the 14th/15th.

Moving on outside the hall...

Not us, but here's the venue we played in at 7 that morning; more or less the "Stage B" of the Centre. We were in and out of there in about 20 minutes flat.

I was hoping the 5-story-tall chandelier threading down the stairwell wouldn't use me as an unfortunate Phantom of the Opera reenactment.

Hey Epcot fans... did you look twice?

We went back to the Arts Centre around 10 to watch a few other performances.

Getting back to the room at 8 a.m. was an interesting experience... so interesting that I fell asleep for the next 2 hours.

[dandaman]

Final day now, and it's basically "Tourist Day" of the trip. Museum of Civilization, War Museum, Parliament (where I talked to Mike Duffy... I'm certain only some Canadians would even know who he is), and the aforementioned greatest orchestra ever, the Yamaha Symphonic Band.

 

About the band... all of the members make their own instruments and work at Yamaha in Japan. This was a historical performance, since it was the first time that nationally-acclaimed bands had been "exchanged" between Canada and Japan. (Our orchestra was over there, I believe.) Anyway, two highlights to the hour-long performance:

 

1. Brilliantly talented trumpet soloist with a funny bone. ("And it's not like I'd advertise myself or anything, like my CD that can found at my website: www.trumpetsolo.com. If you type solotrumpet.com, don't worry, I bought that one too.")

 

2. After the performance (which got a standing O after they played both the Japanese and Canadian national anthems at the START), the host looked at the audience and said, "One more song?" Well of course everyone cheered, and no one saw what was coming next.

 

...They all pulled out and put on Team Canada jerseys and played Hockey Night. These people know how to put on a show, folks.

 

Anyway, since I wanted to get this done before I'd forgotten about it...

Anyway, I thank you all for reading, looking, and otherwise feigning entertainment, and I wholeheartedly recommend trekking north (for most) to come visit the capital city of America's Frosted Hat. See ya.

Our final picture of the day at the Arts Centre, which it's hard to believe this was really the focus of the entire trip. The sea of humanity after the Yamaha concert is actually quite photogenic; let's see MK after Wishes do THAT.

Thought this was funny. Cedar Point's version would be "$3.50 Soda! With a magnificent side order of light rain, closed rides, 3 trash cans/square inch, and crappy food service."

Backside of the War Memorial. Our hotel was just down the street and straight on looking from this direction.

The Senate. NEXT.

...Because I totally wear long purple robes as daily attire.

I don't remember what Lord this was, but some people said he looks a lot like me.

The House of Commons. 308 members from all walks of life gather here, and on occasion, get something done. (I sat in on Question Period last trip in the balcony above.)

About 1 minute after everyone near the bells at the top went mysteriously deaf.

The less popular East Block of Parliament.

Parliament Hill: Compensating since 1919.

In Canaba, it is custom for politicians to give you a 3 p.m. phone call out of courtesy to graciously ask you for a vote.

Hey Elissa

Even the statues get their own Myspace picture... "Bro"

The Library of Parliament. In February 1916 a fire destroyed the Center Block of Parliament, i.e. the one most photographed. A quick-thinking librarian shut a set of iron doors and thus saved the library from destruction.

Walking around the back before the tour started, the National Gallery was pretty prominent. I have a full report from that from my last visit in December 2006, kicking around somewhere on TPR. Search if you're interested.)

One of my favourite shots of the trip.

I'll say it now: I seem to be one of few people my age who follow politics. Therefore, I was probably the only one who was extremely excited about the Parliament tour. (In the foreground: the Centennial Flame, lit in 1967 on Canada's 100th anniversary.)

...Until at 11 a.m., the light would shine in this window and directly upon the tomb of an unknown soldier for about an hour. Very symbolic.

Another architectural note: The building was positioned so that the sunlight would follow this line on November 11 (Remembrance Day)...

...As well as the Fuehrer's car.

Apparently they recovered a certain flag from Berlin...

Various medals that some guy won.

Thought this was interesting, as I'm a shipwreck fan myself: a porthole recovered from the Lusitania.

In Canaba, it is custom to wear a fuzzy hat during conflicts.

The goal of this room was that if you stood facing directly outward, you could see the Peace Tower; if you shifted a foot right or a foot left, it was gone. The architect's idea was that to keep sight of peace, one had to stay completely focused and unwavering.

This tank is about 1/3 my height, but its purpose was to drive under enemy tanks and detonate from the bottom.

A peacekeeping Jeep, about 15 years old. The driver was shot in the head once and elsewhere an additional 5 times under ambush, and drove 15 miles to a hospital and lived. In-TENSE.

"Dammit Jenkins! You broke our binary code!"

LOL Britain.

Canadian cannon vs. British cannon... how do they compare?

I think replicas of these were used in Indy III.

Cannonvision 3000

Is this a Sherman? I don't remember.

On to the War Museum, recently built in 2005. Wish I had a better picture.

RUN AWAY!

"I have composed a new poem, sir... 'There once was a man from Nantucket...'"

Way to reinforce the stereotype, CP Rail.

If these walls could talk... they'd have an opinion much like this.

The exciting world of Canadian postage, showcased for your "enjoyment".

There. There's your music. Happy? I hope so.

Useless Fact: All Canadian monks look depressed and wear orange undercoats.

Useless Fact: All Inuit mushers wear futuristic glasses.

Speaking of interpretation... am I right in translating that "vuelva" means "come" in Spanish?

 

...Why? Oh, no reason.

Yes, apparently the IMAX Experience is shaped like a tractor beam and aims to destroy us all. Or it's the Eye of Mordor... open to interpretation.

The Museum of Civilization. The main building is shaped like a canoe, and the supports were made to look like paddles. This is also where I took the pictures from across the river of Parliament the day before.

#3

[Scaparri]

Cool TR! I have a strange, unexplainable fascination with Canada and really want to visit many of the major Canadian cities, so this was right up my alley. There is some definitely some pretty sweet architecture in Ottawa and with Parliament. I've always heard that Ottawa is one of the better cities in Canada. Thanks for the pics!

[dandaman]

It really is a beautiful city, though evidently I don't have to tell you that in words. May is definitely the better time to visit; I loved Ottawa and surrounding area in December, but the windchill was -20 Celsius on most evenings when I went. The Tulip Festival really put an accent on the city, especially downtown. I never expected a metropolis to look so vibrant and ecologically mixed with all the architecture.

 

Now you just need to visit Toronto and Montreal for some credits and you're set.

[dandaman]

...This is totally the most popular thing in the Random forum right now.

[canadianfreak]

Nice pics! It's cool to see my hometown in another persons view. Going to the tulip festival and just going to the museums is always neat.

I didn't realize the inside of the NAC was so huge. I have to go on Wednesday for some play, should be cool.

 

No big apple this time? That's always been a favourite stop between Ottawa and Toronto for me.

[dandaman]

^Ha... I actually knew it was coming up but somehow couldn't get the camera going in time. I recall saying, "There's like a giant apple coming up somewhe... dangit, there it goes."

[307]

Hey! Nice trip report!

 

I went to Ottawa in 1996, just before they finished building the then-Corel Centre [i remember because I thought to myself, "What a stupid place to put an arena."]. I am fairly sure I did at least a few of the things you've taken shots of in this TR, but the only things I remember clearly are getting sick at dinner on the first night, not wanting to do anything for the next two days, and then getting dragged to the Canadian Aviation Museum, then sulking for the next two days and leaving.

 

Your trip report was definitely more pleasant than that experience, and for this I thank you.

 

PS. No Sens logos?! How dare you sir!

[canadianfreak]

...Well, I know it's not the Mint, but now I don't remember WHAT it is.

 

That's the Canadian Museum of Nature. I used to love going on field trips there with my school. Supposedly it's haunted.

[dandaman]

Hey! Nice trip report!

 

I went to Ottawa in 1996, just before they finished building the then-Corel Centre [i remember because I thought to myself, "What a stupid place to put an arena."]. I am fairly sure I did at least a few of the things you've taken shots of in this TR, but the only things I remember clearly are getting sick at dinner on the first night, not wanting to do anything for the next two days, and then getting dragged to the Canadian Aviation Museum, then sulking for the next two days and leaving.

 

Your trip report was definitely more pleasant than that experience, and for this I thank you.

 

PS. No Sens logos?! How dare you sir!

 

1. Trust me, we passed by it on my trip in Decmeber '06. It's still a stupid place to put an arena; no development around it for miles!

 

2. What an uplifting experience.

 

3. I'm actually as surprised as you are there's no Sens logos... maybe they all got put in storage once the unforgiving broom of Pittsburgh came to town.

 

That's the Canadian Museum of Nature. I used to love going on field trips there with my school. Supposedly it's haunted.

 

Wow... they seriously had no signage around that place that I could see, and I was looking just before I took the picture.

 

Never been to the Nature Museum, and all I remember about the Mint was a million dollars worth of gold bars in a heavily guarded display case.

 

Thanks again.

[Carnage]

Anyway, we ended up getting silver, which is a lot better than what we were expecting to receive (see: nothing). We tied with the "arts school" from our county, who was also performing that day. A great slap to the face, I say, considering our music program is only a 3-year-old infant. Go us.

 

My sister used to go to Etobicoke School of the Arts. I was always dragged to her recitals. A few hours of torture for a 7 year old.

 

Sounds like you had quite the trip.

[dandaman]

I never really got into music until a few years ago. Now it's all classical and movie scores, or anything that really tells a story. Rare is a song you'll find on my iPod that involves rock or something without a real meaning.

 

Now, that having been said, I truly despise about 95% of all modern "music". My teachers all call me the Old Man of the Class, and I embrace it.

 

We have our school Arts Night tomorrow, and we haven't done jack squat for it at all! (We're playing the three Musicfest songs though, so it should be all right.)

 

P.S. Just noticed a certain flickering button near the bottom of your post... happy birthday, sir!

[mcjaco]

^ You're an old man!

 

I used to get more excited about playing scores from movies than anything else when I was in band. I mean c'mon? How could you not like the Batman movie theme?!

[dandaman]

Exactly! (To both. )

 

We played one last year that wasn't a movie score at all, but it had a Western/Native feel to it ("Pueblo"). I still say that was the best one we've done; I'm a sucker for Westerns. Ennio Morricone + Bruce Broughton + Alfred Newman = good time had by all.

 

Also did a POTC medley last year that turned out all right. Our conductor/teacher had the wrong tempos IMO, but that's more or less because I'm trying to play the Klaus Badelt REAL version in my head while trying to play the other.

 

P.S. Regarding our Arts Night tonight... conductor finally figured out that 1 first trumpet and 4 second trumpets don't balance perfectly. So I sight-read the music in rehearsal and came out unscathed; not bad for never seeing the first part EVER, high notes and all.