Almonte, Ontario is an eclectic tourist town with many surprises but I wasn't expecting a New York…read moreor Toronto quality art gallery along the banks of Canada's Mississippi. The owner is an attorney, turned astronomer, artist and gallery owner. His own work looks like it was taken from the Hubble telescope but apparently he works here on earth. Beware that light on the horizon, it may not be sunrise or sunset but the glow of Toronto in the far far distance of the night sky. I imagine with all the light pollution it must be increasingly difficult to work without heading to the far north. Sanjeev Sivarulrasa does a fantastic job of sifting through the stars and time itself to capture magical moments. A real 'must see' for anyone visiting Almonte. He also exhibits sculptures derived from the human form by Sue Adams and Deborah Arnold's carved stone formations of chlorite, alabaster, and marble. Adrienne Dagg, an emerging young artist, also on exhibit, explores the depths of portraiture and narrative figure painting. Dale Dunning is another of the galleries sculptors, working primary with very creative masks... at least in the exhibit I saw. Several other artists are also represented by Sivarulrasa's Studio and Gallery. Certainly worth the drive out from Ottawa. I'm glad I stopped in from California.

Still one of the cooler, more laid back hangouts in Ottawa. Truly deserves the "lounge" part of…read moreits name. Note that this isn't a go early and have beers type of place, most nights it's not even open for business before 10pm and even then, people don't really start coming in until 11 - midnight. Go early (10pm) and you're guaranteed a spot on one of its few loungy sofas (very comfy), but you'll also probably be alone with your companions. Great music as advertised, they always have good DJs.

This is one of my favourite spots I've been to for live music. It's a pity I haven't returned…read more Don't read anything into that though! It's a really awesome lounge. The Mercury Lounge mainly specializes in variations of jazz music, but it also includes some of the other stuff as well. The atmosphere is very relaxing with warm reds and yellows. The stage is a perfect focal point as it's framed by two twelve foot high (at least) windows that look out into the market from this heritage building. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of space, especially if you arrive with a large group and want to stick together. You may have to resolve yourselves to separate a bit for the night if you want to sit down to enjoy the music. Unlike many bars in Ottawa, this place is open until 3AM.

Definitely one of my favorite galleries in Ottawa. It's got such a nice, cozy atmosphere, lots of…read moregreat art and friendly staff, sometimes they even have cheese and bread to snack on while you're browsing the gallery.

Cube Gallery is one of the best modern art galleries in Ottawa. The work shown there is never…read morestuffy or boring or touristy. In addition, it's a great place to hold an event. My company has shot several weddings there and I always appreciate that the backdrop is different at every "shoot". The rotating art pieces make for a different wedding experience for every couple. It helps keep me inspired to shoot their weddings a little bit differently each time too! All in all, it's a great setting for big gathering. I'd highly recommend that you check it out as a venue if you're looking for an event space in Ottawa.

We stopped to visit the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. It housed many great exhibits…read more Directly outside is a giant spider sculpture called Maman, which was designed by an artist named Louise Bourgeois. We had a great visit here.

Founded in 1880, this art gallery in Ottawa Ontario Canada is a grand light filled structure of…read moreglass and granite. Featuring sweeping views of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River. The iconic Maman Spider sculpture is right outside the entrance. The tickets are $15.68. This large museum premiers over 100,000 works. This includes the Group of Seven collection of Canadian landscapes, Indigenous and Canadian art, and International Masterpieces.

... memories …read more... When I lived and worked throughout Canada's Atlantic Provinces, Ottawa was almost like a second home to me during the 70's and 80's. I travelled / stayed there often, via business, and even more so for pleasure stays. I chose to stay at hotels offering rooms with kitchenettes. Which allowed me the option to shop during walks and stays, and dine back at my hotel. The Byward Market area was one of my favourite spots to walkabout, browse, and shop. And especially so during the summer and fall months, when it was so alive with street venders, and others featuring locally-grown fresh fruits and veggies. It was a good while ago, but a standout for me during these stays was a fish/seafood shop. I used to purchase squid there. Then on the way back to the hotel, catch a bottle of white wine, and some butter. Cooking the squid back at the hotel was fun, and made for several very fragrant, tasty, and much-enjoyed meals. Street vendor selections of farm-fresh offerings of fruits and veggies, were a delight to see during summer and early-fall stays. Their products not only contributed to meals, were often purchased and enjoyed 'in hand' and enjoyed during walkabouts. And before I forget, so were the several tasty 'beavertails' enjoyed, at any time of year, from a bakery there. (previously reviewed) My visits to the Byward Market, and area, were via day time browsing and shopping walkabouts. They were fun, interesting, and much-enjoyed.

This area of the city is a popular destination that you must see for sight seeing in Ottawa…read more There's a lot to see and do down here, and more Restaurants than you can possibly eat at in a month of Sundays! They also host special events down here. Certain streets are pedestrian only, where you will find crafters and fruit/vegetable vendors, people who sell honey and maple syrup, Beavertails, and seasonal items all sold at booths on the streets. This visit, I found a rare treasure: a bracelet with my name on it!! The Byward Market is coming up to a remarkable anniversary: in 2026, it will be 200 years old!! Found this snippet on the internet: "The ByWard Market is where Ottawa was born. Established by Lt-Col. John By in 1826, the ByWard Market is one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets. The legendary builder of the Rideau Canal; Lt-Col. By himself laid out the street plan of the Market, designating George and York Streets to be extra wide to accommodate the horse-drawn carriages that brought foodstuffs to the market every day." We seem to gravitate there at least once a year in the warmer months. It's also a terrific area for people watching!!

Preston Square or "Little Italy" is the home to many great Italian café and restaurants. If you are…read morelooking to have a nice and tasty Italian food, from pizza, pasta to salad and dessert, this is the place. It also has some bars and comedy clubs that you can go to in the evenings and enjoy your time. There are also small shops in the area that you can browse and find nice stuff to buy. It's a nice area to stroll, shop, eat and have fun.

Little Italy is a great little neighbourhood. Technically, it spans from Carling Ave to the south…read moreto Albert St to the north, Bronson Ave to the east and the western boundary is the O-Train line. However, most of the action is along Preston St from Carling Ave to Laurel St. There is a great concentration of excellent Italian restaurants. However, there are also several Japanese restaurants, as well as Southern BBQ, Cajun, and other types of cuisines. Little Italy is also home to Preston Hardware, which is Canada's largest independent hardware store. There's a comedy club in this neighborhood as well (Absolute Comedy). There a lot of nice artwork in Little Italy, especially the mural along the Highway 417 underpass. Every June there is the Italian Week Festival and recently restaurants in Little Italy put on "Presdelicious" which is similar to "Winterlicious" or "Summerlicious" where they have 3-course fixed-price special menus. All the restaurants were along Preston St, hence the name. The 3-course specials were all $28, $38, or $48, depending on the restaurant. Little Italy is mostly restaurants, cafés and bakeries. There is very little fashion or accessories shops. However, there are barbers, hair salons, nail salons, and eyelash and brows salons. Street parking is available, but most of it is paid parking. There is also a large city lot that is also paid parking. Street parking is free on evening and weekends.

This establishment has always played apart of my life here as a Ottawan, and I am a colossal…read moredevotee to the fairview malls. Since the closure of the nearby Rideau street McDonalds, there has been fewer suspicious activity around, which is a shame as I enjoyed the entertainment. Whats a nice day at the mall without someone pulling a racoon out of their coat? Regardless, they have a New York Fries, which automatically gives it much more value. Always nicely decorated as well. Beware of the first floor as some report getting asked odd questions by even odder individuals.

Oh gosh this mall was exhausting ! The amount of people I felt like I was in a movie. Non stop…read moreyelling and running around was wild. They did have a lot of stores but it was way to much we left. The outlets was wayyyyyy better

We were able to come here and use our ASTC passport which was awesome. The parking lots have plenty…read moreof space and some EV chargers which is great. The staff was friendly and got us in with our passport. They have a nice little cafe with Beavertails in the back, so we stopped there for a quick breakfast and coffee. The displays here are great, so many interactive displays from bicycles, to trains, to audio and visual displays there is a lot to take in. This is a great spot for families or just adults who can tolerate kids being around. The history of sporting for people with disabilities was really interesting. This place really has something for everyone, whether you are interested in the human body, space, housing, etc you will probably find a section that interests you. The kids specific area was a lot of fun, although one of the displays was a bit broken unfortunately. Being able to race cars you build on a track and climb a rock wall was a ton of fun for our daughter. Being able to go race other kids on the bikes was something she really enjoyed too. We certainly had a good family outing and I think we all learned a few new things.

We visited this museum. Parking is a bit confusing without proper signage. The other thing is…read morethat the parking near the front, the lines are marked with different coloured rocks but it's hard to see so people park very poorly and the spots are quite tight too. The exhibits were pretty interesting. Lots of things to see and read, somewhat interactive. There is a dedicated kids area for kids to play in which is nice for families. The huge train that you can go into was another fun highlight. The demonstrations were really fun, there was one on ice and one on fire that day though the ice one didn't quite work. Overall a pretty enjoyable museum especially if you have kids.