Ideas/Visions for Ottawa, Canada's Capital

[S-Man]

Bolstering the arts to increase the country's cultural output (for export of domestic consumption) has to be thought out. Let's not forget the tax shelter years of the Canadian film industry.

http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOP...s-1975-to-1982

[OTSkyline]

Here goes part 3:

1) We need more rooftop terraces/patios/restaurants. In the spring/summer months it is so fun to be able to eat, drink and enjoy a great lunch, supper or late night snack while taking in the view on the city. The only existing one I can think of is the "Mambo" in the market which sits at 2 (3?) stories high?
I'm thinking more something along 10-15-20 floors up, somewhere in our CBD, maybe on Sparks with a view of downtown, the parliament, gatineau hills, canal, conference centre? What a cool place would it be... Plus it could be a great place for a relaxing evening drinking a bottle of wine and catching up with friends...



2) What about a special flora garden area/attraction... It could either be at Lebreton or the agriculture/farm field in central Ottawa. It would be filled with flowers and manicured lawns. Could be educational and charge admission. Botanical gardens and the glass "pods" mentioned before and in other threads would make a great addition. Maybe add one of those butterfly rooms where the room is full of flowers and trees and free-roaming butterflies...




3) What about a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Ottawa? It could either be a "regular" one like the others, I would put it either on Rideau St. or Sparks St. OR it could be a special "Canadian" edition of the wax museum with only prominent and popular Canadians through history... Old prime ministers, singers, actors, people who invented stuff, famous athletes the list goes on... "Hey, I didn't know (he/she) was Canadian?!"

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Fatty McButterpants

I'd like to see a skyline comprised of a sea of short, stubby, flat-roofed midrise office "towers". If possible, make them very bland. Boy would that look sharp!!!

I would also like to see this, but only if they have brutalist facades going right down to narrow sidewalks with little to no street interaction.

[Urbanarchit]

Isn't there an in-door restaurant atop the Marriott that rotates?

I like the idea of rooftop terraces and patios for cafés and restaurants. I don't know how successfully they would be in our current CBD, but if we put a major performing arts centre or something on that parking lot on Kent between Queen and Albert, with a few (narrower) residential towers, we could allow for a rooftop patio space or something on some of them. But I'm skeptical because the only decent views would be looking North (our buildings aren't attractive, especially with all those mechnical roofs). We'd have to do an overhaul of many of our buildings to make those views beautiful.

However, I think they would be great in Centretown, provided that they're in newer, high-rise buildings. It would provided some great views of the other buildings we hopefully will get and an exciting area with old and new buildings. LeBreton, Bayview, and Dow-Preston would be another great place to have rooftop patios and restaurants. I think these four areas mentioned in this paragraph would be excellent spots for rooftop patios!

Montreal has some interesting rooftop terrasses that I wish had visited when I lived there.

Hôtel Nelligan




Places d'Armes


You can see a bit of it at 0:20 minutes in this Tourisme Montréal video.

There's also one called Altitude 737 on top of Place Ville-Marie (the cross-shaped building with the signal beams rotating from the top), but I couldn't find any good photos - it seems more like a clubbing place.

I always thought we could improve the "botanical garden" off of Prince of Wales Drive at the Experimental Farm. With the demolition of the Carling Building, there's definitely quite a bit of space that we could dedicate to a proper botanical garden. I liked Montreal's with the Chinese garden; doing a similar theme, like maybe Suzhou's Shizilin, would be interesting.

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Here goes part 3:

1) We need more rooftop terraces/patios/restaurants. In the spring/summer months it is so fun to be able to eat, drink and enjoy a great lunch, supper or late night snack while taking in the view on the city. The only existing one I can think of is the "Mambo" in the market which sits at 2 (3?) stories high?
I'm thinking more something along 10-15-20 floors up, somewhere in our CBD, maybe on Sparks with a view of downtown, the parliament, gatineau hills, canal, conference centre? What a cool place would it be... Plus it could be a great place for a relaxing evening drinking a bottle of wine and catching up with friends...

2) What about a special flora garden area/attraction... It could either be at Lebreton or the agriculture/farm field in central Ottawa. It would be filled with flowers and manicured lawns. Could be educational and charge admission. Botanical gardens and the glass "pods" mentioned before and in other threads would make a great addition. Maybe add one of those butterfly rooms where the room is full of flowers and trees and free-roaming butterflies...

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I would also like to see this, but only if they have brutalist facades going right down to narrow sidewalks with little to no street interaction.

Don't forget with wide roads for all those motorists, like they have in Russia!

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

2) What about a special flora garden area/attraction... It could either be at Lebreton or the agriculture/farm field in central Ottawa. It would be filled with flowers and manicured lawns.

Have you not been to the Ornamental Gardens next to the Arboretum at the Experimental Farm?

[Buggys]

Re: Another should be aimed at public transit, especially with the LRT getting underway. In Japan – and possibly Korea – it is socially unacceptable to eat, talk loudly, listen to music loudly, litter, try to pry open doors and more on the trains and buses. Yet we in Canada do these things constantly. I would like to see to multiple campaigns addressing these issues and teaching people how to behave while using public transit.

To avoid a mess from eaters on the bus, those little garbage bins should be lined with plastic bags. Other than that, I don't see what the issue is. Being able to eat while getting from 1 place to another is an incentive for taking the bus vs drive, especially for folks who are busily contributing to society.

I agree with some of the other etiquette issues though. Especially the one about respecting other people's space. One fare should = maximum 1 seat. This includes people with big bags and kids who roll on in prams. Perhaps those on wheelchairs can be excepted for obvious reasons, but prams can and should be folded up. Elderly people should not feel obligated to vacate 2-3 seats for an able bodied parent and small child.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Buggys

Re: Another should be aimed at public transit, especially with the LRT getting underway. In Japan – and possibly Korea – it is socially unacceptable to eat, talk loudly, listen to music loudly, litter, try to pry open doors and more on the trains and buses. Yet we in Canada do these things constantly. I would like to see to multiple campaigns addressing these issues and teaching people how to behave while using public transit.

To avoid a mess from eaters on the bus, those little garbage bins should be lined with plastic bags. Other than that, I don't see what the issue is. Being able to eat while getting from 1 place to another is an incentive for taking the bus vs drive, especially for folks who are busily contributing to society.

I agree with some of the other etiquette issues though. Especially the one about respecting other people's space. One fare should = maximum 1 seat. This includes people with big bags and kids who roll on in prams. Perhaps those on wheelchairs can be excepted for obvious reasons, but prams can and should be folded up. Elderly people should not feel obligated to vacate 2-3 seats for an able bodied parent and small child.

I don't know so much about food. Some cases with mess and smells and chomping, squishy noises as they eat is still invading other people's space. Maybe certain foods, but I don't know if I agree with people eating on the bus unless it's something small and tidy or necessary (water, maybe coffee/tea). I still think that there are issues with allergies of other people you need to be wary of, as well as the fact that you might make a mess with crumbs, dripping sauces of spilling coffee or littering such stuff on the floor. Personally, I'd rather just say that buses are not to be treated as rolling dining halls, but spaces where many people are crammed together.

To add, also people with strollers who sit in the first two seats instead of standing. The bus driver told this lady I saw once that if she has a stroller and she folds up the priority seating, she has to stand by the cushioned bar with her back away from the front window, as it was designed. This is so they take up the room they were could take, without also taking over the two seats beside inside the priority seating area that should be left for other people who need it, instead of taking up 5 seats.

I agree that if you are disabled in some way that you take up more room (e.g. in a wheelchair) then you're exempt from the taking-space rules. Although I wonder if it would be possible to build a folding bench where each of the seats can fold up on their own to leave a minimum of one or two seats for people who don't take up much room? Or would people still take up the equivalent of 3 seats?

[Buggys]

Remember back in the day, when strollers were half the width they are now, and easily folded up (because there were no fancy pockets for stuff anyway)? And toddlers simply toddled along on their own 2 feet, carried in their parent's arms, and sat on their parent's lap?

All the wheelchairs I've seen on buses have needed the space of 3 seats. I'm not sure how an adult's wheelchair can be much smaller.

[teej1984]

It would be neat if Ottawa was a leader with regards to green roofs in industrial areas, even if they're not necessarily viewable from anywhere but an airplane ... I'm thinking of places that have vast flat roofs with mostly nothing on them! Could be a great way to reduce our ecological footprint.

[teej1984]

I second the rooftop bars/terraces. I think it's a great way for both locals and visitors to chill out at the end of the day. The Edge (gay bar on Sparks) has a rooftop patio that could be amazing, but in it's current state it's really badly designed and offers no "wow" feature. Similarly, Fox and Feather is ALWAYS packed in the summer! I dont know why more people aren't catching on. The Arc? The Slater (maybe)? Rideau Centre?

I was hoping Performance Court would have space in the front for something like that, but I dunno if that will happen. The Telus and EDC buildings both look like they have rooftop patios but I believe they're corporate.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by teej1984

I second the rooftop bars/terraces. I think it's a great way for both locals and visitors to chill out at the end of the day. The Edge (gay bar on Sparks) has a rooftop patio that could be amazing, but in it's current state it's really badly designed and offers no "wow" feature. Similarly, Fox and Feather is ALWAYS packed in the summer! I dont know why more people aren't catching on. The Arc? The Slater (maybe)? Rideau Centre?

I was hoping Performance Court would have space in the front for something like that, but I dunno if that will happen. The Telus and EDC buildings both look like they have rooftop patios but I believe they're corporate.

The Slater sort of has a rooftop area, but I think that is for the private penthouse space. I'd say Canadalands (is that it's name?) on Queen/Sparks and Metcalfe could have something like that - would be nice for the hotel guests, too.

The Rideau Centre does have an accessible park on it's roof (they're not getting rid of that, are they?) but you mean to have some restaurants up there? Would be worth trying.

I do know Performance Court does have a public patio on the 7th floor that we can visit. I'm excited for when it opens, and you can bet I'll be there first with my camera!

Not going to lie, I have never been to the Edge, nor any club in Ottawa. I heard it had a badly designed roof, but I don't know much about it. Would you mind describing what it's like more?

You just reminded me of an experience I had during Frosh week at UofT 5 years ago. This part of frosh was to go out for our first clubbing experience (dry), and there was this one that I honestly have no clue where it was. It might have been off of Spadina (we were shuttled there) and it had a name like King or Emperor or something related. It was in an older building, with the entrance in a back alley. What I remember most was the rooftop patio. It was breath-taking.

This patio was the entire roof of the building (it wasn't very big, but was quite decent), and had a wetbar for those who could drink. You could sit out and get some cool fresh air, but the view was stunning. You had a perfect view of the CN Tower, all light up and rising above the dark silhouette of other skyscrapers and buildings around you. It was honestly such a wonderful experience, and I wish I knew where this place was.

I'd also like to add, maybe not just rooftop patios, but even having indoor restaurants or cafes that are open to the public at the top of some buildings, with an observation area (or just with a panoptic view of the city). I imagined it would be cool to have a 25-floor building on the block East of Somerset Square with an observation area/ restaurant to view everything around you.

[danishh]

on bixi, i'm really not a fan. I lived in downtown montreal for 5 years walking and biking almost exclusively (with occasional subway use). I found bixi too expensive compared to just buying a used bike and too inconvenient having to find an open rack to park at and then still walk to my destination.

I think it's a nice tool for tourists or people who want to bike occasionally (say a nice summer weekend), but for commuters it's not ideal.

[danishh]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Have you not been to the Ornamental Gardens next to the Arboretum at the Experimental Farm?

also, maplelawn in westboro


that said, the garden of the provinces and territories (between lebreton and downtown) is kind of lame outside of the tulip festival and could certainly use expansion. Perhaps once lebreton is done and more people actually live there a lebreton community group could help fund that.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by danishh

on bixi, i'm really not a fan. I lived in downtown montreal for 5 years walking and biking almost exclusively (with occasional subway use). I found bixi too expensive compared to just buying a used bike and too inconvenient having to find an open rack to park at and then still walk to my destination.

I think it's a nice tool for tourists or people who want to bike occasionally (say a nice summer weekend), but for commuters it's not ideal.

If you live in Downtown Montreak it is much less useful. Where it really excels and actually attracts new transit users is when you take a train from the suburbs into downtown and can jump on a bixi for the last few kilometres to your destination rather than wait for a bus that will sit in traffic.

In Ottawa it is almost totally useless due to a lack of stations.

[OTSkyline]

Bixi bikes are one thing that I am happy to see in Ottawa as it is a great addition and makes it a "green and friendly" environment for the population and tourists. I think the program is mostly targeted towards people who just want to use it once in a while (tourists OR people from Ottawa who just rent a bike for a couple of days per summer) as the number of times used does not warrant the purchase of a bike (like for me if I only rent a bixi maybe twice a summer for what? 14$?)

Speaking of restaurants who offer a view but aren't on a rooftop or something... What ever happened to "Spin" kitchen/restaurant at the top of the Marriott downtown? It seems to have closed down a couple of years ago.. Why? Any chance it could reopen in the future? And extra points if it actually DOES rotate/spin!

[teej1984]

Spin is still alive and kicking, it's just on the ground floor!

I bike along the canal quite a bit in the summer and I OFTEN see tourists using bixis get to Dow's Lake and back. While not practical for a resident, I think they are a great "tourist attraction".

[Fatty McButterpants]

Bicycles, restaurants, trees, sidewalks, buses ... whoa, slow down Ottawa. This is getting a little too wild and crazy. Let's all just calm down.

It makes me wonder what some of you people would wish for if a genie popped out of a lamp and told you to wish for anything you want ... absolutely anything!!!! smh.

This thread has been sooooo disappointing. Not that the ideas are bad. I generally agree with almost everything posted. I just haven't seen much* wow factor (*there are a few exceptions of course). This thread is doing nothing to dispel our ... yawn ..... reputation.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Fatty McButterpants

Bicycles, restaurants, trees, sidewalks, buses ... whoa, slow down Ottawa. This is getting a little too wild and crazy. Let's all just calm down.

It makes me wonder what some of you people would wish for if a genie popped out of a lamp and told you to wish for anything you want ... absolutely anything!!!! smh.

This thread has been sooooo disappointing. Not that the ideas are bad. I generally agree with almost everything posted. I just haven't seen much* wow factor (*there are a few exceptions of course). This thread is doing nothing to dispel our ... yawn ..... reputation.

Does wishing for extra wishes count? If not, unlimited money/ the ability to earn billions or trillions (there's never been a trillionaire, right?). Then I would donate $9 million or so to the Arts Court Expansion, maybe a bunch of other projects to get things rolling in Ottawa. Maybe do like New York's former Mayor Bloomberg is doing.

You know, you've been really negative and have only ever complained about everyone else's ideas, criticizing what we like as not being "fantastical" enough. Yet you have not once offered anything to this thread, save for how much you wished the Alexandra Bridge was demolished and replaced with something else. Prithee bequeath your ideas, if ours aren't to your satisfaction.

[OTSkyline]

Originally Posted by Fatty McButterpants

This thread has been sooooo disappointing. Not that the ideas are bad. I generally agree with almost everything posted. I just haven't seen much* wow factor (*there are a few exceptions of course). This thread is doing nothing to dispel our ... yawn ..... reputation.

And what genious ideas have you posted @fattymcbutterpants ? Other than replacing the Alexandria Bridge, diddly squad. So I would try to come up with ideas myself and post them if I were you before just criticizing the ones posted on here...