Moving to Ottawa - It's Getting Real
As I have posted recently, I will start a new job as a librarian at the Supreme Court in Ottawa in a little less than 2 weeks.
My wife Viviane and I spent Saturday apartment hunting and we found a place in less than a day in the Centretown area - it is near the German Embassy about 2 streets from the Rideau Canal and less than a 3 minute walk from the many bars and shops on Elgin Street, 7-8 minutes from City Hall, the National Arts Centre, the Ontario Provincial Courts and the War Memorial. And we timed the walk to the Supreme Court - less than 25 minutes. It is bigger than what we have in Toronto and a few hundred dollars a month cheaper, too. And we can easily walk across the bridge over the Ottawa River to the Quebec side.
Some of our future new neighbours we met while walking Saturday night on the street to which we will be moving joked that I will be able to skate on the Canal most of the way to work in the winter.
The area appears to be crawling with students, civil servants, embassy people, translators, teachers, and "government consultants" (whatever those are). We were told that Margaret Trudeau looked at our apartment some 10 days ago or so. One of Pierre Trudeau's former press officials once lived there, as well as a former Mulroney political aide (not at the same time of course). Right now, it is occupied by a psychiatrist who is moving because she is getting married. The landlords, an older couple, regaled us for about 45 minutes with stories about many of the former and current inhabitants of the neighbourhood: diplomats, doctors, many government librarians, a few lawyers, profs, international development aid workers.
Apartment hunting in Ottawa was an eye-opener. When I explained I worked as a law librarian and that I would be working at the Court, everyone we met seemed to have a positive story about a special librarian they knew. Ah... a city that appreciates our profession.
My wife Viviane and I spent Saturday apartment hunting and we found a place in less than a day in the Centretown area - it is near the German Embassy about 2 streets from the Rideau Canal and less than a 3 minute walk from the many bars and shops on Elgin Street, 7-8 minutes from City Hall, the National Arts Centre, the Ontario Provincial Courts and the War Memorial. And we timed the walk to the Supreme Court - less than 25 minutes. It is bigger than what we have in Toronto and a few hundred dollars a month cheaper, too. And we can easily walk across the bridge over the Ottawa River to the Quebec side.
Some of our future new neighbours we met while walking Saturday night on the street to which we will be moving joked that I will be able to skate on the Canal most of the way to work in the winter.
The area appears to be crawling with students, civil servants, embassy people, translators, teachers, and "government consultants" (whatever those are). We were told that Margaret Trudeau looked at our apartment some 10 days ago or so. One of Pierre Trudeau's former press officials once lived there, as well as a former Mulroney political aide (not at the same time of course). Right now, it is occupied by a psychiatrist who is moving because she is getting married. The landlords, an older couple, regaled us for about 45 minutes with stories about many of the former and current inhabitants of the neighbourhood: diplomats, doctors, many government librarians, a few lawyers, profs, international development aid workers.
Apartment hunting in Ottawa was an eye-opener. When I explained I worked as a law librarian and that I would be working at the Court, everyone we met seemed to have a positive story about a special librarian they knew. Ah... a city that appreciates our profession.
Labels: careers
1 Comments:
Apartment hunting can be a hassle many times, as I am glad to see it went well for you. I hope you found the perfect apartment.
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