glebe

Bank St. Blues

Written

on Monday, August 23, 2010

Tough times or bad choices?

I live in the Glebe and walk along Bank St. almost every day. While a number of businesses are thriving, an alarming number of stores have shut their doors or moved in the last few weeks. This evening, I noticed not one, not two, but four For Lease signs or closed up shops within a couple of blocks of each other.

The Body Shop decided to pack up and leave. Surprising? To me yes, but I guess you’ll still be able to find them at the mall nearest you. At first glance, I thought that Roast & Brew had folded up after less than a year of operation but a few people tell me they are planning a re-launch. Does the place already need renos after less than a year? Mystery… GP Systems, a local computer store has moved out of their local (photographed above) and moved into the back area of Britton’s. A strange fit perhaps, but one that the owners of GP Systems seem happy with. Finally, one of a number of baby clothes stores, Melz Kids Village shut down after a short stint next to Arbour.

I’m hopeful that the empty spaces will fill up relatively quickly. After all, the Glebe remains a destination spot for many Ottawans. But what I wish the most is that new business that we actually need come to the area. And so, I ask to you again, what would you like to see fill these locales? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Flour Shoppe: bringing elegance to the cupcake

Written

Dominic

on Friday, August 13, 2010

Photo courtesy of The Flour Shoppe

Post by Dominic Maggiolo, Ottawa food philosopher and blogger on vegetarian food and culture. With his series of exposés on women food entrepreneurs, chefs, bakers and more, he hopes to showcase the wonderful talent here in Ottawa and in the area. Check out other posts in this series or some of Dominic’s other writings on his blog, Le Jeune Gourmand.

Bart: It was an accident, ma’am!

Judge Constance Harm: Don’t spit on my cupcake and tell me it’s frosting!

Homer Simpson: (angrily) What did she say about cupcakes?

- The Simpsons

I love cupcakes.

If done properly, they are amazing. If not, they’re just some half-baked dwarfed cake, littered with un-imagination. Luckily, the cupcakes found at the new Glebe cupcakery, The Flour Shoppe, are delicious: moist, sweet (but not too sweet) and well portioned. When I first heard of the Flour Shoppe I thought it was just another cupcake joint, selling chocolate cupcakes and so on. But, on my first trip there, the shop really, and I mean really, impressed me.

The atmosphere was beautiful, fresh and had a minimalist look that I found quite appealing. While the design of the shop couldn’t have been done better, you must also be able to deliver the goods. I had a chance to taste four types of cupcakes: chipotle chocolate, coconut, peanut butter and chocolate and earl grey. The best and I think most sincere compliment I could give to them is that the cupcakes taste EXACTLY like the ingredients mentioned. Pure, fresh, and bang on with the flavour profile.

On one of my visits to the Shoppe, I sat down with Melissa, proprietor, baker and visionary of the bunch to discuss Ottawa’s newest cupcakery.

Click to continue reading “The Flour Shoppe: bringing elegance to the cupcake”

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Lansdowne is a go…what next?

Written

apartment613

on Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Image courtesy of the City of Ottawa.

Post by Phil Castro

Lansdowne is a go. Ottawa City Council voted 15-9 (exact same as before) to go ahead with the Public/Private Partnership that includes the refurbishment of the stadium and Civic Centre, creation of a large urban park and construction of a mixed-use area that includes shops, offices and residences.

The commercial and park plans will now be combined with the planning approvals to follow.

As the City’s press release states:

Council approved the project with a number of amendments to the benefit of the neighbourhood, the city, and to protect Lansdowne as a public asset.
These include:
• Devoting $2.5 million in revenue from the project to uphold Ottawa’s affordable housing program;
• Responding to public opinion by keeping the community park that borders Lansdowne in its current form;
• Continuing the role of the Lansdowne Design Review Panel moving forward;
• Confirming that no land sales will be part of the project and that the City of Ottawa will continue to own Lansdowne;
• Affirming that the project will have a Farmers’ Square and that Lansdowne could be the site of a new home for the Ottawa Art Gallery;
• Requiring that traffic demand management practices be used in the redeveloped site; and
• Confirming the importance of bilingual services at Lansdowne.

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Weekend roundup: Events and things to do in Ottawa

Written

Francois

on Thursday, June 24, 2010

Photo courtesy of Dani_Girl on Flickr.

This weekend is (of course) the last of the Ottawa Fringe; check out fullyfringed.ca to find out what plays our volunteers loved and hated. Other Fringe related events — Ignite the Fringe and Wakefield’s Piggyback Fringe — are also taking place over the weekend. If you’re looking for some non-Fringe theatre action, the Abortion Monologues take place this Sunday at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa.

Silence is Golden, the Mayfair’s series that pairs silent films with live music, is back this Friday with Back to God’s Country - a 1919 Canadian drama with an original score composed and performed by Mike Dubue. Continuing with the music theme, singer-songwriter Bob Wiseman (Canada’s Tom Waits according to one Ron Sexsmith) will be playing at Raw Sugar on Friday night. Ottawa’s Glenn Nuotio and Catriona Sturton open for the Winnipeg native. And of course, the Ottawa Jazz Fest kicks off today and will keep us jiving for the next two weeks.

Beer me! Ontario Craft Beer Week is also wrapping up this week and has a couple of events over the weekend at the Barley Mows in Kanata and Almonte and the Clocktower Pub in the Glebe. If you prefer going off the beaten path, join the Ottawa Storytellers on Saturday night around a roaring fire and listen to tales of Ottawa at Pinhey’s Point Historic Site. A little more action oriented? Go out to see the Riot Squad take on the Slaughter Daughters in roller derby action.

If Oyster Fest is not sold out, make your way to Kent St. for an afternoon of molluscs, great live music and beer. Chicken and ribs are more your thing? Then Rib Fest is the place to be, as Sparks St. will be smokin’ until Sunday.

Of course, there’s lots more going on this weekend so make sure to check our calendar. And, as usual, if we’ve forgotten something you think should be mentioned, leave us a comment.

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in Ottawa Tourism, centretown, cinema, concerts, glebe, kanata, market, meet up, music, theatre and think

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Future of Lansdowne meeting

Written

Francois

on Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Future of Lansdowne Park Public Meeting organized by the Friends of Lansdowne - A city-wide coalition for the revitalization of Landsdowne Park.

A panel of experts will explain the design plans, transportation issues, financial implications and the many other issues. Learn more and voice your opinion.

As Ottawa’s City Council’s crucial Lansdowne vote approaches this June, Friends of Lansdowne is committed to help communicate the concerns of citizens from across Ottawa.

Your opinion is important. Council has not yet approved a plan or signed an agreement with developers, so it is not too late to make your voice heard. Councillors need to hear what citizens think before they vote.

When: Thursday, June 17, 7:30pm, doors at 7pm

Where: Civic Centre, Salon A

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Time to kick it: Your official Apt613 guide to the World Cup

Written

trevor

on Friday, June 11, 2010

Photo courtesy tcp909

If you’re an Ottawa soccer fan, today probably feels a bit like Christmas. After all, we’re only a few hours away from the kickoff to the 2010 World Cup, that extravaganza of athletic brilliance which arrives once every four years and poses trying questions that only the most stalwart and dedicated among us can answer. Will Italy defend its 2006 title, or shall another nation emerge victorious? Which countries will see their hopes dashed by an injury-time penalty kick or a disastrous own goal? Is a nuclear-endowed North Korea going to hold the world ransom for one miiiillllllllllllion dollars when if they bow out in the first round?

Admittedly, we might not have the necessary amount of dedication (or, um, stalwartness?) to come up with those answers ourselves. But if the question is instead “Where are the best Ottawa locales to catch the games over the next few weeks?”, well that, our corner kick-loving friends, is more up our alley.

Click to continue reading “Time to kick it: Your official Apt613 guide to the World Cup”

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New Art Festival: Photos from Central Park

Written

Francois

on Sunday, June 6, 2010

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

As soon as I realized it was not pouring rain yesterday morning, I grabbed my camera and walked down to Central Park in the Glebe for the New Art Festival. Every year, it seems like the Festival, started Bhat Boy in 1993, keeps getting bigger. Tents spanned from O’connor to Bank St. and I was impressed by a number of pieces. Above, you’ll find some of my favourite artists and some of their creations. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend you make it out today!

A big thanks to Lisa Brunetta, Danielle Dupont, Patricia Rodi, Christine Ballhorn, George Richard, Tick Tock Tom, Ross Zietz, Mike Parsons, Eryn O’Neill, Simon Koo Michele Rose, Jean-Pierre Schoss, Sorya Gopalan, Katerina Podolak, Stefan Thompson, Shannon Whittle, Christina Lovisa, and and others for allowing me to take photos of their work.

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Doors Open Ottawa

Written

apartment613

on Saturday, June 5, 2010

Photo courtesy of dugspr — Home for Good on Flickr.

If you’ve ever wanted to peek inside buildings you normally don’t have access to, this weekend is your chance to both embrace your curiosity and finally put some debates to rest. (Like, for example, whether the French Embassy actually has a whole room wallpapered in white birch bark - the answer is ‘yes.’)

This Saturday and Sunday, 119 buildings across the city are open to the public for Doors Open Ottawa 2010. Most will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. but some have different hours. A few buildings are only open one of the two days: the Bank of Canada, for instance, is closed Saturday and 7 Rideau Gate - where visiting foreign heads of state often stay - is shuttered on Sunday.

Some highlights: The C.D. Howe Building (home of both Holt Renfrew and Canada’s Auditor General) will let visitors see their “green” roof — a roof covered in vegetation, one of the first in Ottawa. The Blackburn (223 Somerset West), an eye-catching French art deco apartment building, is also opening its doors. The infamous U.S. Embassy building is offering guided tours this year, but you must pre-register and apply for an email invitation. The Transportation Safety Board’s engineering laboratory will provide guided tours of their investigations and reconstructions of rail and aviation accidents. There are also many churches and religious institutions on the list, like Ottawa’s Hindu Temple and the Ottawa Mosque, as well as - for the first time this year - the Hazeldean Masonic Lodge. And of course, local favourites Rideau Hall and the Diefenbunker are once again open to the public.

Happy exploring!

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Ecology Ottawa turns the Great Glebe Garage Sale Green!

Written

apartment613

on Friday, May 28, 2010

http://www.vimeo.com/7511108

Tomorrow apt613 is getting up early and going shopping. Never ones to miss out on a deal, we’re pretty excited about what’s shaping up to be a banner day of garage sales. And we’re especially excited about the Great Glebe GREEN Garage Sale, a three year old complement to the Great Glebe Garage Sale that combines bargain hunting with support for one of our favourite local NGO’s, Ecology Ottawa (full disclosure: they employ one Apartment613 Editor).

Part carnival, part music festival and part shopping extravaganza, the Great Glebe GREEN Garage Sale is all fun. Aside from the great bargains, the GGGGS features baked goods, a full day of local musical performances (including The Pelts, Celeste Côté and Brad Morden), a message table, hoola hoops, stilters and more! The fun takes place from sunrise onwards at 99 Glebe Avenue (between Bank and O’Connor).

To give you a little preview of what to expect we’ve got an interview with sale founder and host, Josh Snider.

Click to continue reading “Ecology Ottawa turns the Great Glebe Garage Sale Green!”

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Herbivores unite: Veg Fest is back in Ottawa

Written

trevor

on Friday, May 28, 2010

Photo courtesy itsjustanalias on Flickr.

Full disclosure: I’m not, and probably never will be, a strict vegetarian. While I really do respect those who make an ethical decision not to consume animals or animal byproducts, I’m just not that strong. What can I say, the price of my soul is about equal to a pound of locally-butchered bacon.

However, as an enthusiast of all things culinary, I can’t say I’m not excited for this weekend’s Ottawa Veg Fest. Hosted by the National Capital Vegetarian Association (whose logo I love - it’s like a little carrot referee awarding a touchdown to Team Herbivore!), the second annual festival offers food-lovers of all stripes a chance to experience some of the best local veg cuisine around.

Among the highlights Sunday are food demonstrations by the folks at ZenKitchen, Three Cheers Cupcakes, and B. Goods bakery. As well, nearly two dozen vendors and exhibitors will be on-hand, offering a selection of their wares and espousing the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. And finally - because both the stomach and the mind need to be fed - there will be guest speakers tackling such topics as clinical nutrition, sustainable eating, and the welfare of farm animals.

Best of all, Veg Fest is all free, leaving you more of your hard-earned dollars to invest in fresh tomatoes, in-season asparagus, and so forth. The festivities run May 30th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Glebe Community Centre (175 Third Street).

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