Ottawa's Bookmark

The Ottawa Bookmark, located in Old Ottawa South, features an excerpt from Elizabeth Hay’s novel Garbo Laughs. The passage shows one of the characters skating home along the Rideau Canal and encountering another character in search of her boots. It has the distinction of being the only Bookmark to date to include two plaques, one for the excerpt in English, one for a French translation.

During her speech, Elizabeth Hay explained why she was excited about Project Bookmark: “Now what Bookmarks do is that they make...imaginative reality visible and permanent. So you’re walking along the street and suddenly you meet the street in a book. The place under your feet comes alive because here it is, fully imagined in a story or a poem. And in one stroke you enter the book and you enter the city and both seem more real.”

The plaques were unveiled by author Elizabeth Hay and Ottawa Writers Festival Artistic Director Sean Wilson. Here, they pose with Project Bookmark Director Miranda Hill.

Brewer Park is located on the Rideau River at Bronson Avenue and Carleton University. It is popular with locals of every age. University students enjoy the sports facilities, which include three soccer fields, three baseball diamonds, and a hockey arena, while youngsters can spend hours in the playground. For everyone else, the beautiful foliage and picturesque waterfront offer the perfect landscape for a quiet stroll or leisurely bike ride.

The Mayfair Theatre opened on December 5, 1932. The first film to be shown was The Blue Danube, starring Brigitte Helm, Joseph Schildkraut and Desmond Jeans. Throughout its history, the Mayfair has presented a number of film programs, from double bills to pornography. The theatre, built in the Spanish Revival style, is the city’s oldest surviving movie theatre. For more information about the theatre and its current programming, visit http://mayfairtheatre.ca/.

In 2008, the Mayfair was almost shut down, amid rumours that it was to be torn down and replaced with condominiums. However, the City of Ottawa stepped in and declared the theatre a heritage site, due to its unique architectural features (including four faux balconies) and cultural value.

Not long after that John Yemen, Paul Gordon, Lee Demarbre, and Ian Driscoll signed a ten-year lease on the theatre. After freshening up the decor and upgrading the technology, they reopened on January 2, 2009. The Mayfair Theatre’s current programming includes an eclectic mix of second run features and cult favourites, like the annual showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well as a wonderful series called “Silents Is Golden,” where audiences can watch silent films accompanied by a live orchestra.

Construction of the Rideau Canal began in 1826 and was completed in 1832. It was originally built as a precaution against war with the United States, but also found a commercial purpose, as it was easier to navigate than the St. Lawrence River.

The 202 kilometre waterway involves a system of 45 locks, most of which continue to be hand operated. It runs from Ottawa to Kingston, incorporating sections of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers and connecting the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario. It is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.

Today, the Canal is operated by Parks Canada. During the summer, it is used by recreational boaters and tour boats, and in the winter it becomes the world’s largest skating rink. If you are ever in Ottawa during the winter, be sure to spend an afternoon skating on the Canal, then stop for hot chocolate and a Beaver Tail (a delicious pastry)!

Mother Tongue Books was opened on December 3, 1994. Laura, Evelyn, and a third partner (whose role is now “silent”) had worked together at Ottawa’s Women’s Bookstore before deciding that they wanted to move in a different direction and open a store closer to Carleton University. The store is located at 1067 Bank St., just down the road from the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. “Lots of our customers are bibliophiles,” says Evelyn. “They come in and buy books while their arms are still full of library books.”

The store carries a wide selection of books. Evelyn explained that “all indies reflect the interests and quirks of the owners.” In the case of Mother Tongue Books, this means a “strong feminist commitment.” They carry a number of books about birthing, pregnancy, and maternal health because they are dedicated to getting that information out to the public.

Mother Tongue Books is also a community bookseller: “If someone comes in with a chap book or their first novel, we make sure to stock it.” They hold community launches for local authors and work with the local publishers to make sure that their neighbourhood writers are well supported. They also offer their support to other community events and enterprises.

The Rideau Canal intersects Bank Street right by the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library. It's a very picturesque area where Old Ottawa South meets the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood. To the left of the Canal is the Frank Clair Stadium, which was once the home to a number of Ottawa football teams. The stadium is part of Landsdowne Park, a multi-entertainment facility that hosts a variety of events.

The Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library is one of Elizabeth's Hay favourite places to go in Old Ottawa South, as she said:

"Another great thing is the local branch of the Ottawa Public Library just down the street. I use it a great deal, and am thrilled that I can walk from my house to my library in ten minutes."

Although Old Ottawa South is a small area of Ottawa, it has lots to offer its residents. It has many pubs, shops, bakeries and, as mentioned, Ottawa's oldest theatre, the Mayfair. Patty's Pub is one of Elizabeth Hay's favourite spots to hang out, as she said, "There is Patty's Pub where I go for a beer with my friends." The pub is steeped in history, as it's one of Ottawa's oldest Irish pubs.

I found maple leafs on the sidewalk a nice touch to the Old Ottawa South area. Where government thrives in the downtown core with all of the parliament buildings, art thrives here.

I found this maple leaf engraved with Leonard Cohen’s name, a famous Canadian poet and musician, along the sidewalk that is marked as the “Promenade de la Musique Folk Canadienne". Sean Wilson, Artistic Director of the Ottawa Writers Festival, said, “There are great musicians that live and work here.”

This is a really great little bakery that I stumbled upon in Old Ottawa South when I was looking for a special treat to take to a friend's place. After polishing off a delicious berry crumble pie, I knew that I loved the Trillium Bakery. It has been in Old Ottawa South for 31 years and has a loyal customer base.

The Bridgehead is a good place to go for coffee in Old Ottawa South. It is very conscientious about fair trade and organic coffee the same way as the Trillium Bakery is concerned with meeting the demands of restricted diets by making a lot of their baked goods gluten-free.

The Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa that also runs along Bank Street north of the Rideau Canal. Many of the writers at the closing ceremony of the Ottawa Writers Festival celebrating Old Ottawa South mentioned this area and its significance to Ottawa's cultural and artistic community. The stretch of Bank Street that runs through The Glebe is one of Ottawa's best shopping areas.

This is just one example of the types of buildings that you see in The Glebe. It has that Old Ottawa South charm with a kind of exclusivity to it in that many of the storefronts have "The Glebe" displayed. This particular store is The Glebe Apothecary, giving the area the draw of the old world.

Originally, the area was called "The Glebe" due to a survey in 1837 that allocated the area to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The word "glebe", in fact, means church lands. It is now known as one of Ottawa's first suburbs.

The Glebe may be one of Ottawa's number one spots to shop, but its reputation as a suburb and centre for commerce is combined with its artistic character. I came across this bookstore while walking up Bank Street called Paul McGahern Books. When I went in, it had those long ladders that you see in movies like Beauty and the Beast, which, again, gives this area an old world charm. It definitely has the potential to provide writers living in Ottawa with a source of inspiration.

Since "The Glebe" was originally meant to distinguish this area as "church lands", I thought it was appropriate to include this picture of a beautiful church that is seen right between Old Ottawa South and The Glebe. It is right across from the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library, and is something to see in the fall surrounded by trees with leaves changing colours.

I can see why the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library is one of Elizabeth Hay's favourite places to go. It is adjacent to the Rideau Canal, a very scenic feature of Ottawa, and, though this branch of the library is small, it is quiet and quaint like the rest of Old Ottawa South. This is a look at one of the library's displays. You can tell that encouraging literature to their young community is important here.

We have seen the old Mayfair and new Mayfair from the outside, but the following pictures give a glimpse of inside Old Ottawa South's oldest theatre. You can see how it is considered to be Spanish Revival architecture in that it features four faux-balconies, stained-glass windows, a proscenium arch, a painted ceiling, decorative plastering and wrought ironwork.

We were lucky enough to get to interview Elizabeth Hay in the Mayfair Theatre's projection room, which was reminiscent of the old technology used to project films.

Not only is the Mayfair Theatre now the main venue (as of 2010) for the Ottawa International Writers Festival, but it also screens cult films, family matinees and late night presentations. Similar to the Bloor Cinema in Toronto, the Mayfair plays the Rocky Horror Picture Show each Halloween. I would love to see it here!

Talking about Old Ottawa South, where she lives, Elizabeth Hay says, "There are things we don't have, but we do have a lot that makes for a kind of cozy neighbourhood." That being said, if you're in the mood for a taste of the sophistication of downtown Ottawa, go to the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Laurier for their traditional 'high tea'.

This is the gorgeous lounge at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa that serves their famous Afternoon Tea - what is traditionally called "high tea". High Tea consists of your choice of one of their loose leaf teas and a dainty traditional 'meal' with it. You can choose from the Traditional Afternoon Tea, the Canadian High Tea, and they also offer a menu for younger diners, called Little Prince and Princess Tea. For the traditional tea, you get a fresh fruit cup, Victorian and cranberry scones, finger sandwiches, Afternoon Tea cake and a fruit tartlet.

This is our friendly host during Afternoon Tea in Zoé's Lounge at the Chateau Laurier. He comes with a large selection of loose leaf teas and a samovar, containing the boiling water for the tea. He let me smell a few of the teas before I decided on a green tea.

This is what the table looked like during Afternoon Tea. They give you dainty teacups with strainers so as to not get a mouthful of loose leaves. It was a relaxing atmosphere with large bay windows beside the tables overlooking the crisp and clean downtown area and light classical music playing in the background.

This is a look inside the Chateau Laurier from Zoé's Lounge looking toward the lobby. As it says on their site, "The landmark Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa is a magnificent limestone edifice with turrets and masonry reminiscent of a French château." The hotel is located right near the Rideau Canal and Ottawa's striking parliament buildings.

The cluster of Parliament Buildings, built in the Gothic revival architectural style, are located on Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa. It's a section of Crown Land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River that serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada. Another great tourist attraction of downtown Ottawa is the ByWard Market. Established in 1826, it's one of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets.