The people behind Trustfund opened a new store on Feb. 27 with cheaper goods and smaller price tags. (We like). Roadtrip is located right next to the expanded Planet Coffee behind Librairie Le Soleil at 24b York St. The store is bigger, brighter and carries products similar in style to its up scale sibling featuring brands such as Kenzie and Ya rather than Velvet. Most of the goods are under a $100 though the staff said the jeans are more pricey than those at the Sussex Dr. location. We like... | Continue reading article

By Aneka Rao This year marked my first winter in Ottawa. I’d heard horror stories about the wet, bone-chilling cold and snow piled up above your head. Stay inside and hibernate, that was the advice I got. But four months is a long time to be cooped up, so in January, I signed up for the Intro to Winter Mix with Ripple Adventure. Every Thursday, I go on a different winter adventure – downhill skiing at Camp Fortune, snowshoeing along the Ottawa River, cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park, speed skating... | Continue reading article

So, in the interests of giving us all as much time to spend outside as possible (it’s supposed to be 10 above this weekend!), here’s your short and sweet weekend round up: Music! Babylon has two great nights (one and two) in store if you’re looking for a little dancy action. Especially exciting is GOOD2GO at the Elmdale on Saturday night – Ottawa needs more taverns with regular music shows. The regulars playing pool in the background always add a quirky element… Need a new spring wardrobe? Umi Cafe (610... | Continue reading article

Do you have a .ca website? Would you like your site to get more exposure? If so, get excited because the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has a great contest for you. CIRA is inviting all .CA website holders to make a short video explaining why their website is the best, awesomest, most useful thing on the web. The grand prize winner will receive a MacBook Pro and be featured in a future .CA marketing campaign. A few rules: Video testimonials must be no longer than three minutes. Entrants are asked to... | Continue reading article

So we’ve had a lot of music posts this week, but only because this weekend has at least a dozen great opportunities for you to pick and choose from. If you’re in the mood for cooking up a delicious musical stew this weekend, start out with a bit of classical strings on Friday, add in a dash of surf punk rock, and end off with a tasty indie finish. What else can you load onto your social plate? (Yes, we’re going with a food theme this week – what can... | Continue reading article

This year, Winterlude was gone faster then a snow bank in Vancouver (oh snap!). While we generally don’t cover the well-known festival (which hardly needs plugging from lowly bloggerati such as ourselves) we were happy to showcase Spins and Needles terrific public art project. The Urban Cozy Project gave a little homey charm to suckuary February, showing off the City’s lesser-known zany side. Ottawa photographer and occasional Apt613 contributor Sarah Mercer got out to Confederation park a couple of days ago to snap these mementos of Winterlude 2010.

So it’s the last weekend of that winter festival, but if you’re hankering to stick to indoor activities this weekend, there are a few to keep you occupied. Sadly, we’ve heard the Owen Pallett shows at the Blacksheep are all sold out, but have no fear – other music options abound. Tonight’s show at Raw Sugar with Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone is sure to be captivating – their unique collaborations and compositions will be introduced by the sweet sounds of The Silver Birch Society. Other music shows include the... | Continue reading article

All roads, that is, that start with a D and end with “alhousie” or with a W and end with “ellington”… Yes, Ottawa’s favourite boutique has expanded out to the west end (I hear some faint echos of “finally” coming from Hintonburg!) to join the ever-expanding shops of West Wellington Village. Just like the gold rush entrepreneurs and intrepid pioneers of yore, the owners of Victoire have had their sight set on establishing a western location for a while. And now, as us westerners are wont to demand, the west... | Continue reading article

I’m not sure if it’s just because it’s Valentine’s weekend, or Winterlude, or what – but this weekend is full of options. I’ll get the shameless self-promotion out of the way and then move to the other good stuff – you’ve probably heard about this little fundraiser happening on Sunday afternoon. Sure, it’s a bit risque for some, but it promises to be a great show with incredible food. We don’t usually cover Winterlude happenings because they get a ton of press all on their own – however, with Spins... | Continue reading article

End Hits, a record store located at 407 Dalhousie St., will be closing its doors on March 13, 2010 after four years of providing Ottawans with a great selection of punk, indie, metal and alternative records. The store topped the Xpress’ best of list in the “best record store” category every year of its existence. Last week, Shawn Scallen, one of End Hits’ co-owners, left the following message on Punk Ottawa that summed up his reasons for closing up shop: End Hits opened its doors March 11, 2006 after the... | Continue reading article