I first noticed 111 Places in Ottawa That You Must Not Miss by Jennifer Bain on the Twitter feed of the Bytown Museum. The title didn’t sound too promising (a book title as clickbait?), but I did the Google thing and was encouraged enough by the description to get a copy. It promised to “take you on a quirk-filled journey through O-Town, the modern and multicultural capital city.”
The title comes from the fact that the book is one of a large series of guidebooks from a German publisher. Each book has the same format and features a different city. There are a few special ones as well, such as 111 Places in Space That You Must Not Miss. Not sure who buys that one.
The book does indeed include 111 places. Each place gets a description on the left-hand side of the book and a photo on the right. My very first thought when I saw the title would be that the book would be a list of monuments and museums. However, the 111 places are definitely not the same ones you would see in a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet travel book.
Pinhey Sand Dunes. Photo: Liz Beddall.
I asked the author how the places were chosen for the book.
“The publisher has a list of categories that every author must cover—everything from public art, cemeteries, and abandoned places to old buildings/new use, religious/spiritual, and unusual bathrooms. Then it’s up to us to try to find things in each category and make sure everything is balanced,” Bain said. Well, I didn’t see any unusual bathrooms within the 111 places, but maybe Ottawa just doesn’t have any of those.
So, what’s in there? Well, my rough classification of the 111 Ottawa places would be:
- Museums/monuments/public art you hadn’t noticed before, or details of ones that you HAD seen before but never really understood.
- Unusual or unique retail locations or restaurants.
- Genuine places/activities that you should experience as a resident or tourist.
The Diefenbunker. Photo: Liz Beddall.
The long set of low-rise stairs within the National Gallery is a good example of the first category. I’ve walked them many times on gallery visits, but had never before heard their backstory. It’s quite interesting. In the category of retail/restos, there is everything from a chip wagon to a hat store to a vinyl emporium. Places listed that you should visit as a destination or activity include the Diefenbunker and Mer Bleue.
Golden Palace eggrolls. Photo: Liz Beddall.
This is not a coffee-table book; it would fit in a Christmas stocking. So who should get one? It’s definitely not a comprehensive tourist guide, so don’t give it to your out-of-town friends or family for their first visit to the city. You won’t find the Museum of Nature listed here. A resident interested in exploring their own city and likes things that are a little quirky would be a great recipient. And don’t worry about them already knowing it all. Even if the locale is familiar, the book will still tell them something cool they weren’t already aware of.
111 Places In Ottawa That You Must Not Miss is by Jennifer Bain, with photos by Liz Beddall. It’s available in your favourite bricks-and-mortar and online bookstores.
