1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (123 page)

The Civic Heart of Canada

Ottawa, Ontario

Before a stalwart stone hall, regiments of red-coated ceremonial guards present arms and march in stiff formation to their posts, accompanied by the beat of drums and the blast of bagpipes. You are forgiven a moment
of spatial disorientation, but you’re not in London. The Changing of the Guard at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill is a colorful reminder of Canada’s continuing place in the British Commonwealth.

Ottawa has come a ways since 1857, when Queen Victoria named the muddy lumber town as capital of the new and united Province of Canada, which joined the former colonies of French-speaking Lower Canada (now Quebec) and English-speaking Upper Canada (now mostly Ontario).

At the Centre Block of Parliament Hill, the Peace Tower stands 303.5 feet tall.

Today, Ottawa is a vital, fascinating city, full of the pomp and beauty of a world capital. High on a bluff above the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill is the political epicenter of Canada. Rising above manicured grounds are three massive, castlelike buildings surmounted by towers and steep, verdigris copper roofs. The Centre Block, containing the chambers of the House of
Commons and the Senate, is the largest, with a single campanile rising high above the structure’s two wings. Known as the Peace Tower, the campanile stands over 300 feet tall, and was completed in 1927 to commemorate Canada’s 60,000 dead in WWI; it’s now dedicated to all Canadians who have given their lives for their country. The tower houses a carillon, a set of 53 bells sounded from a keyboard. In July and August, one-hour carillon concerts take place at 2
P.M
. weekdays; the rest of the year, there are 15-minute concerts at noon on most weekdays. An elevator runs to the Peace Tower’s observation deck, with fantastic views over the parliamentary precinct and the Ottawa River. Free guided tours of the Centre Block are offered daily (though not all areas may be available when Parliament is in session). Visitors can also attend debates in the House of Commons, with its soaring stained-glass windows, and in the Senate Chamber, an ornate hall ringed with murals.

Flanking the Centre Block are the oldest buildings on Parliament Hill—the East and West Blocks, built in the 1860s in High Victorian Gothic style. The East Block first housed the offices of the British governor general and the Privy Council, and later, the Canadian prime minister. In summer, four grandly furnished offices—preserved in 1870s finery—are open to visitors. The West Block, containing parliamentary offices, is closed to the public.

In addition to the Changing of the Guard, Parliament Hill’s grandeur is on display during the summer’s Sound and Light Show. The Parliament buildings are the stately backdrop for a dazzling multimedia show that blends music, projected images, and shimmering light effects to reflect the “Spirit of Canada.”

V
ISITOR
I
NFO
: Tel 800-465-1867 or 613-239-5000,
www.parl.gc.ca
.
C
HANGING OF
THE
G
UARD
: 10–10:30
A.M
. daily, late June–late Aug (weather permitting).
S
OUND AND
L
IGHT
S
HOW
: early July–mid-Sept (weather permitting); 2 bilingual presentations nightly.
B
EST TIME
: late May for the Canadian Tulip Festival that brings millions of blooms, plus arts and crafts fairs and live music.

Celebrating the Canadian Winter

Ottawa, Ontario

If nature gives you snow and ice, then celebrate the joys of winter. That’s exactly what Canada’s capital city does each February during Winterlude, since 1979 Ottawa’s paean to skating, family activities, and fun in the snow.

More than 650,000 visitors show up every year for the celebration, which includes a whole host of events: a winter triathlon (skiing, skating, and running), a hot stew cook-off, figure-skating performances, and evening entertainment. In Gatineau’s Jacques-Cartier Park (north of Ottawa, across the river), Snowflake Kingdom is the world’s largest snow playground—complete with a snow maze—while Ottawa’s Confederation Park is the site for the Crystal Garden International Ice-Carving Competition, with pros the first week and amateurs the next. The National Snow Sculpture Competition is a crowd favorite that displays
giant works prepared by professional snow sculptors from each province and territory.

The centerpiece of Winterlude is the Rideau Canal, built in the 19th century as a military route linking Montreal to Kingston. During the winter, 5 miles of its length are groomed for skating and serve as Winterlude’s main drag. During the rest of winter the canal doubles as an ice thoroughfare—and possibly the world’s longest naturally frozen ice rink. During the week, it fills with businesspeople commuting by skate between home and office and schoolchildren zipping along carrying lunch boxes. On weekends the pace is more leisurely, with skaters making frequent stops at food concessions for hot chocolate, beavertails (wedges of deep-fried dough covered with cinnamon sugar), and maple syrup on shaved ice.

The impressive Fairmont Château Laurier presides over the Rideau Canal’s extensive skateway.

If you’re looking for a place to hang your skates, the imposing Fairmont Château Laurier remains the finest hotel in the nation’s capital. Built in 1912, at the site where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River, the Laurier offers a historic castlelike setting, handsome furnishings, old-world service, and one of the most European hotel experiences this side of the Atlantic.

W
INTERLUDE
I
NFO
: Tel 800-465-1867 or 613-239-5000;
www.canadascapital.gc.ca/winterlude
.
W
HEN
: 1st 3 weekends in Feb.
F
AIRMONT
C
HÂTEAU
L
AURIER
: Tel 613-241-1414;
www.fairmont.com/laurier
.
Cost:
from US$168/C$189 (off-peak), from US$213/C$239 (peak).

The Bard—and More—on Canada’s River Avon

Stratford, Ontario

“The play’s the thing,” according to Shakespeare—a philosophy that has guided the highly acclaimed Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada since the early 1950s, when Stratford-born journalist Tom Patterson
established a summer theater festival in this scenic and historic city that carries the appropriate name. Now the largest classical repertory theater in North America, the festival offers over a dozen productions yearly, from mid-April through early November. In addition to world-class productions of Shakespeare, it mounts a broad range of plays—from classics to cutting edge—on its four stages. Recent productions span ancient Greek tragedy, Molière, and the great dramas of the 20th century. The festival also revives the best in comedy, operetta, and musical theater,
and regularly stages world-premiere productions by contemporary Canadian and international playwrights. Visitors can also attend a full program of Fringe events, including concerts, discussions, and readings.

The stars come out for the Stratford Shakespeare festival. Its first production—
Richard III
in 1953—headlined Alec Guinness, and international artists of the stage, cinema, and TV have followed.

Quite apart from the city’s dynamic thespian activity, Stratford is a charming and romantic place to visit. The downtown core is a well-preserved bastion of ivy-covered Victorian storefronts centered on a market square, with excellent antiques stores, bookshops, and art galleries. Diners are also lucky—the Stratford Chef’s School, one of Canada’s top culinary institutes, ensures a steady stream of newly minted talent for the city’s many restaurants. Call ahead for reservations at the Church Restaurant, a deconsecrated structure built in 1873, with extraordinary modern French cuisine to match the unique setting, or climb upstairs to the Belfry Bar, a popular place for pre- and post-theater drinks and light snacks.

The Stratford Festival’s rendition of the classic musical
Oklahoma!

With ten quirkily individual but luxurious guest rooms in three historic 19th-century homes and a carriage house, the Three Houses Inn perfectly captures Stratford’s sophistication and good-natured sense of high drama. The very stylish decor partakes equally of whimsy and refined good taste, while breakfasts have the festive spirit of a dinner party.

W
HERE
: 93 miles/149 km west of Toronto; 55 Queen St. Tel 800-567-1600 or 519-273-1600;
www.stratfordfestival.ca
.
Cost:
tickets from US$40/C$45.
When:
mid-Apr–early Nov.
C
HURCH
R
ESTAURANT
: Tel 519-273-3424;
www.churchrestaurant.com
.
Cost:
4-course tasting menu US$76/C$85.
T
HREE
H
OUSES
I
NN
: Tel 519-272-0722;
www.thethreehouses.com
.
Cost:
from US$180/C$200.
B
EST TIMES
: July–Aug for the peak of the theater festival; late July–mid-Aug for live chamber music, opera, jazz, and contemporary music at the Stratford Summer Music Festival (
www.stratfordsummermusic.ca
).

Canadian Art—Past, Present, and Future

Toronto, Ontario

Major changes are afoot at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), long one of North America’s finest art museums. It’s called Transformation AGO, and involves the addition of more than 10,000 new works of art to the
permanent collection, and a physical expansion of the gallery by 97,000 square feet, with a 47 percent increase in art viewing space. The project has a target completion date of mid-2008, when the AGO will arguably hold Canada’s best collection of visual art.

Transformation AGO was triggered in 2002 when Kenneth Thomson, a leading Canadian art collector and businessman, donated nearly 2,000 works from his private collection to the museum.

To accommodate the additions and bring
the museum into the 21st century, the AGO engaged renowned Toronto native Frank Gehry, the architectural genius behind global projects such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The expansion includes a four-story tinted titanium-and-glass-faced wing overlooking Grange Park and a 600-foot-long glass and wood facade with 450 feet of sculpture gallery visible from the street.