Oh, Ottawa

I recently returned to New York from the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Ottawa gets a bum rap in Canada. Since it is the capitol, people think of it as the place where a lot happens politically, but not so much night-life wise. It's definitely true that there is not as much going on as there is in Montreal, but I think Ottawa is just as beautiful. New York Magazine often runs ads that must be paid for by the Ottawa Tourist Board or some such organization. The ads say something like, "Ottawa - a bit of London, a dash of Paris and only an hour from New York." Well, that is probably going too far, but it is a lovely city. And the parliament buildings feel are so charming. The Peace Tower, the centerpiece of Parliament Hill, reminded me of a miniature Big Ben. It was just as beautiful as I had hoped. Finally, I have to say that I was thrilled with the support the Fringe Festival receives in Ottawa. This festival is on the rise and I definitely want to go back. I arrived from Montreal on a Sunday night at 8:00pm and just had time to drop off my things at the place I was staying before handing out a few postcards to get people to the show at 11pm that night. 11 pm on a Sunday night is not what I would consider a "prime slot," especially in Ottawa. Nonetheless, when the curtain went up at 11:00 pm and I stepped onstage, I saw that the house was nearly half full. I was amazed and grateful. I even got an award at the end of the festival for "Outstanding Solo Performance." So here's to Ottawa - it may seem a little quiet, but just when you think there is no one around, they start crawling out of the woodwork at 11pm on a Sunday night. Now, if they could just run Stephen Harper out of town.