Ottawa AP - Page 3

[NorthernPixie]

Hello Ottawa!

I am moving home (well, back to Ontario) but will be new to Ottawa. We just bought in Kanata west and will be there early February. I'll keep my eye on this thread and if there should happen to be something in February perhaps I'll try to join you. My LO will be 1 in January. I can't wait for snow again!

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by NorthernPixie

Hello Ottawa!

I am moving home (well, back to Ontario) but will be new to Ottawa. We just bought in Kanata west and will be there early February. I'll keep my eye on this thread and if there should happen to be something in February perhaps I'll try to join you. My LO will be 1 in January. I can't wait for snow again!

Welcome!

[Megan73]

Welcome home, NorthernPixie.
I feel the post-holiday blues coming on...
Anyone up for a get-together next week?

[Qbear'smama]

Hi Everyone,
Since I work FT, I am sure I won't be able to attend a get together during the day, but I just wanted to say Hi to the AP mamas here ;
We moved here from Montreal in September for my job and it's tough to meet new like-minded friends, harder when you're not a SAHM. I hope to get the chance to meet up with you sometime, DD and I would love it!!:

[momma-d]

I'd be up for a GT! What time/day works best for everyone? I can pretty much do whenever...maybe we can even do it here at my place...? We're in Kanata too.

[Astraia]

I've actually been spending a lot of time today looking for a playgroup to join, but felt like the ones listed online might have so many members they'd feel impersonal? I dunno.

I'd be up for a meetup- but a warning in advance, I just had my LO last month and I'm not HONESTLY sure if I'm AP or not so I may not fit in that great, but I'm willing to chance it! Also kind of nervous about being around other moms who will probably know a lot more than me about everything.

Have we got anything in mind yet as far as when/where? I need to get out of my house! Getting LOTS of cabin fever!

I'm in Aylmer, so something central or west-end would be best for me.

[Surfer Rosa]

Another Kanata mom! I didn't know there were so many here

I'd be up for a get together too. Tuesday/Thursday works best for us, but Friday is an option as well. My DD goes to preschool MWF mornings, but DH is home on Fridays, and could pick her up.

[Surfer Rosa]

And Astraia-AP isn't about rules-it's about responding to your LO
Don't worry about what you know/don't know...I'm always learning new things too.

[Astraia]

thanks frigeart

i have a church playgroup i go to friday mornings, so any other day at all is ok with me.

[Megan73]

Any day but Wednesday works for me.
I live in Old Ottawa South so if we're going to meet in Kanata could we give rush hour a wide berth? I'm imagining being stuck on the Queensway with a screaming babe – yikes!
And Astraia – I think you'll find few AP dogmatists here. As Fridgeart said, it's about responding to our LO's needs not following some arbitrary rules that may not work for YOUR babe and family.

[Astraia]

Why don't we say Tuesday?
Since there are so many Kanata moms maybe Kanata makes the most sense but I agree on avoiding rush hour since I have to get over the bridge and THEN the queensway.

[AliceGeorge]

I too need to get out of my house! I'm going nuts and want to move somewhere tropical. We're not in town, but east of it in boonyville, and the wind here makes everything even colder. It's so open. I really need to get out and be with people.
Tuesday works for me. What Tuesday do people have in mind?

Alice

[SkyMoma]

Where to Live in Ottawa?

Help! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. My dh has been working in Ottawa for a couple of months, but it's a long commute. Right now, we're living with my parents south of Smiths Falls, while we sort out our new Ontario lives (we moved here from BC).

I've been trolling through the apartment listings on viewit and various other rental sites, and I really started to go nuts, trying to figure out the Ottawa neighbourhoods, without actually seeing them (since dh has the car all day). I need someone who knows the city to give me some insight, or at least some suggestions on good neighbourhoods to live in. If I knew of a few good areas to check out, I'd borrow my parents' car and take the kids up to drive around for a day, and get the feel of places.

We're apartment-dwellers by preference (ie: rather than a house-dwellers), but would like to find one in an older area, where there are lots of trees and quieter streets to stroll along. I'd like to be able to walk to a library, park (with playground) and grocery store, and would be in heaven if I could also walk to a used bookstore, a health food store, a consignment shop... We can't afford more than $1100 in rent and would prefer to pay less, which makes us middle-market (?) I think, in terms of what we can afford. As in, please don't recommend a high-priced neighbourhood, or my kids will fall in love with it on our excursion and then I'll have trouble when we can't live there. :

TIA

[Astraia]

Originally Posted by AliceGeorge

I too need to get out of my house! I'm going nuts and want to move somewhere tropical. We're not in town, but east of it in boonyville, and the wind here makes everything even colder. It's so open. I really need to get out and be with people.
Tuesday works for me. What Tuesday do people have in mind?

Alice

I think it'd be nice if we could get something together for the 13th... Otherwise I could see it being the sort of thing where we all want to but there's no big deadline so we all just keep considering it I'd offer my house but i'm A. in Aylmer and B. have a large, poorly behaved dog.

[Astraia]

Originally Posted by SkyMoma

We're apartment-dwellers by preference (ie: rather than a house-dwellers), but would like to find one in an older area, where there are lots of trees and quieter streets to stroll along. I'd like to be able to walk to a library, park (with playground) and grocery store, and would be in heaven if I could also walk to a used bookstore, a health food store, a consignment shop... We can't afford more than $1100 in rent and would prefer to pay less, which makes us middle-market (?) I think, in terms of what we can afford. As in, please don't recommend a high-priced neighbourhood, or my kids will fall in love with it on our excursion and then I'll have trouble when we can't live there. :

TIA

I can't think of anywhere that would meet all of those... Some areas of Nepean are nice and might fit the bill, but I don't know Nepean all that well (only lived there for 3 months and drove everywhere). A lot of nice places near Carleton U between Bronson and Bank, and of course the Glebe but that's pricey. I REALLY liked the area in and around Main Street and would love to still be living there now, but again it can tend to be pricey although we rented a whole house there for $1500, so shopping around helps.

I would not recommend Vanier (Montreal Rd & surrounding area). It's close to shopping centres and little stores, but it's SKETCH. Eugh. Scary.

Riverside South has some nice townhomes and is within walking distance if you're in the right area (I'm thinking bank and huntclub type area, not sure if that counts as riverside south...) but I dont know that area well for shopping and stuff like that.

Some of the west-end areas are nice, like I used to visit someone who lived between Carling and Wellington (wellington? sure) off Churchhill, and there are some neat shops along Wellington and it's fun to walk along. Busy area, though.

Preston street is in a sort of... I guess lower-end area, getting into some sketch with China Town, but it's got lots of neat shops- AND walking distance to China Town! Which I think is awesome :P

Those are all the places I know of (that I've lived or known someone who lived there, however briefly).

[Malva]

Originally Posted by SkyMoma

I've been trolling through the apartment listings on viewit and various other rental sites, and I really started to go nuts, trying to figure out the Ottawa neighbourhoods, without actually seeing them (since dh has the car all day). I need someone who knows the city to give me some insight, or at least some suggestions on good neighbourhoods to live in. If I knew of a few good areas to check out, I'd borrow my parents' car and take the kids up to drive around for a day, and get the feel of places.

We're apartment-dwellers by preference (ie: rather than a house-dwellers), but would like to find one in an older area, where there are lots of trees and quieter streets to stroll along. I'd like to be able to walk to a library, park (with playground) and grocery store, and would be in heaven if I could also walk to a used bookstore, a health food store, a consignment shop... We can't afford more than $1100 in rent and would prefer to pay less, which makes us middle-market (?) I think, in terms of what we can afford. As in, please don't recommend a high-priced neighbourhood, or my kids will fall in love with it on our excursion and then I'll have trouble when we can't live there. :

TIA

I live in a coop in Sandy Hill and apparently our waiting list is pretty short right now. If you'd be interested in coop living in a central area (right next to U of O, walking distance to absolutely everything) with treed streets and good parks, below your max price, send me a pm for more info.

Otherwise, I'm personally fond of the more central neighbourhoods where you can walk everywhere. The downside is that you really have to shop around to find something decent and affordable at the same time.

In your price range, would look in:

-Centretown
-Chinatown (has some nice streets here and there especially between Somerset, Booth, Scott and Preston)
-Little Italy (mostly decent if you stay off Preston itself, it's quite nice along the O-Train which is pretty quiet)
-Hintonburg
-Mechanicsville

You'll find that not all parks are nice in those areas and that there are sketchy parts but when I lived in Centretown for 3 years, right on the edge of Chinatown, I never feared for my family's safety and really like how walkable everything was.

If you want to really put your shopping shoes on, you may find something affordable in Sandy Hill, the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Ottawa East and Ottawa West (the area West of Parkdale St). All more expensive, walkable areas with good parks.

[AliceGeorge]

I don't know that the 13th is going to work for me, but if everyone else is free, go for it!


My husband and I used to live right on Churchill. If you go too far south on Churchill it's a little seedy, but east and west of it are nice and there are parks, nice stores, healthfood stores fairly closeby, possibly bus distance rather than walking, though. there's a big Superstore there, LCBO, restaurants, Bridgehead. There's a kids consignment shop, and down Wellington (bike or bus distance) there's St-Vincent de Paul, which is like the Salvation Army. There's lots of stuff on Wellington, so if you look east of Churchill, (Hintonburg is one area, like someone suggested) I'm sure you could find something right up your alley. There are lots of smaller apartment buildings in that area that have 6 units and aren't too badly priced. Probably depends on the number of rooms you want, though.

The coop sounds like a good option too, though. i know someone else who lives in a coop in Sandyhill. the area's nice (nice streets to walk on) and you're close to lots of things. It's very close to downtown, which for me isn't the ideal, but you might like that.

good luck,

Alice

[SkyMoma]

Wow - thanks for the very speedy advice. :

I've been able to figure out where most of these neighbourhoods are on the map, but, um... where are Hintonburg and Mechanicsville? Also, we drove through part of Sandy Hill a couple of months ago, and it looked kind of sketchy. Are there bad and good parts of Sandy Hill?

I don't need to be near downtown. Really, all I need is to be near a park with playground and a library. We're a one car family, so I have to do some negotiating or use transit for longer treks (as in, anything further than 30 minutes walk in good weather). I just like put all the extras on my wish list.

[Malva]

Originally Posted by SkyMoma

I've been able to figure out where most of these neighbourhoods are on the map, but, um... where are Hintonburg and Mechanicsville? Also, we drove through part of Sandy Hill a couple of months ago, and it looked kind of sketchy. Are there bad and good parts of Sandy Hill?

Hintonburg and Mechanicsville are between the Queensway to the south, the O-train to the east, the Ottawa River to the north and Holland to the west.

Sketchy parts of Sandy Hill would be near the Rideau Centre maybe? But I'm not sure it's part of Sandy Hill proper.

There is nothing sketchy about the area south of Laurier, between King Edward and the Rideau River. The streets between Laurier and Rideau street aren't bad either, but feel busier. The parks are awesome (especially the park with a splash pad on Chapel St in the summer, feels 10 degrees cooler than everywhere else, Strathacona Park is nice too, kids love to climb the stone castle-y thing).

The area north of that, between Rideau st and the Ottawa River is called Lowertown and isn't so nice. There are nice blocks here and there but they're harder to find.

[star*mora]

can't make it on tuesdays so maybe next time. it is fun to meet up with mamas from this board though, having done so a few times already!

arlene