Top 10 Reasons to Skate Ottawa

The Ottawa Inline Skating Festival is less than two weeks away! (Sept. 6th)

So in the interest of making it a big success, please help with our Top 10 List of Reasons to Skate Ottawa.

I've never been to Ottawa so I'm going to need help!

Fortunately, Michael Garvin (Ottowan?) has provided us with a start:

1) We have a world-class recreational path system with over 170 km of paved and
fully connected pathways running alongside our two rivers, the Rideau Canal,
and many connecting paths in between. Basically, living in Ottawa means
putting on your skates at your front steps and being on a bona fide path
within 5 minutes! It's thrilling.

2) The National Capital Commission (NCC) and Alcatel Lucent bring Sunday
Bikedays (we call them Sunday SkateDays) to the city. Every Sunday from
Victoria Day weekend (third weekend in May) to Labour Day (our Festival!)
over 60 km of Ottawa's Parkways and Gatineau Park are closed to motorized
traffic. Thousands participate - and many do so on skates. The NCC has lots
of event and tourism information on its site.

3) Ottawa is located right on the border to la belle province, Quebec,
separated only by the great Ottawa River. That means our back yard is
Gatineau Park, where many recreational activities take place in a great
natural environment.

4) The cultural life is superb with Canada's major museums, galleries and
performing arts centre all within walking distance. Some of these
institutions feature unique architecture worth seeing even if you don't
check out their collections.

5) Ottawa's culinary landscape is eclectic and apart from featuring every
corner of the world, is home to some outstanding restaurants. Hook up with
the local foodie scene and get ready for your delectable Ottawa experience.

6) Ottawa is located 450 km east and a little north of Toronto, ON and about
190 km west and a little north of Montreal. New York City is a 8 to 9 hour
drive away and flights from the US west coast take about 5 hours. Our
state-of-the-art international airport (Code: YOW) makes getting here easy.

7) Hot Air Balloon Festival in Gatineau with hundreds of balloonists and
thousands of spectators.

8) Outdoor adventure...and lots of it! Kayaking, River rafting, Wilderness
tours, and bungee jumping!

9) Feeling lucky? Visit Casino du Lac-Leamy and take in the shows or
enjoy some gaming.

10) In the heart of the Outaouais region, a few minutes from Gatineau and
Ottawa, the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train invites you aboard for a
half-day journey along the Gatineau river to the picturesque village of
Wakefield.

Extras:
Lady Dive Tours: Amphibus Tour: Bilingual one hour guided tour on both land
and water. Take this spectacular and unique 5 star city tour and view over
75 attraction sites. Daily tours from May 2st to October 31st. From 10am to
6:45pm. July 1st tours are running but modified because of Canada Day
celebrations. Double Decker & Trolley Tour:


Rope up and reach for the top at this relaxed climbing gym on Victoria
Island; you will find a lot of young professionals working out their
frustrations while pushing their bodies... (www.verticalreal.com)