Miss Vicky's Offhand Remarks

My 'hood

Miss Vicky's Finishing School for Wayward Activists lies in historic Hintonburg, a vibrant community in central Ottawa. It's a diverse mix of folks with a wide range of incomes, ethnicities, interests, and personalities. I think it's just fabulous. (so does this guy, apparently - here's an interesting historical overview with an artsy bent.

I figured my first entry in Ringing Endorsements - a section where I will be sharing some of my favourite spots, folks, sites, shops, passions and habits - should be devoted to my favourite community pastime, the Wellington Shuffle.

The shuffle is best performed on a sunny weekend day, preferably after a lazy morning and a stiff cup of Fair Trade java. If it's Saturday, the morning ritual must also include a few minutes flipping thought the Glib & Stale and my two favourite CBC Radio shows, The House and Go.

When I'm ready to venture out, I head to Wellington Street and start to walk west.... past the Parkdale Market (sadly, it's closed for the winter, but in the spring I'll be adding my granny cart to the shuffle so I can load up on fabulous produce and perennials on the way home).

Shuffle stops depend upon the amount of errands necessary to ensure the Finishing School's groceries and amenities are well stocked. Fortunately, Hintonburg and West Wellington provides most needs within walking distance: Morris' Home Hardware and the LCBO on Wellington and Holland; Nectar's tea shop for those addicted to one form of brew, and Bridgeheadfor those addicted to the other; the Ottawa Bagel Shop (bagels, cream cheese and deli offerings), Herb & Spice, and Saslove's butcher shop.

I'll get into the various bakeries some other time....not to mention the incredible cafes and restaurants (shuffling does stimulate the appetite!).

If the shuffle is a more leisurely window-shopping or gift-buying mission, I might stop at Christine's Antiques, Ravensara, the World of Maps, Collected Works or Heavens to Betsy. A little further down you'll find the Weekend Reader, some fab furniture stores with funky things a little out of Miss Vicky's price range (funky things can also be found at St. Vincent de Paul nearby), Bija Bijoux for funky jewelry. Plenty of options to stimulate both imagination and senses.

Care to add a comment?