How attractive is Ottawa?

[Proust*]

And this is what confuses me. Because aside from greenspace & weather... there is absolutely no distinguishing urban features that put any one city with a population of 1M+ above any others.

With the exception of only NYC and L.A., ALL major North American cities offer the exact same shopping options, the exact same dining options, the exact same housing options, the exact same schooling options, the exact same everything.

This is complete BS. You know that, right?

 

[Oddmott]

This is complete BS. You know that, right?

No. It's not. Name me one thing you want that I can't get you in Edmonton, San Fran, Ottawa, Dallas and so on?

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

It's cute that some of you bashing Ottawa as a location know exactly what every hockey player desires in a city. The reality is that despite most of them being millionaires, they have distinctly different tastes. However, a large group of them are just simple, Canadian kids who like toys such as big boats and ATVs and the space and area to use them.

Most NHLers are cottage people. During their offseason, they like to decompress by going out to the woods, partying and drinking with their friends and whipping around in their $100K boats fishing and pounding beers. They're not these overtly fashion-conscious socialites that desire the best night clubs and finest caviars at their disposal. Being millionaires, when they do want to club, they just jump on a jet and head to Vegas. Or use their off days in places like New York or LA to get their fix.

You know where the Sens like to have drinks? The Crazy Horse. Why? They like country music and the place is usually filled with women.

Players go where the teams are competitive. If Ottawa was a legit Stanley Cup contender, players would come here no questions asked. Why is Detroit attractive to FAs? The city itself is a hole. But the team has a history of winning.

 

[Big Papi]

anyone you thinks Ottawa is an unattractive city needs to be voted off the island....

random aside: in the AFL (Aussie Rules), they have a salary cap, but allow the teams in Sydney and Gold Coast a higher cap because the cost of living is more in those cities. So glad we don't have anything as ridiculous as that.

 

[torlev*]

lol at Ottawa being soooooo dangerous.

There have been a lot of unsubstantiated claims in this thread, it’s getting a little frustrating. Ottawa has as many wealthy areas as other cities. I’ve provided links, I believe from both Census Canada, and Environics Canada (not sure if I provided both, but I certainly can if you like), that show that to be untrue, both in terms of numbers (obviously) and in terms of %s and ratios.

Then that Ottawa is so much nicer and safer. Well, clearly it’s not safer, in fact, per capita, the exact opposite is true. To be clear, I think the stat is irrelevant for the reasons you say, you’re not going to get shot in the wealthiest areas of any of these cities.

But several posters here are shooting out comments that are pretty much BS, without anything concrete to back them up. When that didn’t work they resorted to things that can’t possibly be substantiated, and referred to them as facts. “NHLers don’t even like the wealthy areas anyway”. Then when responded to with a post essentially saying that I wouldn’t consider them any different than any other segment of the population, I get the ridiculous retort that “you’re assuming things”.

When you actually review what has been said, there is one side that has actually backed things up, and the other that has fired out unsubstantiated claims, or intelligent responses like “you’re just a hater” and actually resorted to personal attacks quite frequently. Now some are trying “there is no difference between all cities, they’re all exactly the same”. It’s pretty clear that they can’t effectively argue their claims and resorting to garbage tactics.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

People that are calling Ottawa grey and boring keep showing our ugly office federal office buildings and transitway from above. Slater. Albert. We get it, the government types work in drab cubes. Thing is, no one actually spends any time there outside of business hours. THIS is where people spend their time downtown:

We aren't a bustling metropolis with 100-story skyscrapers. We never will be. We are a fairly quiet city. Does that make it attractive to a player? For some yes, for others, no. And ya, we have some grey and drab areas of the city, nor are we the prettiest city in Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Halifax, Quebec City). And to be honest, I love downtown Toronto near Skydome and Lakeshore. But Ottawa is far from what some people are making it out to be.

 

[sexytime]

People that are calling Ottawa grey and boring keep showing our ugly office federal office buildings and transitway from above. Slater. Albert. We get it, the government types work in drab cubes. Thing is, no one actually spends any time there outside of business hours. THIS is where people spend their time downtown:

We aren't a bustling metropolis with 100-story skyscrapers. We never will be. We are a fairly quiet city. Does that make it attractive to a player? For some yes, for others, no. And ya, we have some grey and drab areas of the city, nor are we the prettiest city in Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Halifax, Quebec City). And to be honest, I love downtown Toronto near Skydome and Lakeshore. But Ottawa is far from what some people are making it out to be.

You can snap a few nice pictures of every city, but attraction isn't exclusive to architecture, you also want an interesting social culture, I.e., Montreal. Ottawa just has an overall boring feel to it. I'm 27, I'm not some crazed teen running the streets, but the social culture here doesn't fascinate me. People are frigid and don't social with each other.

 

[Oddmott]

but the social culture here doesn't fascinate me. People are frigid and don't social with each other.

That's the social culture ANYWHERE in Ontario. Toronto is no different, Kingston is no different, London is no different.

For some reason, Ontarians just tend to cocoon and mind their own business more than folks in other parts of Canada.

I've traveled both east and west of Ontario and folks are notably more social and apt to engage with strangers everywhere else (Vancouver excluded).

 

[sexytime]

That's the social culture ANYWHERE in Ontario. Toronto is no different, Kingston is no different, London is no different.

For some reason, Ontarians just tend to cocoon and mind their own business more than folks in other parts of Canada.

I've traveled both east and west of Ontario and folks are notably more social and apt to engage with strangers everywhere else (Vancouver excluded).

I actually agree with you. Although, I do think Toronto is slightly different. But for sure, the East is awesome for that.

 

[Indrew]

Jesus, why don't you guys just marry Montreal and get it over with already?

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

There have been a lot of unsubstantiated claims in this thread, it’s getting a little frustrating. Ottawa has as many wealthy areas as other cities. I’ve provided links, I believe from both Census Canada, and Environics Canada (not sure if I provided both, but I certainly can if you like), that show that to be untrue, both in terms of numbers (obviously) and in terms of %s and ratios.

Then that Ottawa is so much nicer and safer. Well, clearly it’s not safer, in fact, per capita, the exact opposite is true. To be clear, I think the stat is irrelevant for the reasons you say, you’re not going to get shot in the wealthiest areas of any of these cities.

But several posters here are shooting out comments that are pretty much BS, without anything concrete to back them up. When that didn’t work they resorted to things that can’t possibly be substantiated, and referred to them as facts. “NHLers don’t even like the wealthy areas anywayâ€. Then when responded to with a post essentially saying that I wouldn’t consider them any different than any other segment of the population, I get the ridiculous retort that “you’re assuming thingsâ€.

When you actually review what has been said, there is one side that has actually backed things up, and the other that has fired out unsubstantiated claims, or intelligent responses like “you’re just a hater†and actually resorted to personal attacks quite frequently. Now some are trying “there is no difference between all cities, they’re all exactly the sameâ€. It’s pretty clear that they can’t effectively argue their claims and resorting to garbage tactics.

It's pretty obvious you have never been to Ottawa, let alone lived in this city. At this point I doubt you're even a Sens fan, as all you seem to want to do is rile up everyone here.

You don't know anything about the city, or what hockey players and their families want.

You are wrong.

/thread

 

[jbeck5]

And this is what confuses me. Because aside from greenspace & weather... there is absolutely no distinguishing urban features that put any one city with a population of 1M+ above any others.

With the exception of only NYC and L.A., ALL major North American cities offer the exact same shopping options, the exact same dining options, the exact same housing options, the exact same schooling options, the exact same everything.

There's a reason all 30 NHL teams have full rosters, of which the majority of the players stay for 5 years or longer... it's because EVERYWHERE IS THE SAME. The salary and the ice-time/responsibilities promised them are the most important factors when determining where they'll sign.

Ottawa has the same shopping and dining options as Chicago? It doesn't even have the same shopping options as Montreal or Toronto let alone some major north american cities not counting new York or LA .

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Ottawa has the same shopping and dining options as Chicago? It doesn't even have the same shopping options as Montreal or Toronto let alone some major north american cities not counting new York or LA .

If you want to go shopping, it's pretty easy to drive 2 hours to Montreal for the weekend and go nuts at Louis Vitton. And you still don't have to pay a fortune for house in Montreal.

Has a player who has ever played for Ottawa complained about our city and used it as a reason to leave? No.

Do some free agents have us low on their list because they aren't fully aware of what our city has to offer? Absolutely. But most players who come here, like it here. There's enough to satisfy all their caviar dreams. Either here or within flying/driving distance.

 

[jbeck5]

If you want to go shopping, it's pretty easy to drive 2 hours to Montreal for the weekend and go nuts at Louis Vitton. And you still don't have to pay a fortune for house in Montreal.

Has a player who has ever played for Ottawa complained about our city and used it as a reason to leave? No.

Do some free agents have us low on their list because they aren't fully aware of what our city has to offer? Absolutely. But most players who come here, like it here. There's enough to satisfy all their caviar dreams. Either here or within flying/driving distance.

Then why not live in Montreal or toronto if what's great about Ottawa is that you can quickly get to Montreal or Toronto?

 

[Oddmott]

Ottawa has the same shopping and dining options as Chicago? It doesn't even have the same shopping options as Montreal or Toronto let alone some major north american cities not counting new York or LA .

What are these missing shopping options?

You want malls? Every city has them. You want designer boutiques? Ottawa is home to 22 globally recognized fashion (clothing, furniture, home decor) designers (Toronto is home to 38, Montreal has 21 - courtesy Ottawa Fashion Week media kit). You want small local shops? Every city has a few streets of them.

I'm sorry, but shopping really doesn't change much from city to city.

Dining options? Ottawa is globally famous for its culinary delights. Part of the reason I have a hate-on for Ottawa is the fact that all its citizens do is eat and shop.

We have a three time world champion pattisserie chef operating in Little Italy. We have the Cordon Bleu culinary school pumping out award winning chefs each month and the school claims that more than 30% of graduates stay in Ottawa to practice their art.

If you've got the budget, you will not find any better eats anywhere in North America than can be found in Ottawa, if you're a foodie.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Then why not live in Montreal or toronto if what's great about Ottawa is that you can quickly get to Montreal or Toronto?

Well, for one, your dollar goes further here in Ottawa, especially when it comes to real estate. Another is that its much easier to navigate through Ottawa with a car than it is TO or Montreal. And, as mentioned before, hockey players like greenspace and easy access to bodies of water. Toronto has that, Montreal does not. Not to mention the media scrutiny of those two cities.

Player wives don't spend all day shopping on St. Catherines.

It's hilarious how you think everyone wants to play in TO or Montreal when they have just as much trouble acquiring free agents as we do. What was the last major FA Montreal signed? An over-the-hill Briere? And Toronto? Clarkson? LOL

Brad Richards turned both of them down to go to New York. Bouwmeester chose Calgary over Montreal and Toronto...the list goes on and on.

 

[coladin]

90% of people I know who have lived in both cities prefer Toronto. The only real argument Ottawa has is affordability and better access to green spaces. Ok, it's also prettier downtown.

That's funny, my entire extended family lives in Toronto and they wish they can get out. Dirty. Traffic and congestion everywhere. Crime. More traffic. Expensive, not sure what demographic you are referring to.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

You sound like the litte boy on the Cosby show, that repeated everything his older brother said as fact...Rudy's friend. Somebody help me out here!

Bud...or Buuuuud, as Rudy said it. But apparently that wasn't the character's name on the show, either.

 

[jbeck5]

What are these missing shopping options?

You want malls? Every city has them. You want designer boutiques? Ottawa is home to 22 globally recognized fashion (clothing, furniture, home decor) designers (Toronto is home to 38, Montreal has 21 - courtesy Ottawa Fashion Week media kit). You want small local shops? Every city has a few streets of them.

I'm sorry, but shopping really doesn't change much from city to city.

Dining options? Ottawa is globally famous for its culinary delights. Part of the reason I have a hate-on for Ottawa is the fact that all its citizens do is eat and shop.

We have a three time world champion pattisserie chef operating in Little Italy. We have the Cordon Bleu culinary school pumping out award winning chefs each month and the school claims that more than 30% of graduates stay in Ottawa to practice their art.

If you've got the budget, you will not find any better eats anywhere in North America than can be found in Ottawa, if you're a foodie.

It's not just the stores itself, but also what they have in stock. I've worked in retail for years and notice a lot of the top of the line items we would not get, while the same store in Toronto or Montreal would have it. It happens a lot more often then you think. Having the best stuff readily available is key for rich people.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Bud...or Buuuuud, as Rudy said it. But apparently that wasn't the character's name on the show, either.

His name was Kenny. But Rudy called him Buuuud.

And now he's on Psyche!

 

[Proust*]

No. It's not. Name me one thing you want that I can't get you in Edmonton, San Fran, Ottawa, Dallas and so on?

The fact that you just put San Fran in with those cities is not a good sign for you. San Fran is a world class city.

For lunch, I want to go to a David Chang restaurant.

Then I want a bar that does a regular hip hop karoake night, in an inclusive atmosphere.

Then I want a bar with latino drag queens that give everyone salsa lessons.

Finally, I want a choice of 10 different bars that might play some LCD Soundsystem on the dance-floor. No one wants to go to the same bar every night.

The next day, I want to go to a Nordstroms to buy fancy sweaters.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

It's not just the stores itself, but also what they have in stock. I've worked in retail for years and notice a lot of the top of the line items we would not get, while the same store in Toronto or Montreal would have it. It happens a lot more often then you think. Having the best stuff readily available is key for rich people.

It's called the internet. People can shop on it now.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

His name was Kenny. But Rudy called him Buuuud.

And now he's on Psyche!

Pretty sure I saw him as well on an episode of CSI NY a few years ago, as a dock worker (where a guy was flattened by one of those house sized shipping crates).

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

The fact that you just put San Fran in with those cities is not a good sign for you. San Fran is a world class city.

For lunch, I want to go to a David Chang restaurant.

Then I want a bar that does a regular hip hop karoake night, in an inclusive atmosphere.

Then I want a bar with latino drag queens that give everyone salsa lessons.

Finally, I want a choice of 10 different bars that might play some LCD Soundsystem on the dance-floor. No one wants to go to the same bar every night.

The next day, I want to go to a Nordstroms to buy fancy sweaters.

...somehow I don't see a Chris Neil or a Zdeno Chara doing those things. But holy hell, it would be hilarious if they did.

 

[DueDiligence]

The fact that you just put San Fran in with those cities is not a good sign for you. San Fran is a world class city.

For lunch, I want to go to a David Chang restaurant.

Then I want a bar that does a regular hip hop karoake night, in an inclusive atmosphere.

Then I want a bar with latino drag queens that give everyone salsa lessons.

Finally, I want a choice of 10 different bars that might play some LCD Soundsystem on the dance-floor. No one wants to go to the same bar every night.

The next day, I want to go to a Nordstroms to buy fancy sweaters.

People are forgetting that this is a thread about how attractive Ottawa is to HOCKEY players. If I am a 30 year old FA with a wife and two young kids most of the things you mention are irrelevant to me.