Sunday, September 22, 2013

Take Five

Across from the War Memorial, where Elgin Street starts to merge with Plaza Bridge, there's an area just off the main sidewalk, which in recent years has come to be a good rest spot in the summer. A staircase leads down from one side, and a pathway from another, both down towards the Rideau Canal below. Someone made the decision sometime back to put this space to use, placing Muskoka chairs (Adirondack chairs to you Yanks) there. Several clusters of the chairs are arranged for walkers to come in, have a seat and take a break, and it's quite a setting.


In the background, you can see the Chateau Laurier on the left. To the right, the columned building is the Government Conference Centre, once the train station. Unfortunately I can't take you in there until next summer; it's only open to the public for Doors Open, and it has the most beautiful room in the city inside. We'll just have to make do with exterior pics of that building from time to time.

We're not quite done with this location. Next time I'll show you the staircase behind this cluster of chairs, which represents another creative use of space. And Nuit Blanche was very successful this weekend, and there are plenty of pictures to come...

12 comments:

  1. Interesting....

    You're really enjoying being a photoblogger, aren't you, partner?

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  2. Damn straight they're adirondack chairs! They're essential to my yankee porch. Looks like you're having fun. It's so neat seeing these places.

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    1. I looked around. Apparently the differences between the two tend to be very subtle, but for the most part, it's really the same chair.

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  3. Agreed, Adirondack chairs. A must for anyone from the Northeast.

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    1. They were developed first on your side of the border, but we'll always call them Muskoka chairs!

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  4. Your enthusiasm's contagious, William. You've got a great blog going here! Those chairs are so inviting. You might know I'd have one of those picky questions, but I love the inconsequential history behind stuff. Why are they called Muskoka chairs? And, ahem, this Yank's a southerner. I've got wicker chairs on my porch.

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    1. I looked it up. They date back to the start of the 20th century, and were first made in Westport, in the Adirondacks. On this side of the border, Muskoka is a cottage district in Ontario, and a lovely part of the province, and the habit started to call them that when they were being built by furniture makers here later on.

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  5. I read your posts backward and now that I am here, I recognize those red Adirondack (!) chairs from tomorrow's post.

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