Ottawa is a wonderful city, and it happens to be the capital of Canada as well. With unreal food that you must try, to amazing views from an outdoor patio, to hiking in Gatineau Park, you really can't complain about living here. Or can you?
It's only normal for us to expect things. Our mind creates these imaginary lives that we hope to one day live in, and when we realize we expected too much, it's heartbreaking. I mean, it took us so long to get a Chipotle, so what do you expect?
Whether you're moving here for the first time, or have grown up here, you'll come to realize that you expected way more of the city than what it was going to give you. Now our apartments aren't as expensive as Toronto or Montreal, but let's just say nothing is what you would expect it to be in Ottawa. Aka, the city isn't cheap.
Click 'Next' for housing
Housing
Expectation:
Reality:
Goals in Ottawa are to live close to the ByWard Market, with a view of the Parliament Buildings, but also to not go broke. Good luck with that! Even though you can find cheap and nice apartments, they're usually in sketchy areas like Vanier where you can't walk alone at night. The reality is you'll probably end up with a kitchen that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in 10 years, and an apartment building that smells like diapers mixed with smoke. Yay.
Click 'Next' for food
Food
Expectation:
Reality:
You most likely say you want to try out a new restaurant in Ottawa and then end up ordering in pizza and watching Netflix because you don't want to bus downtown on OC Transpo. We've all been there. You make plans weeks in advance to go to the Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market rooftop, but after work you couldn't be bothered to pretend like you're fancy enough and just end up contemplating the Rideau Street McDonald's for dinner. Sigh.
Click 'Next' for nightlife
Nightlife
Expectation:
Reality:
The reality of the nightlife in Ottawa is that there barely is one. You either have to go to a restaurant that turns into a bar at night, or you end up at Tequila Jacks. People who come here to party are always let down because the bar scene in Ottawa just isn't that great. You either lose half of your squad or go to a boujee lounge that you don't belong in but just for the Insta. You probably end up at Heart & Crown because your Tinder match said he would be there and your outfit from Sirens won't wear itself!
Click 'Next' for shopping
Shopping
Expectation:
Reality:
Let's be real here. When you're shopping in Ottawa, you definitely want to go to Nordstrom in CF Rideau Centre. You want to shop all the high end brands and treat yourself, right? Except the real deal is you end up at Bayshore because your mom was going and you spent $20 on a top for the weekend. Saving goals, right?
Click 'Next' for transportation
Transportation
Expectation:
Reality:
You go to college, graduate, find a big kid job and then buy your first car! Right? That's how it goes? Wrong. You spend hundreds of dollars a year on bus tickets to try to save for a car but when really you're just setting yourself back. OC Transpo prices go up and your savings go down. Then you have to think about gas prices and parking, which is not easy. And will you drive downtown to your job? Parking in downtown Ottawa is a nightmare. So you'll be busing forever. Great!
Click 'Next' for dating
Dating
Expectation:
Reality:
So many f*ckboys, so little time. You see in movies that people meet on the bus, in the grocery store, in a loud bar where they lock eyes, etc. However, in Ottawa if you meet someone at a bar, you probably make out with them once, give them your number and never talk to them again. Locking eyes on OC Transpo? It's probably because the guy won't stop staring at you and you're looking to see if he's stopped. The dream would be to meet someone through mutual friends who will double date with you at Merivale Bowling Lanes but instead you meet a guy on Tinder and he'll ask you for your Instagram right away with no intention of liking your pictures. Oh, and he still uses the dog filter.
