Patrick Langston
Patrick Langston's Latest Posts
Where to have fun when the temperatures tumble
Ice, snow, tumbling temperatures: No one ever said an Ottawa winter is an easy ride. But that’s no excuse for spending the season cocooned with a hot toddy and good book — not when there’s a ton of fun waiting outside your front door. So grab your tuque and mitts, and let’s see what we […]
Kuwait’s residence perched high above the Ottawa River
It’s all about the panorama. Perched on quiet Acacia Lane in Rockcliffe, the Kuwait ambassador’s residence offers a sweeping view from its second-storey terrace of the sparkling Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills, with early fall colours beginning to blaze in the distance when we visit. “It’s the most attractive place in the house,” says […]
Fall into autumn with these day trips
The bright, crisp days of autumn are custom-made for day-tripping and overnighters. Summer’s wilting heat has vanished, snow hasn’t yet arrived and fall’s melancholy air throws life into sharper relief. So, pack a lunch — or at least your debit card — and head for the open road. Tromping and shooting Leading back-road photography trips has […]
A monumental residential balancing act
The trick to designing a monumental home is to avoid overwhelming those who live and visit there. Prominent Ottawa architect Allan Keefer achieved that delicate balance almost a century ago when he designed Waterstone, acquired by the Japanese government as its official ambassadorial residence in 1958. It is currently home to Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane and […]
Sri Lanka’s residence is full of charm — and charms
The odds are good you’ve never seen a dumb waiter quite like the one in the Sandy Hill residence of Sri Lankan High Commissioner Madukande Asoka Kumara Girihagama. In fact, at first glance, you might mistake the wood-panelled beauty concealed behind a white interior door as an elevator for short people who don’t suffer from […]
Spring awakening: Adventures near Ottawa
Blue cheese, steel beds and A.Y. Jackson: An unlikely combination, but they’re part of our spring round-up of travel tips for anyone hankering to throw off the shackles of winter and explore places and events within driving distance of Ottawa. We’ve even come up with some suggestions that are within the city limits. Going under: […]
A stately hilltop mansion for Italy’s envoys
When deciding to bring his love affair with wood into his home, lumber baron Robert L. Blackburn clearly realized that some discretion was in order. Blackburn built the stately hilltop mansion on chemin d’Aylmer in Gatineau next to the tony Royal Ottawa Golf Club in 1924. It has been the official residence of the Italian […]
No excuse for cocooning this winter
It’s January, and the cold stuff will be with us for awhile. You could head south — and maybe you will — but why not get out and relish an Ottawa winter? It’s bracing, sometimes breathtakingly gorgeous and always a reminder that life offers unending variety. With that in mind, we’ve cooked up some cool […]
Brazilian couple makes a house their home
It’s a big house. The official residence of Brazilian Ambassador Denis Fontes de Souza Pinto and his wife, Maria do Carmo de Moura Rocha de Souza Pinto, commands the property at 400 Wilbrod St. in Sandy Hill. Showing many characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, the home features towering chimneys, a splash of bay, gabled and […]
Autumn and winter activities: The lesser-known gems
Ottawa summers are short. That makes it way too easy to start cocooning or to slip into the usual social routine come October. Nothing wrong with familiar stuff, of course, but it doesn’t do much to broaden our perspectives or sharpen our brains. To that end, we offer some lesser-known places and events in and […]
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