I've lived in Ottawa all my life and for most of it I've thought it was boring with a political past that does nothing but make me yawn. Thanks to the Naughty Ottawa Pub Walk my opinion has changed. Ottawa or Bytown, as it used to be known, had a rougher past filled with misbehaving politicians, riots that had citizens reaching for cannons and a red-light district which now houses some of Ottawa's best restaurants.
We listened to our guide tell us gossip about old Ottawa in between trips to the pub - as you all know, gossip goes down better with a pint. Our last stop was the Chateau Lafayette, Ottawa's oldest drinking establishment - serving alcohol since 1849. We were encouraged to have one last murky drink named after the stinking waterway that ran down York Street before sewers were constructed - The By Wash Bullet.
After I took the shot, pocketed my souvenir glass, I ordered a pint of Labatt 50 and settled in for a game of Trouble and a disastrous game of Drinking Jenga with my fellow tour mates. We weren't as loud or rowdy as some of their previous historic customers, but I have a feeling they never played Drinking Jenga.
Haunted Walks
46 1/2 Sparks Street (Sparks & Elgin)
Ottawa, ON | (613) 232-0344
Box office open at 6pm, 7 nights a week.
