Many, many moons ago, my grade 8 school trip took us from Toronto to Ottawa to learn a bit of Canadian history. For some reason, I’ve never been back until a few weeks ago when the FAB east and west kitchens reunited for a weekend of All BBQ, All the time.

One thing I do remember about that trip so long ago was the teachers making a big deal about Ottawa’s Sparks Street, the only street in Canada to be closed and turned into a pedestrian mall. I suppose that was a big deal back then, but today. Well, who cares?

Just a few blocks away is one of the highlights of downtown Ottawa, the Byward Market. I had expected an enclosed place along the lines of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market, but what I found was a thriving neighborhood of foodie fun. Outdoor produce stalls, crafts people, flowers, henna tattoos and way way more combine to make the market an exciting place to spend an afternoon. Surrounding the market are literally dozens of hip restaurants, bars and coffee shops, many of which have patios and open air store fronts. This place is a people watchers dream and the perfect playground for a photography hack like me!

Check out the slideshow after the break

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.