Ottawa Canada

#Ottawa_Capital_Canada

Chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria in 1857
 The city has the largest population of bilingualism for French and English in Canada
 They have made both as the official languages here
 
Green Roots
In 1885 Ottawa was the only place in Canada with all its downtown streetlights run by electricity,
 using steam engines that utilized the waterpower from the nearby Chaudiere Falls
This replaced the older coal oil lamps, putting Ottawa ahead
 of any American city at this time
 With modern times, the country of Canada is at 80% for its electricity generation from clean sources
 like hydropower, wind and solar
 

The parliament building roofs are of this color for several reasons
A) Energy Savings; the added insulation provided by the soil and plants significantly reduces energy costs for both heating plus cooling
B) Stormwater Management; acting like a sponge it absorbs the rainwater which helps control the amount of water entering the drainage system
C) Air Quality; the plants absorb carbon dioxide plus other pollutants
D) Habitat Creation; its a living landscape for various forms of wildlife 

Recreation Areas
Over 1300 parks (the city operates) with a wide range of amenities that includes 2000 play structure stations, trails and sport courts
 Also Ottawa has 800kms (500 miles) of bike routes that include multiuse pathways, rural trails
 and some off road options

 

Name Origins
From the Algonquin word "adawe" meaning to trade

Initially the area was known for its fur industry, but that declined with the Hudson Bay and North West Companies moving their operations further north

Original Trans-Canada Highway
 The Ottawa River plus its canal system moved massive quantities of lumber for the British and American markets
Then in the late 1880s the railway network within the country expanded which opened up the industrial growth for the area

Parliament Buildings
Originally constructed between 1859-1876 with the Centre Block being redone after the 1916 fire
The iconic Peace Tower (92 meters- 302 feet high) is certainly the focal point of the structure and was built to commemorate the contributions to the First World War

Fun Fact
There is an observation deck at the Carillon with its 53 bells, which is played by a "carillonneur" and those performances were broadcast live from the tower

The wall is made up of multiple materials, highlighting the stone which came from quarries in Europe,
 United States and Canada
The rock posts and wrought iron fencing were used in keeping with the theme of the Gothic Style
 that was chosen for the entire complex

Hidden Features
A) Secret Passageways; the office of Opposition Leader has a hidden door that is blended into the wood paneling leading to another room
B) Apartment; the Speaker of the House of Commons has a three-room retreat that includes a living room, bathroom and bed
C) Unfinished Elements: after the 1916 fire and its rebuild, the architect intentionally left around two hundred building features (such as blanks walls, windows) unadorned
 saying that the Parliament is a "living, changing institution"
D) Hidden Pub; when the original House of Commons was built the bar was located in the basement, which is now closed 
E) The Clock; during the fall time change in Canada  (the mechanism
 cannot be turned backwards) so it is stopped for an hour to get the correct setting

Found my Emblem for Nova Scotia in which each Province and Territory is
 represented here in stone

Did You Know
A) Nova Scotia; its coat of arms was granted in 1625 which makes it the oldest 
B) Continuous Carving; it has hired Dominion Sculptors for over one hundred years to carry on this work, as it is a ongoing project
C) Themes; with each Provincial or Territorial plaque it always includes flora and fauna, for example maple leaves for British Columbia or wheat for the Manitoba
D) Indigenous; starting in 1978 it has added the cultural and historical perspectives to the carving program of the buildings

Gothic Style
The many figures i found here was common during this architectural style which was aimed to evoke the grandeur of medieval cathedrals and also to the grotesque
To teach about the Good and Evil

Also at this location, some of the carvings where of a hybrid design
that was inspired by the prehistoric fossils found on the site during the construction phase

 Another was of the fish-tailed dragon
 which was in the theme of the structures nautical vibe they were trying to create

The city is home to fourteen museums
 Which as a Canadian is you want your capital to be; displaying our cultures, history,
 heritage and achievements 

My Top Three
A) Canadian War Museum; on November 11th the sun shines through the glass purposely to illuminate the headstone for the "Canadas Unknown Soldier" in the Memorial Hall
Also look on the north part of the building for the Morse Code Windows
which are designed to spell out "Lest We Forget"

B) Museum of History; with over 4 million artifacts including a large collection of First Nations Art plus totem poles, a water gallery featuring a 19 meter (62 feet) long blue whale skeleton 
It has something for everyone

Diefenbunker

It was built during the Cold War as a top-secret central Emergency Government Headquarters that was a four-storey underground facility

A) John Diefenbaker; nicknamed after this Prime Minister who commissioned it, but actually never visited the completed site
Pierre Trudeau was the only one who was here during its operational period
B) Gold & Beer; the lowest level was built to hold the gold of the country incase of a nuclear attack, plus the personal storage of "on site" beer 😀
C) Survival Time; the facility was designed to house 535 government
and military personal up to 30 days 
 The tunnel was purposely designed to be 378 feet long to divert any explosions on that end

Nova Scotia
We had our own Diefenbunker in the northern part of my Province that was built in 1964 for the same reasons as stated above
Now its being repurposed as boutique hotel 

Sparks Street
It became the first outdoor pedestrian street in North America,
after its conversion in 1967

"Full Circle"
 The original owner Nicholas Sparks (who was a settler and farmer)
after he purchased the land in 1821,
created a path so he could walk through his property  

Famous Five
The statues honor the women (Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards) who successfully campaigned to have women
declared "persons" under Canadian Law
Which opened the door for females to be appointed to the Senate

Rideau Canal
It was built as a secure military supply route between Montreal and Kingston after the War of 1812
This was an inland alternative to the St Lawrence River
 which was vulnerable to American attacks

Fun Facts
A) Manual Operations; most of the 45 locks are still worked by hand, as it was when the canal first opened in 1832

B) Engineering Marvel; used a "slackwater" system which was building dams to raise the water levels of the existing rivers and lakes, instead of digging new channels around the rapids

C) Bytown; with this new construction settlement plus all its workers, it brought prosperity to the area
and it eventually was renamed Ottawa 
Unfortunately around 1000 workers died (mostly from malaria) as the area was at this time full of swamps with its mosquitoes

D) Rideau Namesake; French for "curtain" as Samuel de Champlain seen the rivers twin waterfalls which gave him this thought 

E) Beaver Tails; the iconic pastry got its start in 1981 with a kiosk selling during
 the winter skateway on the canal

Climate 
The Capital is the seventh coldest in the world, so in Canada you embrace your surroundings
Thus the canal is the planets longest naturally frozen skating rink, which would be the equivalent
 (in area) to 90 Olympic sized hockey rinks 

Chateau Laurier Hotel
The rumor is the building is haunted after its builder Charles Melville Hays died on the Titanic days before its opening

He was a prominent American railroad executive who moved to Canada in the early 1900s with a vision to build a second transcontinental line across the country
Building the hotels along this route was his plan to elevate tourism plus his Grand Trunk Rail Company
but he never got to see his dream fulfilled 

Hearsay
That the furniture for the hotel was on the doomed vessel, which has not been verified as the ships cargo manifest had it not listed
But for sure the Belgian sculptor Paul Chevre survived and ironically his work of Sir Wilfrid Laurier bust is in the hotel lobby

Catching a ride in the vintage auto, perfect way to end this trip
 with an area that has so much history

South Beach Miami

#South_Beach_SoBe_Miami

The area was started as a coconut plantation in the 1870s, but failed as the rabbits and their other "friends" from the animal kingdom would eat the young shoots
Once this venture ended, the land was acquired by John Collins (and his business friends) who provided the financial backing to connect the island to the mainland
 With this Collins Bridge (worlds longest wooden span that opened in 1913) it started the development of this island from its mangrove swamp beginnings 

 

East Coast Railway
Henry Flagler was the co-founder of Standard Oil, so used his acquired fortune to follow his vision to build a transportation and resort empire in the state of Florida
After he bought this small rail line he progressively expanded south, also building luxury hotels at the stops along the route
 This included St. Augustine, Ormond Beach, Palm Beach and finally Miami

Julia Tuttle
Was a local landowner who convince him to extend his service further south by offering a significant amount of her land for a hotel and his railroad infrastructure
But it took a severe freeze in Central Florida (1894-1895) that spared the crops of Miami, to make up his mind to invest in the region

The Impact
Once the trains arrived the development was instantaneous
 With Flagler helping by building water / power systems, streets and his Royal Palm Hotel
The city then Incorporated in July 1896

Overseas Railroad
Not to be deterred and thinking like an entrepreneur, he decided to extend the track
from the Florida mainland to Key West
The reasoning was to take advantage of its deep-water port that would benefit with the increase in trade, because of the opening of the Panama Canal
This project was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" which spanned 205 kms (128 miles) with a majority of it over open water via a series of bridges and viaducts
It was completed in 1912 after seven years of construction only to be heavily damaged
 by a hurricane in 1935.

After this natural disaster the company was left in dire financial straits, so sold off the remaining roadbed plus bridges to the State which converted them into Route 1 Overseas Highway

Miami Beach experienced an economic boom in the "Roaring Twenties" attracting wealthy business people and celebrities

After the 1926 Hurricane and Great Depression
The area was built in the Art Deco style, which was a vibrant move forward after all the negativity
 of the past few years
With this bold idea, the city was hoping to attract investors plus tourists as an exciting destination  

Flamingo Hotel
The start of the resort business for the area (by using some interesting marketing ideas) to attract the wealthy and the famous was by the pioneer developer Carl Fisher
He used Biscayne Bay for speedboat races and other themes on his site

Fun Facts
A) Imported Birds; six flamingos from Africa for the park at the hotel
B) Rosie; nickname for the mascot and baby elephant to promote the property
 as an exotic vacation destination
C) Presidential Visit; Warren Harding was persuaded to stay for the entire winter season
 with the persistence of Fisher
He offered "free accommodations" plus highlighting the areas recreational facilities of golf and fishing 
The publicity was a success for both the hotel and for Miami Beach
 as Harding praised the area

 Dark History
A) Rum Runner; Duncan "Red" Shannon was killed by the US Coast Guard
on the water in front of the resort
B) No Jews; in 1935 some players from the New York Giants baseball team were refused entry, until the manager threatened to remove the entire team

South Beach at one time became a retirement community, but later was known for its drug activity 
With its geographical location to the Caribbean, it was an ideal entry point
  for drug smuggling from South America
Then lets add in the cities large Spanish speaking population that would help facilitate
 communication plus assist the trade networks for the cartels, you had an ideal setup
With the film Scarface and the TV Show Miami Vice, it told the outside world not to visit 

But then a major revitalization began in the late 1980s which helped get the Art Deco Historic District designated as a National Register with over 800 preserved buildings
 
Also the city had a growing role as an International Financial Centre with legal business dealings in Latin America, which led to a construction boom in high-rise office towers
Then to diverse from just tourists the Convention Centre was built
 which led to hosting many large gatherings 

Man-Made Land
The area is not "natural" but from extensive dredging and is periodically replenished with sand
from the seafloor to prevent beach erosion

Venice of America
The six Venetian Islands (Biscayne, San Marco, San Marino, Di Lido, Rivo Alto and Belle Isle) were made almost entirely from sand pulled up from the bottom of the Biscayne Bay, which then created the exclusive waterfront real estate

US Army Corps of Engineers
Starting in 1968 this organization has been the "sand recycler" for here, but they know it is a race against time with the increased strength of tropical storms and hurricanes
One solution is to (full circle event) to restore mangrove trees and other aquatic vegetation to work as the natural systems to reduce the storm risks

"The Most Beautiful Boot Camp in America"
During World War 11 (1942-1945) over a half a million soldiers trained in Miami Beach as it was designated as an Army Air Corps Base
The hotels were converted into barracks plus the dining areas became mess halls with the troops using the beaches, the ocean and even the pools for training purposes plus received specialized
instruction on chemical warfare

As i found this layered concrete mural, some fun facts of the Marine Life to be found here

A) Bottlenose Dolphins; only fifty percent of the brain is sleeping during that time
 so they can continue to breathe
B) Sea Turtles;  they get rid of access salt from their bodies by "crying"
which can look like they are shedding tears 
C) Seahorses; have no stomach, so must eat almost constantly to stay alive
D) Clownfish; can change sex in their adulthood

After Hurricane Andrew, local architect William Lane was commissioned to design
(what would become) the iconic lifeguard towers, which have become symbols of South Beach

Each of the 36+ towers have an unique design, shape and color scheme
Falling back on its mid-century architecture history of the area
 plus of course the Art Deco past

Fun Facts

Original Famous Residents
A) Benjamin Green; a pharmacist who came up with the formula for Coppertone

B) 5th Street Gym; training site for boxer Muhammad Ali

C) Gianni Versace: his legacy lives on as his mansion, The Villa Casa Casuarina  now operates as a luxury boutique hotel (with its swimming pool and its 24-karat gold tiles)

D) Peacock Inn; Charles & Isabelle opened the first hotel in Miami (1882)
 The site is now Peacock Park, to honor these trailblazers role in the growing of Coconut Grove

E) Al Capone; put the property in the name of his wife to avoid public scrutiny, as this "famous" gangster was not welcomed in the city
After his release from prison (tax evasion)  he lived his final years in Miami,
 after passing his body was buried in Chicago