There are a lot of things that I will miss now that my office has moved out of downtown Ottawa:
- Hanging out in Confederation Park at lunch
- Being close to all different types of restaurants
- Having a coffee shop on every corner
- Doing yoga on Parliament Hill
- Going to Rideau Centre at lunch for errands. (OK, I only went there once a year or so because I hate shopping, but still, I totally could go any day I wanted.
- My bicycle commute along the river
- Running along the canal at lunch
- Meeting downtown friends for lunch
- Being able to renew my health card on a coffee break, after having picked up a coffee on the corner of my choice
- Bank Street, Elgin Street, Sparks Street
- People watching
Things that I like about the move:
- Walking to work year round
- Passing Bridgehead on my way to work
- Running along the river at lunch*
- Having lunch with Tunney’s friends
- A revitalized Tunney’s Pasture that will be really really nice by the time I’m ready to retire
Things I won’t miss about downtown at all:
- Working in a building where elevators free-fall and stairwells are so narrow that taking the elevator is probably safer
Things that have been difficult to adjust to:
- Really bad cafeteria coffee
- Workplace 2.0**. i.e. Government cramming more people into smaller open concept spaces and telling us that we like it.
*Note that no actual runs along the river have happened yet. My inertia has been acting up like crazy.
**Yes, it really is called Workplace 2.0. I can’t make this stuff up.
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Maybe the tweeks in WorkPlace 2.1 will help.
Hah!
Am afraid it only gets worse….
http://blog.cbcivideo.com/Canada-Telepresence-Blog-by-CBCI-Telecom/bid/88146/Workplace-of-the-future-or-Workplace-2-0
There’s a blog? Yegads!!!!
Coffee is crucial. Bridgehead along the way is great! Walking to work is wonderful.
I hope it all falls into place soon and that you enjoy the new place sooner than later.
*Running during lunch would just make you all sweaty anyway.
**Seriously?! Seriously?!? *smh*
sweat keeps your coworkers out of your hair. 😛
Good thinking kyooty 🙂
Thanks Peady. Bridgehead is wonderful 🙂
Of course you could make this stuff up, but why would you want to? What’s that saying? Management is dumber than fiction?
Hmmmmm….
Walking to work sounds divine!
It is absolutely the best part of moving. I like it even more than I thought I would.
Could ALSO mean lunch dates with your gal pal, Joe!
Let’s do that soon. We are way overdue!
It’s tough to see if pros or cons come out ahead, although walking to work is huge. Let’s make that coffee date. I need to figure out where Tunney’s Pasture is. And I’ve lived in Ottawa for almost thirteen years. Sigh.
I’ve lived here all my life and I still get lost whenever I go anywhere not in my immediate circle. Being directionally challenged may be another thing we have in common?
Boo hiss to open concept office spaces. No one likes those things and productivity goes down. You have my condolences.
That said, walking to work past a decent coffee shop would make the transition a little more tolerable. Extra tolerance may come in the form of a small bottle of Bailey’s in your desk to flavour that morning coffee 🙂
I think you’re right about productivity going down. There is a lot of data on that according to the reading I’m doing. I wonder what the data would say about Baileys and productivity? Seems like some research is in order.