Trip Report: AH-twah
April 14-15, 2006

Candians aren't different from us United Statesmen just because they wear "toques" on their heads, play games like "hockey," and eat something called "donuts". No, as much as we like to think of their snow, oil, and trees as ours, they are, in fact, a different country. A country called "Canada."

And its capital? The very-much-far-away-from-our-homes town of Ottawa, pronounced not as "OTT-oh-wah" as we've come to learn, but as "AH-twah."

Who knew*?

Getting there was not nearly half the fun. Basically, we got onto I-81 North and kept going until the toll booth attendants were polite*. Long drive. But at the end of the line we found ourselves...in the middle of nowhere. The Arrogant Worms' Mike McCormick's house, to be more precise. Had a very solid sleep at his and his family's modern log cabin home, sharing news and gossip that only fellow novelty acts would find interesting. Among the tidbits was a certain restaurant that Mike told us is an Ottawa must-see...


FOOD REVIEW: Moe's World Famous Newport Restaurant - Ottawa, ON, Canada
CATEGORY: Elvis-themed Diner
Rating: +2

Elvis is not dead. He's alive and living in the town of Tweed, just an hour and a half from this classic diner in a hip section of Ottawa. (Yes, Ottawa has a hip section) This is the belief of the Elvis Sighting Society, which is headquartered at the Newport.

You'll find all of Elvis' favorites on the menu, and there are about a billion pieces of memorabilia on the walls. Elvis always watches over you at the Newport, and it will freak you out. Oddly, it seems that the King enjoyed Lebanese food, as the served up a wicked sampler platter with such Memphis favorites as tabouleh, hummus, and pita. Hamburgers were much more Elvis-like, as were the fries. Milkshakes were a bit on the milky side, but maybe that's the way Elvis liked them. Maybe. Timely, sassy service was a big plus.


The show that night was at the Centrepointe Theatre in suburban Ottawa (yes, Ottawa has suburbs.) Incredible arts house, with a seating capacity of nearly 1,000, and every seat was filled. The Worms' crowd was amazing, making this one of our most memorable shows. There were more kids in the audience than our typical crowds, but a few minor content tweaks helped to minimize the potential mental scarring**. One of the highlights was midway through our set when an enthusiastic fan threw a sock up onto the stage. It wasn't panties, but we appreciated the sentiment. After setting things up with our opening set, the Worms knocked 'em down with their high-energy show. The matching sock made its way to the stage during their first set. Afterwards in the lobby it was all smiles and love, deepening our growing fondness for the Great White North.

The next day's long drive home was punctuated only by...


FOOD REVIEW: Dragon Garden - Pulaski, NY
CATEGORY: Chinese (takeout/sitdown)
Rating: +1

Naturally, the only restaurant open at 2PM on Easter was a Chinese takeout/sitdown place. And damned if it wasn't good. Friendly family atmosphere, plenty of zip to the food, and generous portions. Did its job--to feed two weary traveling musicians, and to not be McDonalds--admirably, if not exceptionally.


Next entry coming quite soon,

Paul and Storm


* we didn't.
** for the kids, not us.