Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the editors of Spacing. photo by Dave Ripdaskull

Back when there were only two licensed restaurants in all of Ottawa (in the 1960s, or so the old-timers tell us ) a cabinet minister from Quebec used to fulminate that the "only good thing about living in Ottawa was the 5.00 PM train to Montreal". There would be no shortage of proud Ottawans to dispute that kind of slander today, but contained within his snide bon mot was the germ of something true, not just for Ottawa but for any city. Part of urban life is contingent on what is close by; that which we can experience without feeling that we are roaming to0 far from our home base. One advantage of urban life in the nation's capital is that things don’t always actually have to be so urban. Ottawa is situated cheek-by-jowl to farmland, small towns, rivers, campgrounds and parks. For the new resident who fancies local produce and Saturday-morning-only small-town charm, Ottawa’s location can come as revelation. Fifteen or twenty minutes in a car can bring many of us deep into the sort of natural splendour residents of Toronto or Montreal are an hour or more from even getting close to. For Apartment613's guest blog this week, we want to highlight some of our favourites from this unique zone of proximity, and reflect on what lies just beyond the urban core.

WHAT: release party for winter 2009-2010 issue of Spacing WHEN: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 WHERE: Toronto Reference Library, The Appel Salon, 789 Yonge Street HOW MUCH: $10 (includes copy of mag), $5 for subscribers ATTENDING?: RSVP to our Facebook event If you're in Toronto, make your way to the Toronto Reference Library (7pm-midnight) on Wed. Dec. 9th, to take part in Spacing's 16th issue release party and holiday party. We'll have some games and activities, plus the music to dance to thanks to our resident DJs Track Meet. Come check out the Reference Library's new event space The Appel ...