Categories: Uncategorized

Road Trip

On Monday, I packed the last of my stuff into the car…

The back of my car, packed with stuffThe back of my car, packed with stuff

…which included a couple of accordions: the travel-sized Silvetta, which fits in just about every airplane’s overhead compartment, and the full-sized, full-sounding Crucianelli:

Front passenger seat of my car, with two accordions strapped in with the seatbelt.Front passenger seat of my car, with two accordions strapped in with the seatbelt.

If you’ve been following this blog for the past little while, you already know my destination: Ottawa, where I’ll be living for the summer to immerse myself in my new job as tech evangelist for the startup Shopify. The trip takes about five hours and is pretty simple — east on Highway 401, the north on Highway 416.

Map showing the route from Toronto to OttawaMap showing the route from Toronto to Ottawa

I like listening to audiobooks on long car trips. My selection for this one was Tina Fey’s Bossypants, read by Ms. Fey herself. It’s quite funny and entertaining, and it made the long, rain-soaked drive seem like a quick run around the block:

My Zune HD showing Tina Fey's Audiobook My Zune HD showing Tina Fey's Audiobook

Yup, that’s a Zune HD — I’m a former Microsoftie, after all — and that’s what I used to play Bossypants. It’s my highest-capacity portable MP3 device, so it’s the one I use for long trips. It’s the best media player you’ll never buy.

I arrived in Ottawa in the late afternoon. I don’t really know my way around the city other than bits of downtown and the Market. I’m going to be rather reliant on the Garmin when driving and on my phone while cycling or walking about. The only other time I make such heavy use of a GPS is when I’m playing Grand Theft Auto IV:

That’s the Garmin, which is suction-cupped to the windshield, and below it is the satellite radio. I switched to it when I pulled into town, just in time to catch a Beastie Boys special on Alt Nation — the perfect welcome to my new, if temporary, home.

My final destination was the furnished apartment where Shopify is housing me during my stay. It’s right on Sparks Street, and I’d have taken a picture if the weather wasn’t so miserable. Here’s what the area around my front door would look like if we were having a more typical spring:

Next: The Swank Tank.

Joey deVilla

View Comments

  • KarenB: I'm likely to visit more often. I was a Microsoft Canada guy, and there wasn't much call for us to go to Seattle. On the other hand, as an evangelist at a startup with lots of US customers, I go where the developers are, and there are plenty in Seattle.

    I'll be there for BarCamp Seattle, which happens on June 25th and 26th. I'll probably "pad" my trip with a couple of extra days to hang out.

  • TimS: Well, the weather in Toronto is the same, so I'd be just as wet had I stayed at home. And hey, the change of scenery is nice! It's kind of neat living around the corner from Parliament Hill.

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