It could have been worse?
Well I had quite the adventure last night.
The Point of Heading Out
It started out with heading to the NAC for the play Evita. I went by myself since none of my friends are the type to go see a play. The weather in Ottawa (Canada), as some might know, is horrible right now. We keep getting those dumps of snow from Texas. So, when I went out last night at around 18:30, I gave myself lots of time to go down the 417 and through downtown. I got there fairly quickly with an hour to spare before showtime at 20:00. Getting there wasn’t so bad; it was getting home that was the adventure.
The play is finished and it was pretty good! The review in the paper was right about one thing though — the lead’s voice is too shrill. That’s too bad 
Overall it was very entertaining and for someone who doesn’t know the story, it only took about 20mins to get what was going on 
The guy who played Che was soo good. His voice was amazing and he seemed to be really into his character. The actress who played Peron’s mistress should have been Eva I think; her voice was much better, but maybe not as strong.
Montréal?
After I got out of the bloody parking garage, I found myself on some street I didn’t know and the weather had gotten much worse as well. I couldn’t see any street signs for they were covered in snow, and the roads had more snow on them so everyone was fish-tailing everywhere. It’ll be fun to get home, I thought. That’s if I ever made it to the 417. When starting out on a street I didn’t know, it’s much harder to find where I should be going at night and with the heavy snow. I drove around for a long time looking for signs for the 417 or for Kent/Lyon street. I hate the one-way streets. Kent happens to be one, as well as the street I came off the 417 with. So I knew the street I was looking for was Lyon, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find it right? Guess it’s a lot harder than I thought. I tried to use my Blackberry but I couldn’t get coverage from the snow.
The first mini trip I took was on some random highway with signs telling me I was heading towards Montréal. Totally wrong direction for me. So I slipped and slid on the exit ramp and struggled to get back on the highway for the other direction. Now I was back in Ontario, and downtown again. It turns out, I was in the right vicinity the whole time, but I couldn’t see the street sign for ‘Lyon’ so I kept passing it. This morning, when I started back again, I found it no problem and saw all the streets I passed last night.
Stuck for good now…
Up there you may have noticed I said ‘morning’. Here is where it gets really fun and interesting! Sometime last night on my drive around Ottawa/Hull, I managed to cross the Portage bridge without even knowing it. I guess it’s because I couldn’t see the surrounding river below me, for the snow drifts were insane. I’m cruising down a street now that starts with M — I can’t see the rest of the sign. Now I think: Hey, I think I’m going the wrong again. I’ll turn around [again]. So I turn down some mystery street and I slid into a snowbank. I’m at a downward grade into the snowbank as well, so even if I could back my car out, gravity wouldn’t let me. My car is also a very low Sunfire with frontwheel drive. Great car for Canadian winters!
While sitting in my car thinking what I will do next and talking with my parents on the phone, a car pulls up next to me and a man gets out. He asks if I’m ok etc. Then as he was offering to help, two girls about my age in a car came down the street I was trying to turn into and got stuck. I got out and shovelled/pushed their car for lack of anything else to do. My dad on the phone suggested a hotel and the guy pointed to a Best Western about 1 o’clock from me. I was fully intending to walk but the two girls offered me a drive. I said: Sure, merci! They dropped me off at the hotel and I said thanks etc and they left. I hope they got home.
At this point it’s now 00:30ish. I waited around for someone to check me in and warmed up a bit. The guy finally came and one of the questions he asked was “Do you have a car?” so I told him it was in a snowbank. After giving me the keys he said “Have a good night”. Lol. Yeah sure buddy, I’ll have a great night paying for a room I shouldn’t need. I also brought my DS by chance, so I had something to do at least 
The Next morning
Next morning. I get up at around 9:00 (Daylight savings time change included) and call my parents. [No offence, but you guys aren’t very much help.] I got dressed in my clothes from yesterday (I slept in my undies :D) and prepared to walk and find my car, since I still wasn’t sure where I was. I start walking down Laurier and see a bridge (Alexandra) so I start walking across. Then a nice young family stopped and asked if I wanted a lift across since it was very windy and the snow was deep on the ’sidewalk’. I said yes, thinking it wasn’t too risky since it was a nice-looking young family. Over in Ontario now, I realize that was a bad plan. I walk around a bit, then go into a pub to warm up a bit/check the Blackberry for some map-age [they were playing Loreena Mckennitt in the pub :heart:]. It still can’t really find where I am. I’m unimpressed.
I get back over the bridge via walking in the snow and check the Blackberry again since my paper maps are in the car, which I’m looking to find. Yes! It finds where I am! I look for a street that starts with ‘M’ in the vicinity: Masionneuve! That sounds good. I start walking in that direction, and I know I need to turn down a perpendicular street soon. I choose Papineau as that street, and as I’m walking down, I see something yellow! My car! It turns out the street I was trying to turn down was Papineau and the street I was on was Masionneuve. Then I notice the paper under my windshield wiper. A ticket, yay? At least it wasn’t towed. I start kicking the snow around my car away, since a plow obviously came by and packed my car in even more. As I’m kicking, I see a red tow truck pull in behind me. This is good: someone coming to help me! For free? Of course not. The tow guy comes out and asks “Is this your car?”. I say yes and then he tells me the police called him to come tow it away! This both sucks and is convenient. I asked him to instead pull me out and I’ll pay him for that.
Going home!
Twenty minutes later, I’m out and on the road. I find my Lyon street and get on the 417. I’m not done yet! I get to my exit and I go down Carp road. So far so good, everything looks plowed so I won’t get stuck again. As I turn right to get on a street that goes to my residential area, I get stuck. My car seems to be too low and the snow underneath me crams up under the car. Damnit! I start rocking and I’m almost free (sweet!) and someone comes by and gives me a push as well. I say thanks and I’m on my way again. Almost home! Only one more street to go and — Oh. It’s not plowed. I decided to take the risk and turn onto it anyways. I’m so close to home I just might make it. I got stuck about halfway down, since my car is too low and the tracks some big truck had made left a high center part for my car to get stuck on. Stupid sporty-ish car. I’m not going anywhere now. I give my parents a call again and tell them I’m literally down the street. Meanwhile, people who live in the houses on my left/right stopped shovelling and are coming towards me. I get out and tell them I’m stuck. My dad then runs down the street. We all start moving snow away from my car and rocking it to get it to move. There’s no way I’m going to get all the way down the street so one of the people who live there just let me park my car in his driveway until the roads are actually plowed. That was nice of him! 
I’m safe at home now, my car is in someone else’s laneway and I have a French ticket to pay. Instead of thinking this was horrible, I think it was really fun and a good experience to have. I also keep thinking that this could have been much worse. My car could have been smashed by a plow; I could have gotten there too late and had it towed; someone could have smashed my windows; the list goes on. I think I’ll go outside and take some pictures of all the snow now.
Later this evening…
I got my car back from the nice people a street away and everything is just fine now. All I have to do is try and get the tow truck fee waived with Roadside Assistance and pay my French Ticket. I forgot to tally the total cost of my lovely evening:
$64 (Evita Ticket) + $126 (Hotel) + $30 (gas+parking) + $77 (French Ticket) + $50 (tow truck) = ~$340. Good thing I got paid on Friday… :\
Qifan
Haha, what an awesome story. You definitely got lucky with your car there- leaving it stuck in the middle of a snowbank (especially with the overnight parking restrictions due to snow plowing).is pretty risky :\
Roads should be much better on Monday now that the storm’s over and city crews have had a whole day to push the white stuff into everybody’s driveways. Getting to work won’t be nearly as exciting.
QED
Rebecca
Noooooo! I don’t want to go to work
Terrill
Found an appropriate graphic this morning, and I had to share it: http://flickr.com/photos/boyshapedbox/2283442064/in/set-72157603957925616/
Glad you are OK. Sounds like one harrowing experience.
Harry
Hey, that souns like you had a fun weekend. It sounds like you had fun! Well, except for the part aboutt ehc ar sliding into a snowbank, getting lost, getting a ticket. But I mean, hotels are pretty awesome, I love them.
Simon
And here I thought i knew how to have a weekend that got out of hand. I bow down to the greatness of your cars ability to get stuck.