Apartment613 was conceived in October 2008 at the Manx Pub over a few too many pints of beer. A group of eight friends plus a mysterious Colombian were remarking that while Ottawa had an active arts and culture scene, it took the right connections and a bit of work to get plugged in. We decided to do something about it. After three months spent debating whether or not to go with a sans serif font, the official site went live in January 2009. We held our launch party on 6/13 at Raw Sugar Cafe – the first of what we hope will be many more awesome birthday celebrations.

A core group formed and we were lucky enough to pick up some dedicated and talented writers along the way, many of whom were professionally trained journalists. Along with some casual contributors, we’ve managed to form a motley crew of intrepid volunteer reporters who will stop at nothing to uncover the newest restaurant opening or mind-blowing party.

In August 2010, the blog officially incorporated as a not-for-profit.

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. Please visit our contact us page to find out how you can get involved.

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About the t-shirts

The Great Apt613 t-shirt contest asked artists from Ottawa and beyond to create their own interpretation of Ottawa, be it based on its best or worst features.

The editors of Apt613 selected the 10 designs they liked best, and from this shortlist we let our readers pick the top three to print. Here are the winners. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!