And recognize that Toronto bagels are better.

You've GOT to be kidding. You are a crazy man.

So you'd prefer dry, "bready" and plain tasting to moist, sweet and delicious?

*please ignore the bagel-related statements of my fair countryman.

I now know how to get into a bar fight in Montreal.


TORONTO BAGELS ARE FOR SHIT!!!!!

FUCK YOU!!! EH!!!!

This is Quebec, tabarnac!! Any mention of Toronto will get you killed.

Now we're on the same page, Mister.

Les Osti Anglais!!!!

Seriously dude. Don't try it.

Haven't forgotten about this, sir... I've got a bit more work to do on it.

I think it will end up being a bit JPEG file... want me to email it to you when I'm done?

I wanted to thank both Ish and Polly for their suggestions and help on my trip. This post is really for their benefit.

Ish, sorry I didn't make it out for that electronic show your friends were throwing. I'd been up since 5:45am and worked all day. I was beat. I went to Brutopia, had 3 beers and called it a night.

Polly, thanks for the map you sent me. It was very detailed and very helpful.

It was interesting to have to explain to my co-workers how I knew so many places to go in Montreal.......ummmm...........I........got some internet friends.......*confused looks*.


That being said, Montreal is a great city. The weather was absolutely perfect the 3 days I was there. High's of 65 and lows of 40. Perfect fall weather.

Saturday: Arrived around noon to rainy conditions that cleared up in the afternoon. I had to do work stuff most of the day at Place Bonaventure. Walked up St. Catherine and checked out some of the tourist traps. Went to Brutopia and Hurley’s for some food and beers (Griffon, Rickyard, Murphy’s Stout, Guiness) then called it a night. Watched some of the Ohio St/Texas game. The UGA/South Carolina game wasn’t on much to my horror due to them only carrying ESPN-Canada.

I was staying at Novotel. Pretty nice but jesus is parking expensive around there. Montreal is pretty expensive in general.

Sunday: Had to be at work at 9am. Nice walk through downtown to the Bonaventure. Passed that HUGE, beautiful church everyday Grabbed some bagels and coffee from Tim Horton’s at the Train station. I had to eat lunch at the train station everyday due to time constraints. Wasn’t bad though.

Sunday night: ran a couple miles at the hotel and then headed out. We went to Ye Olde Orchard Irish pub across the street for a couple of Murphy’s to start the evening. We then went down to the Plateau area and walked up St. Laurent. Great area. In fact I loved being able to walk around the city and have all of the restaurants, bars, clubs, etc right there on the main drags. I would bicycle everywhere if I lived there. Atlanta is nothing like that.

We ended up eating at Ish’s recommendation, Le Jardin du Cari. Not what I was expecting. I was expecting Italian. Why? Because I’m an idiot and thought Roti was an Italian dish. Nevertheless, it was pretty good and the owner couldn’t have been nicer. We had a nice chat about how he came to Montreal over some Heinekens.

Went to Casa del Popolo after that for a couple beers and then to Champs sports bar because I have a lesbian gangsta co-worker who loves Ultimate Fighting and they were broadcasting some fight. We took a blurry cab ride back to the hotel.


Monday: Shook off the cobwebs and worked all day. Went to the hotel to chill for a bit and then back to Ye Olde Orchard for WAAAAY too many drinks and dinner. We had dinner with the Montreal folks we were working with. We then went to some bar around the corner on St. Catherine that couldn’t tell you the name of for the life of me due to massive inebriation. One of the guys from Quebec city ordered some sort of Cherry Beer that was the most god awful thing I have ever tasted (yet we drank all of it). At this point we’re openly talking in “redneck-ese” due to the massive alcohol intake and the local folks are having a hard time understanding what we are saying.

Anyway, we head back to previous bar where there is now a guy playing guitar and singing covers solo. The only thing I learned from this is from a local girl from Nova Scotia explained to me who Stan Rogers was. I’d never heard of him. She loved him. Anybody familiar with his work.

Monday: The Dying. Openly didn’t make it to the trade show the next morning. Completely shit the bed. Thank god my co-workers are cool and let me slide since we were leaving the show at noon anyway. We drove around the city during the afternoon. Went to Old Montreal and checked it out. Very European. Drove down to the Plateau and had lunch at one of the café’s down there. Ish- picked up a shirt from St. Viateur Bagel. Then went up on Mont Royal for a view of the city.

To sum up: Montreal is the shit. I had a blast and wished I could’ve spent more time there checking out the city instead of working and being tired in the evenings. It feels very European but I think that’s just because everything’s in French and I’m not used to that.

Everyone I met was super nice after my obligatory “I’m sorry do you speak English”…….”But OF COURSE!”.

Ish- I actually looked up in “the Mirror” to see where Hrvatski(?) was playing and it said Fractal Arts Center. The concierge had no idea where it was though.

THUMBS UP!

Wicked. So happy you had a great time.

You're making me homesick.

Drinking all night on a work night is par for the course there. I've become a total wimp since I left.

Happy the map came in handy.

*Sigh* my old apartment (a one bedroom, with a bay window, seperate living room & kitchen) was 3 blocks away from Pine ("des Pins") and St. Laurent. Such easy access to all that beautiful Plateau shit. $400 a month. Crazy.

Btw, YOU THOUGHT IT WAS EXPENSIVE??????

Good lard, then never go to Toronto ... or Paris...

Derris, great to read that you had a good time and hit some good spots. You totally should have rang me when you were around Casa del Popolo and Jardin du Cari. I live right down the street, man. I had a good weekend this past, too, wanted to stay in and heal but just couldn't. I headed up to Fractal on Saturday (had never been there before, it's an oddball, off the beaten path venue) and just missed Hrvatski. It was kind of vacuous feeling, despite some fine ass, but I was too broke and tired to get drunk and do anything about it.

Come back soon and we'll lambaste some Frenchies with otherspeak. They really hate it.