Carey and I drove up to Montreal last weekend to celebrate our January birthdays, which are six days (and five years) apart. The drive was super easy, only about six hours with stops along the way. We got a nice early start, and reached the border mid-afternoon.
Our very first stop once we entered Canada was a Costco Warehouse. Carey’s been a member for almost 20 years, and although I knew he was a huge fan, he didn’t really talk it up because really, Costco sells itself. I had been contemplating joining all summer, but it wasn’t until I found myself in Seattle in November, in Store #001 (the actual first store ever opened) that I decided to take the plunge. And since I’m big into keeping lists, I started a new one on the spot. I am happy to report that in the two and a half months I’ve been a member, I’ve visited 12 stores in 5 states and now 2 different countries. If we’d had access to a car in Madrid we would have definitely hit one there as well.
We checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon and took a short nap, knowing that our dinner reservation at the famous Joe Beef wasn’t until 10:15 pm. I had been unable to get a reservation as they were fully booked all weekend, but Carey somehow manifested one. He is choosing not to reveal his methods, opting to maintain an aura of mystery. I love that man.
After our nap, we headed out on foot toward Chinatown and had a cocktail at a cool hipster bar (Google’s words, not mine) followed by our first, and what turned out to be the best, poutine of the weekend at Le Central food court. We enjoyed it so much that we sought out poutine on each of the next three days we were there, and even bought cheese curds and gravy from another Costco on our way home, just to keep the tradition going for another day.
We rose early the second day for the free (or rather included) hotel breakfast and then headed out for a free walking tour of Old Montreal. This is my favorite thing to do when visiting a new city, take a walking tour the first day. The guides are really interesting characters and it’s fun to get a grounding in the geography and history of a place before exploring it on my own.
The only free walking tour I could find was actually being offered in Spanish. Carey grew up in the Bronx, and I took eight years of classroom Spanish, so we figured we could both somewhat understand it. As it turned out there was only one other participant, a man from Argentina whose English was so good our guide Helena did most of the tour in English (she’s also fluent in French and Portuguese). She stated at the beginning of the tour that she loves to travel and has been to 42 different countries. Ah, I thought, a fellow list keeper. I started a new one of my own.
Even though it was cold, like 15 degrees, Helena did not wear gloves. It seemed that Canadians are quite unfazed by the cold. One day, when we drove to the top of Mount Royal (the mountain that sits within the city limits, after which the city was named) there were lots of people cross-country skiing and sledding and walking around, seemingly oblivious to the sub-freezing temperatures. I think we Americans have gotten soft when it comes to the cold. Or maybe I’ve made one too many trips to visit Carey in Florida.
On our last night in Montreal we set out to find some live music. The first bar we hit had a band scheduled to play later, but the bartender could barely contain her distaste when she told us the name of the show, “A Sunday Evening of Harsh Noise & Experimental Drone.” There was a big bowl of earplugs for sale on the bar. She recommended we go across the street, which we did, only to stumble upon the Montreal grunge scene. I think the average age in the room was 19? We stuck around for a little while, amused, before heading out to a jazz club where we finally got to enjoy a great live performance.
Our return trip was uneventful, and I was back in my own bed by 10 pm. I love knowing that Montreal is just a short drive away. Next time I’ll be sure to remember that it is actually another country. When I went to Spain, I got an eSim and figured out how to change money in advance. I showed up in Montreal with nothing but my passport and the assurance that they use the same electrical plugs.
School is back in session this week so no more trips for a while, I will have to come up with other ways to incorporate adventure into my life. Suggestions welcome, as always!
Let's Go, Jane! 
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