Utterly random Montreal brain droppings

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

If you do make the move, you’ll fit in, adding another complainer to the lot, lol.

Another area where Montréal is indeed closer to Paris than to Berlin then.

Originally Posted by montréaliste

The Left turns are supposed to reduce traffic, emissions, and all the rest of it. Of course it manages perfectly to do the exact opposite while infuriating drivers. I can only imagine what tourists think about it. Throw in thousands of orange cones and detour signs and if you’re not convinced transit makes more sense in this city, you need to spend more time in it. Laffs

Yet another area where Montréal is closer to Paris than to Berlin. Paris is even 10 times worse than Montréal in this respect. I thought having to drive 5 blocks to turn left wasn't all that much compared to the eco-extremist nonsense we see in Paris (like the new one-way rules in the Marais which makes it almost impossible to exit or enter the neighborhood).

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Another area where Montréal is indeed closer to Paris than to Berlin then.


Yet another area where Montréal is closer to Paris than to Berlin. Paris is even 10 times worse than Montréal in this respect. I thought having to drive 5 blocks to turn left wasn't all that much compared to the eco-extremist nonsense we see in Paris (like the new one-way rules in the Marais which makes it almost impossible to exit or enter the neighborhood).

Right. Your mayor Hidalgo has been at the forefront with that kind of stuff. Our new mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada; also hispanic and female has run to counter some of the bike lane takeover of certain parts of the city. I am hoping for more sensible directives, if at all possible…

Our last mayor Valerie Plante had two terms with very little to show for it except a lot of elevated nonsense.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

Our last mayor Valerie Plante had two terms with very little to show for it except a lot of elevated nonsense.

Here they've been in power for 25 years, 4 terms (each term lasts unfortunately 6 very long years, and one of the terms even lasted 7 years because municipal elections were postponed by the central government). 25 ans sans alternance politique. No wonder the level of incompetence and corruption has skyrocketed. And they could get reelected and stay for 31 years in power, because there was no municipal merger with the suburbs here, so the election is in control of the students and bobos living in the central part of the city, a bit as if only Manhattan voters could vote for the mayor of NYC.

Of course this impacts a city like Montréal, due to the influence of French media in Québec, giving them (you) all sorts of bad ideas, but this is not something that the Anglophones can see because they are not exposed to those French media, hence the Berlin nonsense.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

It's odd because most of your comments have been rather negative I thought.

Not sure where you're getting that impression. Most of my observations have been merely observational. The only really negatives things have been about minor things which are hardly deal-breakers.

[MolsonExport]

Someone is doubling down on trying to pretend that they are an expert on Montreal (with the requisite sneering attitude).

[craigs]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Someone is doubling down on trying to pretend that they are an expert on Montreal (with the requisite sneering attitude).

Yep, and doubling down on the attempted hijack, too.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Someone is doubling down on trying to pretend that they are an expert on Montreal (with the requisite sneering attitude).

Molson, do you remember the Canadian animated series, The Raccoons?

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Molson, do you remember the Canadian animated series, The Raccoons?

I spent half my childhood fantasizing about having a pedal-powered helicopter bike and wondering if such a thing was physically possible.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Already finished my first video of this trip.

With a tribute to Leonard Cohen.

• Video Link

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Already finished my first video of this trip.

With a tribute to Leonard Cohen.

• Video Link

Well done!

At the one minute mark, you managed to fit in the church steeple referred to as "Our Lady of the Harbour" in the song. It is just past the Bonsecours market building with a large cupola.

Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours chapel. The original church built in 1655 burnt down in 1754 and was reconstructed in 1775.

[Wigs]

nice tribute to Montreal and Leonard Cohen in one

[James Bond Agent 007]

At the 0:36 mark one narrow street scene bleeds perfectly into another narrow street scene. That was 100% unintentional. I put the first one into my Movie Maker project, then fished around my other video snippets, saw one that looked good and plopped it into the project. Then when I ran it with the new scene added I was like, "Whoa, those two scenes blend perfectly together."

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

Well done!

At the one minute mark, you managed to fit in the church steeple referred to as "Our Lady of the Harbour" in the song. It is just past the Bonsecours market building with a large cupola.

Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours chapel. The original church built in 1655 burnt down in 1754 and was reconstructed in 1775.

I knew the song was referring to one of the churches in the city but didn't know which one. Glad I "accidentally" got the right one in the video.

Had I known which was the right one I might have stuck that scene in while he's singing "Our Lady of the Harbor." Oh well.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Molson, do you remember the Canadian animated series, The Raccoons?

Nope (re: Raccoons) but I can see a sneering resemblance to some of the commentary on this thread.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Already finished my first video of this trip.

With a tribute to Leonard Cohen.

• Video Link

Good stuff! Fitting ending too.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

7. Canadiens game. WOW!!! IT WAS FUN!!! Just got back from the game against Minnesota, and I could not have picked a better game to go to if I tried. It was almost worth the trip to Montreal just to see this game. Notes:

-- A. I think the smallness of the puck kind-of forces you to pay more attention to the game than in most other sports. Plus it's always moving fast. If you want to see what's happening in the game you really need to pay attention. I think this is probably one reason why a lot of people struggle or get bored with it on TV, but it's a different experience when you're at the game, you get the whole rink in your view and you can follow it better that way, rather than relying on a TV camera which constantly has to pan around. Plus, I had first row seats on the upper deck which gave me a great view.
-- B. Clearly a major appeal of hockey is its chaotic action. There are no "possessions" like in football or basketball. Since the puck is so hard to control, "possession" of it can change 3 times in 3 seconds.
-- C. The PA announcements seemed to be about 2/3 in French and 1/3 in English, roughly.
-- D. TWICE during the game I decided to pull out my phone and take some video of the game action, and these two times I did it THE HABS HAPPENED TO SCORE! First time was about 3/4 through the 1st period, and the second time was about 2/3 through the 2nd period. For that reason I consider myself personally responsible for 2 of the Habs' 4 goals!
-- E. With the game tied at 3 the Canadiens scored a bit of a freak goal WITH 15 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME!! WOW!! That was quite the ending. Unfortunately I wasn't shooting video on my phone when that one happened.

Here's the video:

• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Here's the video:

• Video Link

Woot Woot!!

[MolsonExport]

What does Hockey mean to Montrealers?

Nothing shows this better than this:
• Video Link

Here is the full treatment. What a city. So many greats in one place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnTFTzMmTAc

[Razor]

@ James Bond Agent 007.

First of all, thank you for all of your "Brain Droppings"..I enjoyed reading your in depth posts and observations on Winnipeg, Calgary, and now Montreal..
The first time I ever experienced Montreal, there was just something about that city I couldn't quite put my finger on..It just had a vibe and soul that I never experienced anywhere else, and that was more than than the French Canadian influence. I just wanted to ask you if you caught that too when you visited? That "Je ne sais quoi?" factor. Anyways, I was just curious if you felt that way too, and thanks again! P.S There's an incredible food scene in Montreal, so I hope you had some good eats!
I hope you make it to beautiful Ottawa one day, but it's more manicured, conservative and institution like than the other Canadian cities you had visited.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by Razor

@ James Bond Agent 007.

First of all, thank you for all of your "Brain Droppings"..I enjoyed reading your in depth posts and observations on Winnipeg, Calgary, and now Montreal..
The first time I ever experienced Montreal, there was just something about that city I couldn't quite put my finger on..It just had a vibe and soul that I never experienced anywhere else, and that was more than than the French Canadian influence. I just wanted to ask you if you caught that too when you visited? That "Je ne sais quoi?" factor. Anyways, I was just curious if you felt that way too, and thanks again! P.S There's an incredible food scene in Montreal, so I hope you had some good eats!
I hope you make it to beautiful Ottawa one day, but it's more manicured, conservative and institution like than the other Canadian cities you had visited.

The thing that stood out to me the most was not the French stuff, per se, but the bilingualism. I felt like I was in parts of Europe where you can go almost anywhere and lots of people will also speak English in addition to their own language, and they don't mind doing so, either (at least from what I could tell). But unlike in Europe, I presume if I went to a hockey game in, say, Sweden, where the PA announcements would all be in Swedish, here even the PA announcements were mixed French-English.

I only ate at one fancy restaurant, which was the one in my hotel. Was a $150 meal!

While it definitely had a unique vibe to it, I think the fact I was there in the coldest part of winter may have toned down that vibe somewhat.