I went to Montreal this past weekend, but have been wayyyy too busy to blog about it. Between school, homework, and work projects I’ve literally barely had time to eat during the day. I was supposed to spend all day today working on a project for Marc, but thanks to SJG and JChin’s inability to keep their noses out of anything, the project is no longer happening, so I have time to blog 
Work and school were both closed starting Thursday for the Jewish New Year, so that’s when I left. I took the train up and back because a) it was cheaper than flying; and b) I’d heard that the scenery was beautiful. Now, I’m sure many people think I’m insane for taking an 11 hour (one way) train ride for the view and the cost, but I’m glad I did. It was surprisingly comfortable, the scenery was beautiful, and I had plenty of time to catch up on my reading. I was on a Shakespeare kick and managed to read MacBeth, King Lear, and Troilus and Cressida (along with another novel) during my 22 hour round trip. I could have read more, but the mountains and river were really distracting.
Montreal’s super cute and the people are reallllllyyyy nice. Like, so nice it even creeps me—the Midwesterner—out. Parts of the city look just like NYC, but Old Montreal is very European. Cobblestone streets, gothic architecture, huge cathedrals, little cafes—the works, basically. My favorite part was Mont Royal. It’s this huge hill (I think it’s something like 760 feet high) and if you climb up 432 steps (yes, I counted) and walk up multiple sloping paths, you’re rewarded with an amazing view of the city, the St, Lawrence river, and a couple mountains in the background. I went up two of the three mornings I was there. The park on the “mountain” was designed by the guy who later designed Central Park, so clearly that was gorgeous too.
I went to other parts of the city too: Chinatown (cute), Little Italy (lame), Olympic Stadium area (ugly), Botanical Gardens (lovely) St Louis Square (charming, especially the surrounding houses), St. Helen’s Island (beautiful, with awesome views).
My favorite shop was Suite 88 Chocolatier. I read rave reviews online, so I just had to go. I tried both their original hot chocolate (made with melted chocolate and milk) and their intense hot chocolate (made with cream and a whole lot more chocolate). Both were delicious, but the intense was even a little too much for me….and that’s saying something.
Overall, my vacation was blissfully uneventful. I’m sure that would be boring to some people (*cough*EK*cough*) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I’ve firmly established on this blog that I’m mellow and drama-averse, so the polite chill atmosphere of Montreal was exactly what I needed. The only thing that would have made it better was if the subway conductors actually stopped the train completely before opening the doors….. lol
PS: This pic’s just for you EK 
