A Mourrail

As some of you might know, I adore traveling. And living in Toronto affords you so many exciting travel opportunities within a reasonable time and expense. So it's a bit shocking that I haven't yet gone to Montreal.

Well, this past weekend that all changed. My friend Jennie and I decided in the summer to plan a weekend out there- and so we did! I rented a car for the weekend and we booked a VERY cheap hotel. At the last minute my friend Isabel decided to come along so expenses were cut even cheaper!

I rented a car, and I was pretty excited about driving again. It's been since I toodled around Victoria in April. I've never driven in Toronto, but really driving is just driving and one great thing, they drive fast enough here!

Early(ish) Friday I picked up Isabel and headed up to the "nosebleeds" to pick up Jennie. Then we got ourselves caffinated and put our on Thelma and Louise style headscarves and booked it out of the city! BON VOYAGE!

The drive to Montreal is pretty easy- you get on the 401 and head right- that's about it, it's not as exciting as driving through the rockies but not as dull as driving across the prairies. And the leaves were just starting to turn so the colours were great!

We arrived in the city from the South? I think- I am directionally challenged, all I really remember is taking some VERY rickety looking overpasses, nothing like exposed re-bar to make you feel secure as you are driving over and under a river. It took a little bit as our faithful navigator TomTom seemed to have some issue with the language change (could he be from BC?) but we made it to our hotel and got checked in. The hotel was indeed seedy! But you get what you pay for, and when you are paying less than $30/night for a hotel expectations must be kept to a minimum.

From there we drove up Mont Royal to get some scenic Vista shots of the city. I had had thoughts of getting there via transit or foot- but we had a car! Let's not waste this opportunity to be lazy. And I'm sure glad we did! It is kind of high up! After that we had a bit of a mission finding the parking I had sussed out for us. All of the research I had done on Montreal cried, "This city SUCKS for parking!" And yes, it kind of does. However we found our parking garage under Le Bibliotheque Nationale- camera secure, reasonable ($10/24 hours), and about 7 minutes from the hotel.

We all had a bit of freshen up time (and beer!) and then headed out for a wander on the streets- turns out we're all a bit directionally challenged, but Isabel must contain more estrogen as she made us check the map and figure out where we were and where we should head to. I will just go with my being lostness, generally because I don't want to look like "a tourist", although hopelessly lost seems to be just fine.

We finally made our way to Rue St. Denis (I think- really I have no idea where I was all weekend, I kind of said- I am driving us here and back and that's all I can do- lead on!) and we found a nice Indian restaurant to have dinner at. OR SO WE THOUGHT.

By all accounts it SHOULD have been a nice place, it smelled good, it was bustling inside, everyone seemed happy. And it was alright, until the food came. I had ordered a Rogan Josh (lamb) because it's one of the spicier options- I like me some spicy. But I thought, you don't know this place so don't go whole hog and get the Vindaloo- don't want to spend my trip to Montreal strapped to the toilet. However, the food was, in a word- bland. We all found this to be the case. Not spicy and not spiced. As much as I love burning my mouth off with some spiciness, I definitely appreciate a delicately spiced meal. Major fail on both counts. It just tasted like tomatoes, with a side of staples. YES- staples. I found a staple in my food.

The best part of this dinner was calling over the waiter and letting him know there was a staple in my food- he didn't apologize or fall all over himself trying to placate me- but just heaved a giant sigh and shook his head and wandered away in what looked like a- NOT AGAIN- type of mode. It was really hilarious. I have learned that often lamb is stapled together in its preparation, so it wasn't like a random person was coallating over my food. Their naan was quite tasty though- I will say that. And if I could remember the name I'd go and give this place a poor review- good thing I can't remember the name.

After dinner we headed out to a hookah bar. I've never been to one of these before, nor have I ever smoked a hookah. But if the catepillar from Alice in Wonderland can do it- so can I. And all in all it was my favourite part of the evening. Smoking hookah is very interesting, it's relaxing but not intoxicating, and easy on the lungs as it's processed through water. And oh yeah, one other thing- DELICIOUS, there are a variety of "flavours" you can choose- Jennie has done this before so she choose and it was a delicious mix of roses and apples and some other things.

We headed back to the hotel after that because- honestly, I was zonked. I didn't sleep well on Thursday night and all that driving is actually tiring.

Saturday we were up and out by 9.30 or 10am and headed to Beauty's for breakfast. This was up on/near St. Laurent and we arrived just as it really started raining. We managed to sit out most of the rain during breakfast and then walked down St. Laurent, wandering in and out of the neat-o stores they have along the strip. We saw the famous smoked meat place- that I now can't remember the name of. (too much hookah the night before?) There was a massive line up outside of it, and I guess it's like that ALL the time.

After a brief respite of refreshements we headed out to Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal) we arrived and walked up to Notre Dame which is a giant church- (Quebecers are into churches) to find a wedding just finishing up, we stood for a bit and watched the photos being taken. Jennie of course being a newlywed was all giddy and excited, Isabel and I being bitter singletons were a bit more meh about it.

Old Montreal is very european, the streets are cobblestone and narrow and well, just really lovely looking. While we were there it began to POUR with rain and my alert went off that we needed to plug the meter. So we headed back towards "new" montreal, not knowing how we'd get back in there but stumbled upon a very pretty fountain. And being giant nerds we took pictures of each other at the fountain in the rain. And a few of the bride and groom who were also out there for their wedding photos.

That evening we met up with Jennie's friends from Quebec City for dinner at a BYOW restaurant. It was quite nice, but ridiculously busy. And I was very tired and sore. Because of course, I decided to dress up nicely and wear my cream trousers! Which had to be paired with my patent black and cream heels for two reasons: 1) they look hot and 2) they keep the hem of the trousers from dragging on the ground.

This could have been a tactical error as we walked from our hotel to the restaurant which was a good 20 minute walk. These heels are what one calls "limo to lobby" shoes. Not meant for crazy activity, such as leisurely walking. They are there for one purpose- to make me look good. Anyway by the time we were seated and at the table and the wine was uncorked I had slipped off my shoes and was really enjoying myself!

After dinner je refuse to walk back to the hotel and Isabel, having imbibed the better part of a bottle of rose, was in no real state to walk and we cabbed it back. The cab driver had a couple of giggles at my tipsy attempts at french- but hey, when in QUEBEC do as the Quebecers do.

Jennie arrived back at the hotel shortly after we did and we staked out the party across the street, wondering if we should head on over there and rip er up for the rest of the night. After a few shots of vodka and some ridiculous giggling we decided to head out into the streets! We wandered around and watched the post-bar bru-ha-ha. Tried unsucessfully to get into a strip club, only because, as it turns out- it was really a brothel. And there is no way Jennie or I are going to pay $50 just to get into a place to oggle some ladies. I can go to the changeroom at the gym, or just stare into a mirror to oggle should I feel the need.

After some more of a wander, we headed back to the hotel, only to get stopped by the guy at the front desk who was in a word- weird. Jennie was a much better sport about it, I was just starting to fade into drunken oblivion. We were finally able to get back into our room and get to sleep at about 4am.

Sunday morning came FAR too quickly, but we managed to get up and get packed up. If you've ever wondered how much stuff 3 girls bring for 2 days away- I can tell you it's a LOT. And it's all TOTALLY necessary.

Once I fetched the car and loaded it up, we were off to Banquise for some poutine. This was on my must do list for Montreal- La Banquise is pretty much universally named one of the best poutine places in Montreal and the poutine in Quebec is delightful.

I've been a big fan of the poutine since my univsersity years, and to think how disgusting that poutine is compared to the real deal! This poutine, I got mine with bacon, was beyond delicious! Served piping hot and with a side of very strong Americano it hit the spot and cured any left over maliciousness from the night before.

From there we were off to the Jean Talon market- an amazing place, similar in concept to the St. Lawerence Market, but in more of an outdoor setting. I bought some very weird broccoli, cheese curds (for home made poutine), goat cheese of a couple varieties and a locally made wine. I love markets- they are so much nicer than a grocery store. We packed up our goodies and went off to see our final destination- Fairmont Bagels.

(I bought the weirdo brocs to the left of the purple cauliflower)

All out of Everything Bagels I had to make do with some Onion ones instead (ahh people LOVE it when I have those for breakfast) and a few sesame and poppyseed for those who think they are the only suitable bagels.

And thus began the trek home. It seemed long on the way back to Toronto, probably because I wasn't filled with the excitement of visiting a new city and hadn't quite slept much in the past 4 days.

We stopped briefly at a cheese farm where Jennie could buy some curds and we all picked up a little something. I myself bought a little mini bottle of maple syrup. TEENSY. And it will most likely last me years. As they say- a dab will do you...

I think we were near Cornwall, it was all picturesque: green fields, gravel driveways, two lane roads, mail boxes at the end of the drive. Isabel commented on how lovely it all was and how she could see herself out here in the future. My only thought was GADS WHERE IS THE CITY- if I don't see some concrete soon I will FREAK THE HELL OUT.

And thus- confirmed- I am a city girl.

Amen for that. And thanks to Montreal for being such a lovely city. I can't wait to go back and spend more time. Maybe late spring....

The City of Angels- or LA LA Land- or Walking in LA

The trip to LA was uneventful. I flew via Detriot and I was so tired by the time I got on the plane I passed out for the whole ride. For me, this is unusual. I don't sleep much when I'm traveling because it's so damn EXCITING! I'm on a plane/train/automobile and going somewhere and and (this is usually when I start bouncing in my seat a little).

I'm not really used to making connections on flights and I forgot how stressful it can be. I made the connection with a few minutes to spare, but not enough to get myself a good meal along the way. Or even a crappy meal- so I was forced to buy something on the plane. I got the fruit and cheese plate- couldn't bring myself to shell out for a sandwich. It was surprisingly good, a variety of cheeses that didn't include marble cheddar, but Brie and a Weslydale and Gouda and some quite nice crackers. But not that satisfying.

By the time I arrived at LAX I was starving, my "boss" for the week was about an hour behind me, and for some reason I thought oh I'd better get to her gate as soon as possible, surely there will be some food near there. So I walked by the variety of food places and on I went. Only to arrive at her gate and find a Starbucks. I am not a sweet person (right mum?!) so being shown the option between lemon cake, cookies and biscotti I'll choose- none of them. I was able to buy some really overpriced almonds and a bottle of water. Dinner-fail.

Once I picked up Boss Lady (BL) we went to the hotel at the airport and had some room service. I'm not sure what it is about California that makes me crave hamburgers. Everytime I've been there, and the last time was in my early teens, i don't think I ate anything BUT hamburgers (and pineapple DoleWhip) the whole time I was there- including breakfast. This time I managed to branch out a little and eat more than just hamburgers the whole time. Yay me!

The week was a bit of a whirlwind BL was just in the process of renting an apartment in Beverly Hills (90210) so we spent a fair bit of time going to various places, Ikea mainly, and other stores to get everything set up for her. There was a lot of putting together Ikea furniture on my part. It wasn't all that bad, but I will say this: If you are a coffee drinker, do not try to assemble Ikea furniture before you have your morning coffee. Nothing good will come of it. NOTHING.

There were some outings to meet with people in "the industry" that BL had to meet with. I was in on one of those meetings, interesting stuff.

I did get to have a tasty breakfast at a little breakfast place near BL's apartment. Although I was disconcerted to find that they chopped up my asparagus on my eggless Benny. I can't say I'm really that keen on chopped up asparagus, I like a full stalk to nibble.

On the Friday I was starting to get a bit tired, I had some of the afternoon off and went down to one of the MoCA buildings that was nearby. There was only one installation on at that time, but it was really interesting and I was glad to see a little bit of the arts when I was there.

Then I headed up to Hollywood Blvd, as I was on a mission to go to Hot Topic and pick up a couple of t-shirts for my friend's teen monster. It was VERY hot out and I wasn't super keen on being up around such a touristy part of town- but I did manage to find the t-shirts and pick up a few stupid fridge ornaments. From there I decided to walk back to Beverly Hills- I KNOW- walkig in LA! THE HUMANITY.

But I did and I spent the next two hours trudging back to the apartment. I found it to be rather nice and I did pass by some really interesting homes. Plus it was nice to get out and walk after a week of being mostly driven everywhere.

Some of the highlights:

Seeing Spider Man just casually walking down the street.
The big smoke cloud over Burbank as the hills were burning (in a train wreck sort of way)
After a week of intense Toronto humidity, the dry dry super hot heat.
Being on the same time zone as le famille.
HAMBURGERS!
Getting to know BL much better, and her impression of going to DisneyLand made me almost pee.



It was a really intersting experience and I think it was a great break in the summer to get out of the city a bit. I wish I had been able to get down to the Ocean to see it, I don't like to miss a chance at that.

And I do think it's true about what they say- you are either a New York person or a LA person. I am the former, there is no question about that at all. LA is fine to visit, but in no way could I live there. I once had a conversation about this with Janos when comparing Toronto and Vancouver. I think it's somewhat similar- Toronto is a very much east coast/seaboard type of city, where Vancouver is very west coast. I am a Toronto person, gosh my heart just about bursts everytime I see the CN Tower, I can't get enough of this city. It's second only to NYC I think. There are such beautiful places in the world to see, and I am sure that many of them will capture me as well. But for now, Toronto is where I hang my hat.

It reminds of that song- All my exes live in Texas. And that's why I hang my hat in Tennessee.

Indeed.

Summer Part 2

August is where the fun and the sun begins. Summer in July was a bit damp, but the weather in August really turned things around. The wedding being the kick off point to a very fun rest of the summer. After that it was parties and bbqs galore. Mid-month I had a host of visitors in town.

Janos was in Montreal to photograph a wedding and decided to step out to Toronto to check out the city and catch up. It was so great to have him around again! He and I are former flatmates and were always having fun in the kitchen cooking up a variety of items. When he was here he introduced me to a delicious cucumber salad (cukes, garlic and sesame oil-done) and we had some great lettuce wraps with a thai peanut sauce.

Two days after he arrived my youngest cousin, Cam, arrived from Kelowna for a couple of days before he moved to The Netherlands for a year of University. We hadn't seen each other in at least 3 years so it was great to catch up with him again. He and Janos and I went for a delicious and authentic mexican dinner at Christie and Bloor and then headed to the Skydome for a baseball game- Janos being a baseball fan with no teams in Vancouver. Cam and I are less enthusiastic fans (read not fans at all) but had a great time up in the nosebleeds drinking beer and laughing with and at the rowdy fans. Janos managed to score a free expensive seat and really enjoyed it.

That evening as well my best friend Briana arrived in town, it was like friend overload in the best possible sense. I picked her up from the airport and it was just beyond wonderful to be able to hug her again. And she brought me some Okanagen Cherries!

Next day was brunch out with all of us and some wandering around Kensington market. A summer storm was brewing so it was ridiculously hot and muggy- it made it very hard to wander around and check things out. I was hosting a bbq that evening to have my Toronto friends meet my BC friends. The preparations were plentiful and the food was really good, but after the second guest had arrived a loud crack was heard and it started to POUR with rain. I mean torrential downpour pour. So we all ran inside to see if we could out wait the storm enough to start the BBQ.

My apartment is not large, it's really pretty teensy and having 8 of us in my living room on a beyond muggy evening was really interesting. Or in other words HOT. But the rain finished up and we were able to get the BBQ up and running and work on stuffing our little faces with a bunch of delicious food. I love hosting a party, I JUST love it. I'm also really good at it. Part of me wishes that I had a bigger place so I could have lovely dinner parties and friends over all the time. Not yet.

During this time I had been asked to go to Los Angeles to be a personal assistant for a week. It all seemed to line up, I was booked to leave on Saturday afternoon to fly out there. The bbq was Thursday as Janos and I had to hit a wedding in Terra Cotta on Friday.

We might have lazed about on breakfast on Friday morning a bit too long as we were a bit rushed heading up there, having to run an errand downtown. And since I don't drive in the city I had no idea about the horror and frustration that is downtown driving. I'm not sure why anyone does it. And apparently I have become a backseat driver, which is mortifying and Janos has since accepted my apologies about that.

The wedding itself was lovely and there wasn't a trace left of the previous days storm (which in fact caused quite a bit of damage slightly north of the city due to Hurricanes). The setting was picturesque along a river and everyone seemed happy and beaming. I admit to not being in best form because of stress/lack of sleep/I'm an asshole. But it was a fun time and we had a really intersting talk with the Father of the Groom- who used to work for the TTC. It was so interesting to hear about the behind the scenes of the subway.

Saturday morning we met up with Briana for a brunch at Easy- which is definitely my favourite brunch spot in the city. And then we headed back home, Janos packed up and left for the airport, I ran around doing work and errands for my trip. Cam and I got an hour or so to relax before we all headed to the airport and we were off to all corners. Briana back to Vancouver, Cam to Amsterdam and me to LA.

Summer Part 1

My friend Jennie has commanded me to start updating my blog, and since she's pretty bossy and the mum of a teenmonster it's just best to do what she says.

This summer has definitely been one of the top three on record. I have had so much fun, and my love of Toronto has only deepened, making it clear to me that I am not ready to leave this wonderful city any time soon. So I'm doing something new, I'm taking a stand and going to put down some roots. While running away and into new adventure could it be more daring to just stay put? I guess we shall see.

There were two weddings this summer, one of my former roommate Jackie in Victoria, and the other of Jennie here in Toronto. I had only got to know Jennie in the late spring, but she's hella awesome so I keep hanging around her. We've had some pretty good adventures as well and she is a trusty gym buddy and a really kick ass cook!

Jennie's wedding was great, one absolutely fantastic party, that went off splendidly. The weeks leading up to it were full of the usual near disasters. It's funny how every year I swear off helpign at a wedding and every year it's another wedding. I just can't stay away. Must be my inherent masochism.

I didn't do a lot of traveling this summer, I went out to Belleville for a weekend with my Uncle which was fun. We went to Sandbanks National Park http://www.out-there.com/sandbank.htm
for a couple of days. The weather wasn't as warm as it SHOULD have been, so there was minimal swimming, but I got in the lake a couple of times and did end up with a bit of a sunburn.

As far as I can remember July was a fairly low-key month. Just working and hanging out with Jennie or Isabel on the weekends doing something or other. OH and wedding work up, and work outs.



I can pinpoint the exact moment summer started for me. I had had a fun night out (on a school night- shameful!) and was at work in a tired sort of giddy mood. One Dr. Stacy took me up to the Junction to get some food at the local organic grocery store. I spotted some organic Okanagen Cherries and was ready to plonk down a hefty chunk of change for them. I was expecting to pay about $12 for the bag, and oooh it would have been worth it. But when she rang through my items it came out to about $9 including tax. I did a bit of a double take and realized she had grossly undercharged me for the cherries. Did I say anything- no. Am I going to hell-yes. Was it worth it? Abso-effing-lutely. When it comes to Okanagen Cherries morals have zero meaning.

So sitting on the steps in the beautiful sunshine at lunch hour scarfing down deliciously sun warmed cherries was the moment that summer really began for me. And with a kick off like that, how could it be anything but amazing?