Three years ago today, I arrived in Montreal - ask me anything

[kedrys]

It's been mostly good, and the bad hasn't been anywhere near as bad as the crap that happened to me/us in the States.

There's not a day goes by that I don't congratulate myself and thank the deity du jour for getting out when I did. I'm sorry I couldn't take you guys with me.

:hi:

[bigwillq]

1. What is the best restaurant you've been to

in Montreal?

:hi:

[kedrys]

5. There's a little Thai restaurant down the street that blew my mind

It's called Bato Thai, and the I really liked the food there.

Unfortunately, I don't go out to eat as much as I'd like.

:hi:

[WinkyDink]

11. I'm just a tourist, but my lunch fave is Comencal!

[kedrys]

17. Commensal is pretty great

I was frankly surprised at how good (and varied) meatless food can be. It's inspired me to change my diet quite a bit.

They sell their dishes at the grocery store as well now. :hi:

[KurtNYC]

21. I love EuroSnak, Au Petit Extra, Le Patisserie Gascognon,

the gelato at Marche Jean Talon, and some of the vietnamese noodles shops near Vieux Montreal.

I know EuroSnak is mediocre by Montreal standards but it is usually the first lunch I have on a visit. Smoked meat sandwich (very much like pastrami), frittes with flavored mayo and a pint of Boreal rousse. Hmmm. I could have that right now.

[Forkboy]

2. Why do Habs fans riot after the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

:D

[kedrys]

6. Because Crescent Street is lined with pubs

and right up the street from Bell Centre, where the Habs play. :P

[Forkboy]

8. Ok, that works for me.

;)

As a Boston guy Montreal is the team I love to hate (not only that, it's a rule around here), but I love the city. I've been in Montreal 3 times (twice for hockey games) and I had a great time every visit. The Habs fans are totally insane, and I love that about them. :)

[kedrys]

10. I'd love to go to a game, but they're sold out decades in advance

:rofl: Seriously, though, the place is packed game after game. I turn 50 in November, so I think I'll use that as an excuse to splurge. :)

[dawg]

3. Ever see the band Of Montreal?

Oh wait, they're from Athens, Georgia. I should go see them. :hi:

[kedrys]

7. Actually, no

:D I'm informed that I should at least check out Arcade Fire, now that the whole planet had heard of them. :hi:

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Are Montrealers stuck up?

You have to be bilingual or they think you're brain dead... Of course, I might become bilingual living there, I realize...

[kedrys]

9. I don't think so

If you don't speak French very well, the reaction gets more harrumphed the farther east you go in the city. If you make any effort at all, though, they'll pay attention and help you out. My s.o. can attest to this - learning French hasn't been a picnic, but we live in a moderately francophone part of town, and everyone has been very nice and helpful.

I grew up in Quebec City speaking French, so I cheated a little. :hi:

[MrMickeysMom]

14. That's encouraging...

We live about 5 hours from Canada. Don't think we haven't thought about ending up in Canada since days of Bush ...

I find it slightly more encouraging that there are votes of no confidence in the coalition government lead by Harper lately. No fartin around with the election cycle, either. :hi: Eh?

[applegrove]

12. Have you been biking to LaChine? I used to live out there. Loved it!!

[kedrys]

16. I have - it's awesome!

It's on my yearly list of stuff to do. :bounce:

[laconicsax]

13. How's the Montreal Symphony sounding these days?

I studied with their associate principal clarinetist some years ago.

[kedrys]

18. Pretty glorious

Kent Nagano is a spectacular conductor. The orchestra plays all around town - even in the metro (well, sections, not the whole thing :D). The new season is about to start. :bounce:

[UrbScotty]

15. America is MUCH better off now that you've left!

JUST KIDDING!!!

(Or if it is better, it's because of Obama and Democrats and not because of you!)

Really, though. Do you feel many earthquakes up there? I know there was a big one centered around there last summer. Apparently it could be felt here in the Grand Rapids area, but I didn't feel it.

[kedrys]

19. Funny - I'm much better off now that I've left too!

:D

The earthquake last summer was pretty strong. The building where I work is mostly warehouse, and at first we thought the warehouse guys were fooling around - and then we all figured it out at the same time. The s.o. told me it went through our building almost like a wave; it hit the front first and propagated itself to the back - our building is long and skinny, so the effect on the top floor was noticeable.

The one we had a couple of weeks ago I missed entirely; I guess it wasn't enough to move the warehouse slab. Back at the apartment, the cats sort of woke up, looked around and went back to sleep. :D

[backwoodsbob]

20. ok

two questions

Who is going to win the world series this years and what are the winning numbers to the mega millions drawing?

[kedrys]

23. Um, no clue

If I knew the answer to the second question, I would have won 43 mil Friday night. :rofl:

I don't follow baseball that much - we don't have a team anymore, and it's still hockey season. Maybe later. :hi:

[KurtNYC]

22. Got an extra bedroom?

my 2nd favorite city in the world. Great for a 3 days weekend. Great food, some fun people, vibrant nightlife, affordable, no jet lag edgy and sexy.

Kidding about the bedroom but here is my question:
Is there any ex-pat community of Americans? and if yes, is there a common thing that brought them to Montreal?

[kedrys]

24. Sort of - but they're both kinda cluttered

:D We have three bedrooms - the master, the studio and my office. Great apartment, seriously considering buying it.

I know there are expat clubs - I've seen meeting notices and such - but I'm Canadian, so not terribly interested. My spouse is American, but can't even watch the U.S. news anymore, so also not interested. Business seems to be a common thread, though, from what I've seen.

[Ilsa]

25. So what kind of crap was happening to you in the US? Was it personal,

or was it the same old shit the rest of us are still dealing with?

BTW, I'm happy for you and yours. I frequently wish we could leave, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards, at least right now.

Have you become a citizen of Canada?

[kedrys]

26. A number of things

eventually culminating with job loss, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and so on. When the time came to decide whether we should move across town or bail out, we bailed. I'm Canadian, and my family's in Montreal, so landing here was the logical choice.

My spouse is a permanent resident and plans on becoming a citizen once the immigration sponsorship period ends in about 20 months. Neither one of us is in any rush to even visit the States.

[Hotler]

27. Any work up there??

I'm in the structural steel field. Shop fabrication to drafting.

[kedrys]

28. Overall, the employment scene seems to be going well

And we're about to get new metro cars (yet to be built) and a new bridge (still in the planning stages). Plus various urban redesign projects all over town - I'd say it looks pretty good.