People in Montreal seem to value coffee almost as much as do photographers in Austin. There's pretty good coffee almost everywhere and truly great coffee shows itself out in the open, from time to time. My favorite locale for a nice cappuccino, or even drip coffee, is Crew Collective Café which is in a giant, ornate bank lobby. Half the huge and architecturally captivating lobby is the coffee shop while the other half is a shared workspace, something like a much upscaled version of WeWorks but without the former's former weird management vibe.
I had a hand made (not plastic packaged and reheated) breakfast sandwich there on my first morning that was a toasted sesame seed bagel (which, on its own, was divine) on top of which was a generous dollop of nicely spicy guacamole, on top of which was a bed of sprouts brushed with just a little lemon juice. The sprouts formed a nest for a perfect soft-boiled egg. The sandwich was finished with just a bit of dijon mustard. Weird to describe but wonderful to eat.
So, the giant basilica in the middle of the old town... Did the crew at Disney World light the interior? It was pretty darn fabulous. I liked the shots I got from the very earnest Pentax. I liked Belinda's perfectly composed shots from her little Canon G15 better. But I think, technically, the best shots came from... my iPhone XR. Oh well. That's what my friend, Andy, was predicting over at ATMTX just a few days ago. Something about those phones and big, contrasty scenes is like magic. If you go to Montreal the interior of the giant cathedral is well worth the time. Especially if it happens to be cold and rainy outside.
Phones. Phones. Phones. Phones.
We're all getting grayer. Some of us handle it better than others. I should pay attention and learn from the calm people.
Yes. I asked Belinda to step into the green light at the Musee Des Beaux Arts....
Note the beret purchased in 1985 in Paris. It travels everywhere there's cold weather.
Newest marital strife, who will be the director of the selfie stick?
D.B.D.H.
Window decor with flickering television set in the background.
And the burglar alarm company logo right in the middle of everything.
All Pentax-y.
11 comments:
Sorry Kirk but there is only one northern paradise and it's called Vancouver. It's not called Lotus Land for no reason but I will admit to not knowing the reason myself and I lived there.
Too much frivolous money in Vancouver. I like the vibe of Montreal. If I want to immerse myself in a trustfunder/new money paradise I can just hang out here in Austin...
My parents lived in Montreal in the mid 70's to mid 80's. Beautiful city at any time of year. Fabulous food and the surrounding countryside is also a delight.
The real advantage of Montreal is that it has not been touted as the "must see" destination for every travel hound on the planet. It still has a calmer old world vibe that is sure of itself and has a sense of style and decorum.
Vancouver is nice-ish but the commercial vibe that dominates the environment adds a sense of desperation to the city.
Forgot to put the sarc tag on my original post. I live in the interior of BC and like many others up here we look upon Vancouver's self importance with a bit of amusement.
“Newest marital strife...”. Wonderful.
Lovely town. I visited shortly after moving to Canada and it felt more like home than the GTA. The problem is the economy of Quebec isn't all that hot, and I don't speak fluent French :)
Sexy Angel in the last image brings a smirk.
In ADT we trust.
In response to ODL Design's comment I would like to say that the province of Québec in 2019 now has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, which is a first in many years. The economy seems to be doing just fine.
Marc from Cantley Québec
As an American tourist, I like Montreal. But I love Quebec City. Montreal is an English/French combination, Quebec City seems all French, and is more interesting for that foreign flavor.
Could help but laugh at the Flavor Flav style ADT medallion.
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