So we've been here a week now. The experience has been so rich that it actually feels like we've been here three weeks. We quickly recovered from our tough flight and have been enjoying the city quite a bit. This whole week has been unseasonably warm, with temperatures reaching above 80 degrees. Since we didn't expect it to be this warm right so soon, we have been spending a lot of time outside exploring the city. We've been in party mode the majority of the time; eating out, drinking beer, enjoying coffee shops (I think people in Montreal enjoy their coffee even more than those in Seattle, coffee shops are everywhere), and just generally enjoying the palpable atmosphere of non-U.S.-ness. Our place is so well located that it feels like we're in the middle of the action, but then again it's difficult to go wrong anywhere you are in Montreal. Lots of brick, lots of cool places to eat, and lots of bikes.
Speaking of bikes, the other day we had a great time trying out Montreal's BIXI (bike+taxi). It's a system of rentable bikes scattered throughout the city designed for short hops between pickup locations. That's perfect for transients like ourselves because we don't have to worry about buying a bike, storing it, locking it up, and losing it. We're thinking of getting a half season pass for 55$ CAD each. We'll probably do that next month after we finish using our subway passes, which are good until the end of this month.
The subway itself has been really easy and fun to use, it's fast and not insanely crowded like the ones in other cities (Rome comes to mind). The stations are relatively clean and some are even connected to underground shopping areas, which is understandable when you think about Montreal's brutal winters. We're gonna continue to use the subway to make the most out of this month's pass.
Today we visited the McGill school campus (got there via subway, of course). I visited the campus and the physics department 15 yers ago. The architecture of the university is just as I remembered it; more stone than brick, like a conglomeration of cool castles. We strolled through the ground floor of the physics building and saw some exhibitions about Ernest Rutherford (the discoverer of the atomic nucleus). Since it's a weekday, I saw students and staff milling about. I was amused to see that my beloved physics brethren haven't changed one bit: they all have that unmistakable, nerdy look. I felt at home. One of these days I think I'll sit in on a colloquium, it's been a while.
The day was hot so we limited our stroll around campus. Afterward we decided to go to The Peel Pub, one of the places suggested to me by a forum member. We enjoyed a couple of beers for only 3$ a pop, definitely the lowest price we've seen in Montreal so far. Although the vibe there felt quite American, I can totally go back for cheap beers and to catch a football game.
A few days ago we spent a couple of hours at the Plateau and had an afternoon snack at a place called Le Melbourne Cafe. When we first walked by it, the word Melbourne caught my eye and made me think of all my Australian forum friends. The grilled cheese sandwich we had was friggin delicious.
Here's a photo of the outside, the picture of Moe from The Simpsons struck me as comical, I don't really know why they're using it.
So all in all, it's been a fantastic first week, we couldn't have asked for better weather!
