Montreal

 

Since we had to attend the F1 race for three out of the five days we were in the city, we tried to fit in as much as we could to see Montreal.  Montreal is a very European feeling city, including a great subway and a lot of French influences in culture and architecture.  During the warm summer, it has a vibrant street life with parks and festivals.  We also were able to check off another Olympic summer games spot!

Our trip started with a long layover in LaGuardia where we went to one of the flagship airport lounges and one of the nicest we've been to - Lauren got a free facial as the massage timeslots were already booked.  LaGuardia itself is also dramatically nicer than the last time we were there and it's like a different place.

Our time in Montreal was great, the weather was perfect, and we enjoyed the city a lot.  

We saw the beautiful riverfront and old-town, the historic Olympic venue now turned into stadiums and a science center, art museums, a French EDM festival, and some of the most authentic European inspired architecture this side of the Atlantic.  The city ends on the river and the river front is a wonderful pedestrian area full of shops and restaurants. 

Lauren did have to stop by the city's Cathedral and Art Museum.  The Art Museum is housed over four buildings, linked by underground and has a few impressive items.   It is quite different than other art museums in its lay-out, woven floor-by-floor routing and housed some different exhibits.  The city also has a piece of the Berlin wall at one of its metro stops, which is a great example of the city's quirky, artsy but also refined and upscale vibe.

We did not know enough French to survive, but being F1 weekend, we heard dozens of languages all over the city.  We have now been to the three major Canadian cities and will probably not venture back until we can ride the train across the country.

--Lauren

Canadian Grand Prix

 

For Christmas Lauren got me tickets to the Canadian Grand Prix, including access to one of the tents - low-tier, we're not in the class to afford high-end anything at these Formula 1 events!  But low-tier in F1 isn't exactly slumming it...

Montreal was a cool city and although the public transport was busy, it was only a minor inconvenience to get out to the track which is on an island in the river and surrounds the Casino - all pretty neat stuff. 

The weather for the race was a little warm but honestly terrific - the year before it was a torrential rain the entire weekend so we were glad for the pretty weather when we were there.  

The race itself was pretty interesting, with an unexpected winner, but there wasn't a ton of action on track for us to see for some of it.  The lower category races were pretty interesting though, especially the F1 Academy races.