Montreal In 39 Hours

Left at 4:00am in Mississauga (in a Yaris hatchback! Holy clowncar), got there at 10:30ish and promptly went here:

Did you know that Schwartz was black? Yep, Schwartz-ni...nevermind

I think I made believers out of my fellow travellers. Ian, Maunley, Danielle and Arvin. It was absolutely awesome, and the thing that made it even better was the fact that we got there, there was an immediate seat for 5, and when we left there was about 60 people waiting in line to get into a restaurant that hold about 60 people max (no joke). All within 30 minutes. Waiting in line is for suckas! In fact, they loved it so much we went there again before we left Montreal for home. I will now go into smoked meat withdrawl.

As well, I have for one reason or another fallen in love with this Quebec-chain department store:

They took the "PS" out of Simpsons...damn those French!

They have some great styles and pretty affordable prices. At the same time, though, they also have some high-end clothing. I ended up buying an old man's hat and when we went there a second time before we left for home (like Schwartz's, one is not enough), I got myself a black zip-up hoody. I only found out about this store when Sharon and I went to Quebec City a month or so ago, and this location was about 3 times bigger. This store has the potential to be the Target of Montreal (in that whenever I visit the US, I almost absolutely have to visit a Target). I wish they bring a branch to Ontario.

Other highlights:

-the French restaurant we went to for dinner was good; the poached salmon I had was great

-poprocks candy; first time having it in decades

-finding Arvin's long-wanted navy blue jacket from Zara's, trying to hide it from him, having him follow me around a pillar asking me what it was (yep, it looked as homo as it sounded), and then him pretending not to be happy/excited about it. What makes this story even better? Literally taking the jacket from the rack 13 seconds before a gay guy who wanted it got to it, then having that gay guy trying his hardest to be conspicuous (he really wasn't) follow us around the store seeing if we would ditch it so he could get his hands on it. Seriously, I guess this jacket was meant to be for Arvin, even though in my opinion it looks very similar to one he already has (had to add that last part of the sentence in there because I know he is going to be reading this and will whole-heartdly disagree with me)

-going to American Apparel, where the clothing selection was really not that good, but one of the sales associates being extremely hot. And then looking and acting like a 13 year old boy who just saw his first pair of boobies

-speaking of which, stopping in front of strip bars, almost going in, but then chickening out because moments before we acted like 13 year old boys who just saw their first pair of boobies

-did I mention the names of these strip bars? "Super Sexe" and my favourite one, "Super Contact"

-getting to know Ian and Maunley and Danielle better

-staying at the Delta Hotel, except for the fact I had to sleep on the floor in my sleeping bag and not sleeping much because of the constant fluctuations in hot and cold

-Snyder's pretzel chips, damn addicting

-wearing my old man's hat, then having an actual old French man (with who I presumed to be his granddaughter) come up to me and asking, "sir, I ask you a kesschon, where did you get that hat?" Me, wanting to pretend I was hip and saavy and knowledgable about Montreal and French culture all together, responded by saying, "oh I just bought it at Simons (except I pronounced it see-moans)." The granddaughter sorta gave me a look and said, "oh, Simons (and she pronounced it exactly the way it looks in English)." And then the old man added in, "oh, the Simons here in Montreal? Not in Japan, right?" I wasn't aware that I was looking Japanese, unless, of course, he saw me as a Sumo in-training

Basically, good times and lots of fun, except for whenever I was in horrible pain due to my throat and inner left ear being affected by the side effects of the surgery. One of the most intense pains I've felt in a long time. It's like a burning, scratching, irritated feeling that won't go away unless I close my eyes and wait it out for like 45 seconds. Then it started again, and tylenol wasn't really much help. So needless to say, the meals I ate weren't fully satisfying. Sigh.

I did come home happy though, seeing my love and a Thanksgiving meal (which included what I look forward to every year: stuffing! I think I like it even better than turkey). Vive le Schwartz's et Simons!