From the category archives:

Musings

Montreal Me Manques

by Elena on November 11, 2009

The air is so crisp this time of year in Montreal, I literally walk down the street breathing in so deep, I can only imagine I look like I’m smelling something completely foul. It isn’t as cold as I remember however, as a friend of mine griped about last night. Can’t say I’ve met a French person who liked the bitter cold as much as he does. I mean, I’m a fan of the seasons myself, but you don’t hear me wishing for below zero temperatures! He described a time last winter where it was so cold it made your face swell. Swollen faces, that’s what we have to look forward to everybody.

I have wrestled back and forth so many times as to whether or not to live and work in Montreal. There is something about this city that I just can’t place. The je ne sais quoi factor may seem like a lame excuse to avoid making a definite decision, and in part it is. It is based more on a feeling than any other palpable explanations. The sense that this is my city, a place I can wrap my mind around. For years I went to school and worked in NYC and the pace was addicting, but I never felt like I kept up to speed.

I can’t tell you the happiness it brings me to see old faces that I don’t get to see that often. Tomorrow I get to see La Bande de Boudoir. We chose this name in honor of our bar and our common penchant for cheap drinks and some laughs.

Montreal Stairs 2

Montreal Stairs 3

Montreal Stairs 4

Ok I fess up. You can see that there are still leaves on the trees in these photographs. That is because they are the photos I took a couple months ago on my last trip to Montreal. My camera is currently in the shop breathing its last breath. The staircases of the homes in Montreal are very much an image I have of this city and when I walk by them I know I’m really here.

These pictures are relevant to the feelings I have at the moment. Can I have nostalgia for a city, that I’m currently in? Most likely because I’m not sure if I will stay.

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Wake Up Tomorrow: Montreal

by Elena on November 9, 2009

To continue with the idea of the film Fifty People, One Question, I asked myself the very question the film asked. Where would I want to wake up tomorrow? Hmm the answer is more often than not Montreal (if you cannot tell already the love I have for that city). Therefore, this week I decided to mix a little business with pleasure and make another visit to my favorite city up north.

For the Gringa site, I have been wanting to include guides to some of my favorite places. Montreal will inevitably be a part of this project. I will be working on this guide this week and I hope to have it ready and published shortly.

Montreal Balcony

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I’m Too Cute, Please Don’t Eat Me

by Elena on November 6, 2009

Cuy is a popular dish of the Andes, a dish that the indigenous people living in high mountains have been eating for a very long time. Cuy can also be found on many restaurant menus, especially those catering to tourists. Curious tourists want to sink their teeth into cuy, not because they may crave it, but rather because of the novelty. Cuy is guinea pig, and as they say, when in Peru….

Guinea Pig 1

While in Peru, I unabashedly thought I’d be adventurous and follow in the footsteps of travel favorites like Anthony Bourdain and Zimmerman. I wanted to fully immerse myself in the culture and food. After all, food is an important part of a culture, one of the defining aspects if you ask me. It is important not to judge the culinary practices of another culture. There is nothing ruder than someone looking down at your plate and announcing “ew that’s gross.” I’ve heard it before, being Spanish and all.

Guinea Pig 2

At one restaurant I avoided the cuy because of its expensive price tag, but I was determined to taste it. However on one of our tours they decided to show us not the dish cuy, but rather the guinea pigs themselves. Look at the picture below! I just couldn’t do it after that.

Eek! Guinea Pig 3

Llama is another popular choice on the Peruvian menu. From what I am told it is tougher than beef. Although I didn’t try llama in Peru I did taste some in Bolivia. In true stereotypical American fashion, I had llama on top of my pizza. Although it’s definitely a new topping I’ve never tried before, don’t think I’d ever put it on pizza again.

Here is a picture of an alpaca, cousin to the llama. Alpaca’s are smaller than llamas and have ears that point backwards.

Alpaca

Llamas’ ears point forward and up.

Llama

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Where Would You Wake Up Tomorrow?

by Elena on November 6, 2009

Ask yourself this one simple question…

Fifty People One Question – Café Con Leche

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Halloween in NYC

by Elena on November 2, 2009

Lucille Ball, Wonder Woman, Zombie, Lady Gaga, Pilot For those of you unconvinced of the magical powers of All Hallow’s Eve, allow me to ask you this. What other holiday allows grown adults and children alike to dress up in the wildest costumes without the least bit of social stigma? Yes some of you may think that this is a child’s holiday, but venture out in New York City on October 31st and you will soon think otherwise. This year in particular, it felt like everyone wanted to take advantage of the chance to dress up as their alter ego, not letting some pesky rain get in the way of all the fun. The fact that there is this one time of the year where we are allowed to escape our traditional roles, and if we so choose, prance down Bleeker Street in a pink tutu covered in blood or our eyeballs falling out of their sockets is somewhat freeing, don’t you think?

This year the streets were filled with superheroes, detectives, Jokers, the undead, Gilligans, Mary Anns, harlots, detectives, Monroes, Jackie O’s, pop stars, rolls of toilet paper, and even giant green Gumbys? Add the fact that Halloween fell on the Saturday coinciding with game 4 of World Series, Yankees vs Phillies. Needless to say New Yorkers were going nuts. We won… by the way. Sorry Philly fans. Doctor, Sleepy, and Wonder Woman All corners of the Village, East, West, Greenwich and everything in between, had people walking around in costume, some even getting a little too into character. We stumbled upon a Bruno so dedicated to his role he had to interview every person in his path. The living dead were jumping on unsuspecting pedestrians and the occasional taxi cab. The Halloween Parade that marches down 6th avenue, often times takes over two hours to fully leave the starting point. It truly is an experience that people visiting this city won’t ever forget, definitely the most eccentric NYC parade you will ever see. The great part is that everyone is allowed to participate. You merely need to show up at the starting point in your best costume, and you are free to parade down 6th avenue dressed as a giant flea, zombie, fire breathing dragon, or whatever else your creative mind can come up with.

Halloween Parade in New York City

Blockheads

Image via: clgregor

Toilet Paper Man

Image via: Bob Jagendorf

Pirates Image via: celebdu

NYC Finest and Obama

Image via: Bob Jagendorf

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The French Don’t Smile

by Elena on September 1, 2009

The French don’t smile.

Americans do!

I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately. Must have something to do with my up and coming birthday. Impending birthdays always seem to make me a little nostalgic. Perhaps I’m longing for my love affair with Montreal (when am I not?) and the carefree days of little responsibility, besides my worries on how to order my crème brûlée in French. Je vais prendre une crème brûlée s’il vous plaît.

In Montreal we had a group that we liked to call Le Bande de Boudoir, created after an eventful cinq a sept at Boudoir Cafe, and perhaps too much Quebecois beer. Since we were all learning English, French or Spanish, and we came from all over the world, it made for some interesting conversation and miscommunication. There were no reservations here, every stereotype on the table. Are all the French snotty and uptight? Of course not, but we sure as hell would harp on it, just as much as we’d emphasize how loud and obnoxious us Americans are. Is it true? Not really, but it makes for more interesting bar talk. It was the the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ philosophy, and it seemed to work. After spending so much time trying to deter assumptions and stereotypes, there comes a point where you can only welcome them.

Possibly one of my favorite pictures of all time. Check out our friend ‘the bartender’ in the background. Somehow he made it into quite a bit of our pictures.

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Why Montreal?

by Elena on August 12, 2009

When I arrived to Montreal after 1 year of being away, I felt a twinge of sadness for what I had left behind. I had left behind a city that I loved so much, a city that had become my own. Initially it was hard for me to leave, but I had to move forward and continue on with my journey, wherever that may have led next.

What is it that makes Montreal so special? Lots of my friends have asked me this question when I had toyed around with making Montreal somewhat of a permanent residence. I have been able to come up with many answers: the lifestyle, the festivals, the people, the languages, the culture, the accessibility of riding a bike, people watching, etc etc. When I asked people from Montreal why they stay, they all say the same thing. The city has a charm that is unique. There is a certain je ne sais quoi that is hard to pinpoint.

A good friend, faced with the decision of leaving Montreal to go back to Toronto, created a clever and ever so fitting metaphor for both cities. He said his decision was like choosing between two women, both very different and appealing for different reasons. Montreal is the sexy woman, full of life, culture, passion and excitement. Toronto is the rational woman where he can have security and support, which will allow him to focus on his career. Of course these are very personal opinions, not to say that Toronto is boring, far from it in fact, but rather that Montreal represents something for him as it does for me. Maybe it’s because I myself have always leaned towards excitement that I feel the gravitational pull that a city such as Montreal has upon its visitors. For us, myself and my friend choosing between two amazing women, Montreal is our first love, the one that is hard to forget.

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People Watching at Mont Royal Lookout Points

by Elena on August 10, 2009

The small mountain of Mont Royal is located smack dab in the middle of the island of Montreal. The mountain is more like a hill in terms of size, but compared to the rest of the city it is an impressive centerpiece, a remnant of an eroded volcanic complex. In the summer people walk, jog, and bike up to the top. In the winter you can go cross country skiing, sledding, snow shoeing and other snow friendly activities. It is very fitting to have this outdoor playground in the middle of a city with such active inhabitants. The streets are just as filled with people riding their bikes and walking around as they are with cars.
There is a beautiful view from the lookout point at the top of Mont Royal, just a short walk from Beaver Lake. You can see downtown Montreal, the bridges that connect to Montreal island, as well as Island Sainte Helene, where you can visit the biosphere or La Ronde amusement park. If you look closely at the picture below you can see a red roller coaster. During the summer there is a firework show every Saturday that you can watch from Sainte Helene and the Old Port. A different country hosts these shows each week. Sadly I have yet to see any of these shows.

Watching everyone with their bikes made me really nostalgic for my tiny, blue, city cruiser I used to ride last year.

This woman decided to get some sun after a ride to the top.
There is another lookout point at the opposite end side of Mont Royal. The only way to get to it is by car, or through a more discreet path from the middle of the mountain. The road less traveled if you will. Last year I stumbled upon it by accident with a few friends. The lookout itself isn’t too impressive (it is basically an extension of a small parking lot) however the view is worth it. You can see eastern Montreal, including the Olympic stadium in the distance. Also the sunset is much prettier from here, in my humble opinion. A couple times when I went up Mont Royal at night I noticed that people tend to convene here with wine and other alcoholic beverages, which I assume they do before going out. I’m not sure what the legalities are behind this practice, therefore it is probably safer if you enjoy a bottle of wine at a close by cafe.
I took this picture at Beaver Lake while the sun set last fall.

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Road Trip Back To Montreal

by Elena on August 9, 2009

New York City to Montreal takes approximately 6-7 hours in car, and it was approximately 6-7 hours that I spent listening to a book on tape, brushing up on some French, humming to sickeningly catchy pop tunes, and of course pondering the answer to life’s biggest questions. My silver civic has gotten me pretty far throughout our time together, with minimal disappointments, chugging along route 87 with ease; although somewhere along the Adirondacks I really started to wish I had gone for the extra coffee and accessible munchies. The anticipation of seeing the city I left behind a year ago was building, as the radio stations slowly started to change from country to French. The Quebecois accent I used to find jarring and strange was suddenly comforting. I’m back! Montreal m’a tellement manqué.
Canada my second home!

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Bright Pink Sky

by Elena on June 28, 2009

Friday night there was a weird light coming through the windows of my house. My brother and I went outside and saw that the sky was bright pink. Not just the sky in fact, but everything. The light was reflecting off of the street, cars, houses and yards. It was a little bizarre just how bright it was, looking somewhat like a sci-fi movie, I half expected to see aliens buzzing around. There had been several thunderstorms throughout the day which left the sky looking pretty damn cool.