MoooooorEAL, Montreal
Pookie and I liked visiting Canada last August so much that we’re going back to Montreal again next week. We fed the koolaid to our two best friends and they’re coming too. What we learned from our trip was that Canada is perpetually 10 years behind the States. Which, for a bunch of 20 sometings nostalgic for the ’90s, works out perfectly.
First we drove to St. Catharines and visited my awesome Aunt Gagoo. (That’s right. GAGOO. Don’t ask. She’s kind of like a magician.) From there we hung out in Toronto for a day. I obsessively combed the racks of Kensington Market’s vintage shops. Then we ate burritos and ran into punk kids we knew way back when. I’ll admit though, that Toronto was slightly disappointing only because it shut down so early.
From there we hopped in the car and drove to Montreal. That’s when I learned that Canadians, not known for their recklessness, actually drive really fast. About 6 hours later we arrived to find our hostel had a water leak. We were upgraded to a room down the street that was more like a sauna. It was unseasonably warm for Montreal.
Montreal is full of adorable shops, superb vegan restaurants and good looking Francophones. One of my favorite stores is Preloved, a design company that recycles fabric for a uniquely modern yet still vintage feel. And next week the city will be home to the 9th edition of the Mutek Festival.
So yeah. Just like the ’90s. We even joined a pro-Francophone protest while we were visiting. Vintage clothes and electronic music go way better with crepes anyhow.
